Don't call it a comeback. Syracuse has done it all year.
And so it's fitting - not comforting - but fitting that the Orange end one of the strangest seasons in recent memory just a few points short.
SU wasn't blown out once this year. Not once. Their largest transgression came in a 12-point loss to Notre Dame, a game in which the Irish were unconscious from 3-point land.
But the Orange saw their fair share of deficits.
Down 23 in the first half against Wichita State. Facing a 10-point deficit with 2:23 to go at Villanova. Eleven points down with 2:59 to play against Oklahoma State.
The 'Cuse made a valiant effort in all of these games, losing by three, three and four points, respectively.
Three comebacks, three losses.
In hind sight, a win in any one of those games and Syracuse is in the NCAA Tournament. No doubt. One more win and not even Doug Gottlieb could keep the Orange out of his bracket.
So against Clemson in the NIT quarterfinals Wednesday, the Orange went the way of their NCAA tourney hopes - coming up just short.
Trailing by 17, 58-41, with 7:21 remaining, it appeared the Tigers were about to run away with SU's NIT title hopes.
But the Orange, keyed by Eric Devendorf, Paul Harris and Terrence Roberts, went on a 27-11 run to pull within a single point with 18 seconds on the clock.
And just like so many times before, the Tigers hit their final free throws and Syracuse missed its big shot - a Josh Wright heave from behind the 3-point arc.
Game over. Season over. Disappointment. The Syracuse players must be used to the feeling by now.
A snub by the NCAA selection committee. A two seed in the NIT. Another oh-so-close comeback to add to the pile.
Saying this was a rocky season is like saying the Himalayas are a little hilly.
Jim Boeheim, in all his stubbornness, was forced to use six different starting fives. Senior Darryl Watkins missed games with a broken nose. Devendorf fought through stomach illnesses and the shooting of a close friend. Roberts tore a meniscus in his knee back in December. Senior Matt Gorman missed four games with a severe ankle sprain. Sharpshooter Andy Rautins struggled lately with a leg injury that's prevented him from elevating for his shot attempts. There were even a few teammates struck by the Dinosaur Barbecue food poisoning epidemic back in December.
Talk about your bad luck.
But this brand of Orange fought back. They made the season respectable. They knocked off ninth-ranked Georgetown. They finished the regular season winning seven of their final 10 games, good enough for fifth in the Big East.
Syracuse turned what could have been a catastrophe into a darn good basketball team.
One that should have been an easy pick for the field of 65.
Another catastrophe - SU's snub at the hands of the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
This time, it was the fans who responded.
The Orange faithful turned out in droves to support their fallen comrades. They filled the Carrier Dome with record numbers, all for an NIT game. The NIT, a tournament that many believe doesn't matter.
Don't tell that to SU fans.
They've watched every game, watched their team transform before their eyes. Another home game is just another chance to show their appreciation.
This team has been through a lot. And Syracuse fans are smart. They know a good team when they see one. They appreciate a team that fights. One that leaves its blood, sweat and tears out on the court.
That was this team.
If Syracuse had coasted through the season, shown no signs of improvement and received an NIT invitation, 26,000 fans, a number more suitable for a Georgetown or a Connecticut, wouldn't have turned out for a game against San Diego State.
But the fans felt that same heartache on Selection Sunday. They knew the players would need an extra boost. They supplied one.
Unfortunately for the guys in orange, 26,000 screaming SU fans couldn't make the trip down to South Carolina on Wednesday.
So the 2006-07 season has come to a close. The Syracuse community must bid adieu to Nichols, Watkins, Roberts and Gorman.
The letters N-I-T may be printed alongside this year's squad in the record books, but make no mistake, the 2006-07 campaign was no failure.
It was a trying season, sure. Boeheim most definitely lost a few more hairs since November.
But this year's squad came together as a team like few have. And college basketball purists have recognized. I can't remember a team getting the shaft on Selection Sunday and creating such a firestorm throughout the national media. Almost everybody agreed the Orange should have gotten their shot.
It's not much consolation, but it does show Syracuse's accomplishments this season didn't go unnoticed.
It definitely wasn't overlooked by the fans. They won't soon forget this team. And neither should you.
SU wasn't blown out once this year. Not once. Their largest transgression came in a 12-point loss to Notre Dame, a game in which the Irish were unconscious from 3-point land.
But the Orange saw their fair share of deficits.
Down 23 in the first half against Wichita State. Facing a 10-point deficit with 2:23 to go at Villanova. Eleven points down with 2:59 to play against Oklahoma State.
The 'Cuse made a valiant effort in all of these games, losing by three, three and four points, respectively.
Three comebacks, three losses.
In hind sight, a win in any one of those games and Syracuse is in the NCAA Tournament. No doubt. One more win and not even Doug Gottlieb could keep the Orange out of his bracket.
So against Clemson in the NIT quarterfinals Wednesday, the Orange went the way of their NCAA tourney hopes - coming up just short.
Trailing by 17, 58-41, with 7:21 remaining, it appeared the Tigers were about to run away with SU's NIT title hopes.
But the Orange, keyed by Eric Devendorf, Paul Harris and Terrence Roberts, went on a 27-11 run to pull within a single point with 18 seconds on the clock.
And just like so many times before, the Tigers hit their final free throws and Syracuse missed its big shot - a Josh Wright heave from behind the 3-point arc.
Game over. Season over. Disappointment. The Syracuse players must be used to the feeling by now.
A snub by the NCAA selection committee. A two seed in the NIT. Another oh-so-close comeback to add to the pile.
Saying this was a rocky season is like saying the Himalayas are a little hilly.
Jim Boeheim, in all his stubbornness, was forced to use six different starting fives. Senior Darryl Watkins missed games with a broken nose. Devendorf fought through stomach illnesses and the shooting of a close friend. Roberts tore a meniscus in his knee back in December. Senior Matt Gorman missed four games with a severe ankle sprain. Sharpshooter Andy Rautins struggled lately with a leg injury that's prevented him from elevating for his shot attempts. There were even a few teammates struck by the Dinosaur Barbecue food poisoning epidemic back in December.
Talk about your bad luck.
But this brand of Orange fought back. They made the season respectable. They knocked off ninth-ranked Georgetown. They finished the regular season winning seven of their final 10 games, good enough for fifth in the Big East.
Syracuse turned what could have been a catastrophe into a darn good basketball team.
One that should have been an easy pick for the field of 65.
Another catastrophe - SU's snub at the hands of the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
This time, it was the fans who responded.
The Orange faithful turned out in droves to support their fallen comrades. They filled the Carrier Dome with record numbers, all for an NIT game. The NIT, a tournament that many believe doesn't matter.
Don't tell that to SU fans.
They've watched every game, watched their team transform before their eyes. Another home game is just another chance to show their appreciation.
This team has been through a lot. And Syracuse fans are smart. They know a good team when they see one. They appreciate a team that fights. One that leaves its blood, sweat and tears out on the court.
That was this team.
If Syracuse had coasted through the season, shown no signs of improvement and received an NIT invitation, 26,000 fans, a number more suitable for a Georgetown or a Connecticut, wouldn't have turned out for a game against San Diego State.
But the fans felt that same heartache on Selection Sunday. They knew the players would need an extra boost. They supplied one.
Unfortunately for the guys in orange, 26,000 screaming SU fans couldn't make the trip down to South Carolina on Wednesday.
So the 2006-07 season has come to a close. The Syracuse community must bid adieu to Nichols, Watkins, Roberts and Gorman.
The letters N-I-T may be printed alongside this year's squad in the record books, but make no mistake, the 2006-07 campaign was no failure.
It was a trying season, sure. Boeheim most definitely lost a few more hairs since November.
But this year's squad came together as a team like few have. And college basketball purists have recognized. I can't remember a team getting the shaft on Selection Sunday and creating such a firestorm throughout the national media. Almost everybody agreed the Orange should have gotten their shot.
It's not much consolation, but it does show Syracuse's accomplishments this season didn't go unnoticed.
It definitely wasn't overlooked by the fans. They won't soon forget this team. And neither should you.
The Citizens' Say
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Unknown... wrote on Mar 22, 2007 2:59 PM: