What's the better year for SU hoops: 2009-10 or 2015-16?

[two3zone]

Best team we have ever had is 2011-2012, imo.

Agreed 100%, most people don't have it in the top 5 which is crazy to me.

 

[NineOneSeven]

Agreed 100%, most people don't have it in the top 5 which is crazy to me.

Michael was our tenth guy. Leading scorer had 13.5 points per game. Seven guys 7+. Ridiculous depth. Everywhere.

 

[raf4488]

Agreed 100%, most people don't have it in the top 5 which is crazy to me.

Going 17-1 in the 2005-13 era Big East is freakin incredible

 

[Cusefan0307]

We lost less games in 2012, but 2010 was more aesthetically pleasing I thought. That team averaged 80ppg and might be the best shooting team we've ever had. The 2012 team had a more difficult time scoring points in the half court. JMHO.

And as someone who still lives in syracuse and is a season ticket holder, every game has still been a party. It's not like attendance is that far down, and I'm sure it will be up next year now. On too off all that, Campus was nuts on Sunday night. Crazier than 2013 for sure.

 

[FrancoPizza]

It all depends on how much each individual fan enjoys the ups and downs of the regular season. It's a tough question. The high of the final 4 lasts a week, give or take... unless you go all the way. A great 30-5 regular season brought with it tremendous media exposure... the talking heads were drooling over us... Bobby Knight proclaimed us the best team in America... we throttled Carolina in the garden... destroyed the Hoyas at home... ran Villanova off the court to claim a #1 ranking near the end of the regular season. It was an awesome 4 months. Does losing AO really sour the entire experience for me? Nope - at least in hindsight. This has been an unbelievable 2 weeks to be an SU fan, but unless we win the whole thing, I'll still take 2009-10 for the sustained highs. And it's not even close. Ditto for 11-12. There's a LOT to be said about having great SU hoops to take the sting out of CNY winters.

 

[doc05]

To me this isn't close -- this year we are in the Final Four. In 2010 we lost in the Sweet 16. AO or not, we just got done destroying Gonzaga. They should have beat Butler and could have still won the title without AO. I understand 2010 was a great team to watch, but I think we tend to romanticize that year a bit too much.

 

[721Comstock]

To me this isn't close -- this year we are in the Final Four. In 2010 we lost in the Sweet 16. AO or not, we just got done destroying Gonzaga. They should have beat Butler and could have still won the title without AO. I understand 2010 was a great team to watch, but I think we tend to romanticize that year a bit too much.

They weren't just a great team to watch. They were a GREAT TEAM. Period.

Amazing balance of shooting, passing, D, inside presence, slashing wings, guard play - I think our best overall TEAM, possibly ever.
(and I've been watching SU hoops since I was a Frosh in '84).
We've had more overall talent (late 80's, for sure), and certainly better postseason results, but in terms of the play of all 7 of those guys together, I don't think we've had a better team.

You'll never convince me otherwise, that we don't win it all that year if AO doesn't get hurt.
/pours one out for the NC that never was.

As thrilled as I am about this completely unexpected Final Four run, it doesn't magically trump the fact that we lost 13 games this year, and were not all that good of a team (by Syracuse standards) for much of the season.
Now - IF we go ahead and WIN THE WHOLE THING - then I reserve the right to change my opinion.

 

[victor]

It's all about how you do in the tournament. Everything that happened during the season is history once the tournament starts. I have watched the last nine minutes of the Va. game at least six times, and I am always amazed by that game.

Ask Michigan St. who many picked to win the tournament and lost in the first round how they feel about this season. Who cares that we lost to Pitt 3 times. We are in the final four and their coach bailed out on them.

 

[adk(roc)CUSE]

We'll NEVER forget that Virginia or Gonzaga game. We will or have forgotten the big games from those recent great seasons. And if we haven't those specific games were not more important than these last two. National Championships > FINAL FOURS> Sweet 16s/Conference Tourny Championships. All about the hardware. With that said thank god we're privileged enough to have a debate Like this.

 

[OttoMets]

We lost less games in 2012, but 2010 was more aesthetically pleasing I thought. That team averaged 80ppg and might be the best shooting team we've ever had. The 2012 team had a more difficult time scoring points in the half court. JMHO.

And as someone who still lives in syracuse and is a season ticket holder, every game has still been a party. It's not like attendance is that far down, and I'm sure it will be up next year now. On too off all that, Campus was nuts on Sunday night. Crazier than 2013 for sure.

Agree completely with the rationale in the first. 2010 just had prettier basketball. 2012 was a ton of fun, but it was more offense via iso or tight defense and runouts.

On the second, meh. The silver lining is that attendance will get a huge bump next fall. And the bean-counters are probably heaving a big sigh of relief, because it was way down this season. Not only was the average low, but 2 of the 6 smallest home conference crowds in Dome history were this year.

What a difference four wins can make.

 

[pearl31]

I guess it depends on whether one is willing to distinguish "season" from "end result". Certainly the entire 09-10 season beats this one by a wide margin. But certainly this year's end result trumps 09-10. It seems that for some, the end result defines the season - while for others the end result is just part of the overall season.
I'm torn, myself - lemme see how it plays out

 

[Forloveoforange]

Agreed 100%, most people don't have it in the top 5 which is crazy to me.

That 2012 team could have gone undefeated with a little luck. People don't understand that having a 7 foot shot blocker that can score is like having 6 guys. Its really not even fair.

 

[Eric15]

I'm not sure why this is, but I feel like the 2010 SU team gets a little bit too much respect from us, and the 2012 team doesn't get quite enough respect.

 

[Eric15]

IMHO, if AO doesn't get hurt, we cut down the nets

I loved that 2010 team so much, but I feel like we tend to feel sorry for ourselves a bit too much for AO's loss. AO was our 4th leading scorer, and 4th leading rebounder. And we lost multiple games that year at home against mediocre competition with him in the lineup. And Georgetown was beating us comfortably in the BET before he got injured. If we were a truly great team, shouldn't we have been able to withstand that loss? It wasn't like we were that Cincinnati team that lost Kenyon Martin in their conference tourney.

 

[two3zone]

I'm not sure why this is, but I feel like the 2010 SU team gets a little bit too much respect from us, and the 2012 team doesn't get quite enough respect.

I think the hate of Fab Melo plays a big part of that, I also think that one of our best players on that team, the #4 pick in that draft, wasn't "loved" around here as much as some other guys we've had come through the program.

So arguably our most important player was hated and our best player wasn't exactly loved played a big part of the team not getting the respect it should. I believe that team was the best SU team ever, if not top 2 at least and the potential of being one of the best ever.

3 losses, 2 of them without our most important player, in one of the best conferences top to bottom and we only lost 1 regular season game (without our MVP).

 

[OttoMets]

I loved that 2010 team so much, but I feel like we tend to feel sorry for ourselves a bit too much for AO's loss. AO was our 4th leading scorer, and 4th leading rebounder. And we lost multiple games that year at home against mediocre competition with him in the lineup. And Georgetown was beating us comfortably in the BET before he got injured. If we were a truly great team, shouldn't we have been able to withstand that loss? It wasn't like we were that Cincinnati team that lost Kenyon Martin in their conference tourney.

Well, Pitt and Louisville, so not exactly mediocre (not against Syracuse, at least).

Otherwise, yes.

 

[Eric15]

Well, Pitt and Louisville, so not exactly mediocre (not against Syracuse, at least).

Otherwise, yes.

You're right. I'll rephrase... in order to win it all, we would have had to beat teams better than Pitt and Louisville.

 

[721Comstock]

You're right. I'll rephrase... in order to win it all, we would have had to beat teams better than Pitt and Louisville.

We *routinely beat* better teams than Pitt and Llvll - in the Tournament.
Because they are not as intimately familiar w/ how to beat our zone, like Dixon and Rick the Quick are.

 

[obliterata]

QUOTE="Lawrinson14, post: 1717806, member: 1365"]What's the better year for SU hoops 2009-10 or 2015-16? Just curious what everyone thinks. Is the post season all that really matters?

2009-10:
30-5
Big East Regular Season Champs
Sweet 16

2015-16:
currently 23-13
Sub par regular season in the ACC
Currently in the final 4[/QUOTE]

The post-season is not all that matters but it's more important than the regular season.

In the 1980s there was a coach that went 126-17 during the regular season in his last 5 years coaching and if you take away his "bad" year during this stretch (17-11 regular season, eventual NIT runner-up) his regular season record was 109-6.....109-6! Unfortunately, he went 1-4 in the NCAAT with one Sweet Sixteen those 4 years......and then Depaul coach Ray Meyer resigned.

I'll take double digit losses and Final Fours over 30 win seasons and Sweet Sixteens every time.

 

[Briancuse]

If we win it all, then yes absolutely. I agree that what you do in the ncaa tournament is important, but don't discount having a great regular season, and being great for five months.