" Hello Couzin Day,

Wow what a game to watch last night, especially if you were a 'Cuse fan. Definately a tough way to end the season.

I know that losing Devendorf and Rautins are 2 key losses and shortens the bench tremendously. It plays into not being able to play man-to-man (which is Boheim's favorite defense),a full court press, and substituing players. But i think you have to try and get players like Justin Thomas, Ryan Cahak, Presutti and Sean Williams (who supposedly has the longest wingspan in the NCAA this year) minutes off the bench. If they are good enough to be playing D-1, then they should be able to go in for a minute or two to give the starters and back-ups a breather. Those starters were absolutely drained last night, which played into shot selection and running a good play to get a high precentage shot in the last 12 minutes of the game. Oh and did i mention they were up 22 points at one point.

AO should have dropped 40 last night. did anyone happen to count how many lay-ups he missed? Jackson also missed some bunnies as well.

I also feel that Boheim should ponder retirement. His coaching ability seems to be declining. I don't think he can coach these type of players.

Its also very irratating as a fan to watch him blow up at Scoop, Jackson, or Ongenaet for 1 mistake when Greene or Flynn make numerous mistakes and don't even get a glare.

Very disappointing season and is going to leave a bad taste in 'Cuse fans mouth for the next 7-8 months. "

" If you see me walking by and the tears are in my eyes, look away, baby, look away...

I'd also like to add that Luke Bonner is the dirtiest player I've ever seen. And not just because he looks like a scummier version of Kevin Federline. PopoZao!

Here's to next year. "

" Folks, we've hit a new low.
After leading by 22 points with 14:29 left in the second half, Syracuse found a way to blow the lead and eventually lose 81-77 in the NIT quarterfinals to UMass.
SU was outscored 59-34 after halftime.

- Ryan Day "

" For those interested (I know I am because I grew up playing ball with the kid) Matt Gorman is doing quite well for himself playing basketball in Ireland. Yesterday, the former Syracuse player led Neptune to a quarterfinal victory in the SuperLeague playoffs. Gorman scored a game-high 41 points.
The Watertown native is averaging 23.7 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 50 percent from the field.
Neptune, which is in Cork, Ireland, will play the Abrakebabra Tigers in the semis, a team they have yet to beat.

- Ryan Day "

" The college basketball season isn't quite over yet, but I'm already thinking about the future. And boy, does it look bright for the Big East.
Just think about the teams that will be coming back stronger -- Syracuse, Villanova, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, Connecticut (if Thabeet stays in school), Marquette.
If you thought the Big East was stacked in the past, just wait for next year.
And just think how exciting the player of the year race could be. My early picks for next season would be Joe Alexander (unstoppable the past month), Jerel McNeal (best defender in conference has stepped up scoring), Luke Harangody (will only be a junior), Jonny Flynn (will be twice as good with Devendorf and Rautins playing along side), Scottie Reynolds (has carried Nova into Sweet 16) and Sam Young (made a name for himself in Big East tournament).
It's easy to say that SU will be one of the league's best next year -- they'll have no shortage of talent, that's for sure -- but the Big East as a whole will only get better because there are very few talented seniors this season. Almost every team will get better.
It's going to be fun.

For those that don't already know, Syracuse has another date with UMass in the NIT quarterfinals Tuesday. The Minutemen already knocked off the Orange at the Carrier Dome earlier this season, embarassing Syracuse in a 107-100 shootout. And don't think the Orange have forgotten.
"I'm sure it's not going to happen twice," SU's Kristof Ongenaet said after the Maryland game.
These guys want revenge, big time.

And I'm sorry, but it has to be said. How much is Ben Howland paying these officials? I've never seen a team benefit more from favorable calls, or non-calls, than UCLA. They should have lost last night against A&M -- Sloan got killed on the final play. So by my count, that's three games in the past month the Bruins shouldn't have won.

For those interested in attending, NIT tickets are just $10 for Tuesday's game. Let's pack the dome for this one.

- Ryan Day
"

" You can say what you want about the NIT, but Syracuse is playing as hard as I've seen all season.
Despite a bruised back that sidelined him for the second half of the first-round game, Jonny Flynn played 39 minutes and delivered one of his best performances of the season -- 23 points, seven assists and two turnovers.
Not many missed baskets in this one, with 88 combined points in the paint.

Paul Harris scored 19, Donte Greene added 16 and Arinze Onuaku added 14 points and 14 rebounds in the win.

Syracuse hosts the winner of UMass-Akron on Tuesday at the Carrier Dome. For those with a good memory, UMass came into the dome earlier this season and dropped a 107-100 loss on the 'Cuse.

And how bout them Dukies. So close, so close.

Until Tuesday, enjoy the madness.

- Ryan Day "

" It's the first day of the NCAA tournament -- a national holiday, in my mind -- and Syracuse is playing Maryland in the NIT second round.
Normally, SU-Maryland would be an NCAA match-up, but not this year.
So have a remote handy, there's plenty of basketball to go around tonight.
And some early good news for Orange fans, Jonny Flynn is suited up and appears to be ready to play tonight.

More after the game.

Enjoy a glorious evening of hoops.

- Ryan Day "

" Syracuse got a one seed on Sunday.
Unfortunately, it's in the NIT.
The Orange, left out of the NCAA tournament for the second straight year, will play Robert Morris in the opening round of the NIT on Tuesday at 8 p.m. at the Carrier Dome. The game will air on ESPNU.
For those not familiar with Robert Morris, probably all of you, it was the regular season champ of the Northeast Conference and finished the season 26-7.
Syracuse will be the first quality opponent all season for Robert Morris, who hasn't played a single game against an opponent with a top-100 RPI.
If the Orange advance, they will face the winner of Minnesota and Maryland.
The one seed means SU could play three home games before the NIT semifinals, which will be played at MSG.

Hey, at least it's a tournament. Fill out your brackets. I like Cleveland State as my sleeper.

- Ryan Day "

" Ooooh snap! Iwas SO hoping..... "

" FINAL: Villanova 82, Syracuse 63

The Wildcats shot lights out in the second half and Syracuse, which led by 10 points in the first half, will miss the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.

You talk about mailing it in. Villanova just wanted this game more. They hit the big shots, got the big boards, and played their way right back into the NCAA picture.

The Orange couldn't get anything going offensively and turned the ball over far too often.
A poor effort by the boys from Central New York.

- Ryan Day "

" Checking in from MSG....
We're about 45 minutes from tip-off between Syracuse and Villanova.
This is a big one.
It may not be a "play-in" game for the NCAA tournament but it definitely is an elimination game.
The loser has no shot at a bid.

Syracuse has been playing its best basketball of the season but the Big East tourney is a different animal. The Orange need to get off to a good start and get out on Nova's shooters -- namely, Scottie Reynolds and Corey Fisher.

Also, for those who haven't heard, Jonny Flynn was named the Big East co-rookie of the year last night along with Pittsburgh's DeJuan Blair. I applaud the Big East coaches for getting this one right. Forget freshman, not many players have been as important to their team as Flynn has been for Syracuse. He's a year away from being one of the best point guards in the nation.

Let's hope for some "ONIONS" calls from Raf during this one. I'll check back in after the game.

- Ryan Day
"

" At noon, its do or die for SU basketball...fingers are crossed...Go SU !! "

" I watched the Marquette game and most of the others this season. I agree with you, I think Flynn has been more important to SU than Greene. But, I would still take nothing away from Greene either. All three should be Second Team. Paul Harris and Arinze Onuaku have both shown signs of leadership, which is very important for this young team. As for Kristof Ongenaet, I would say he is the most improved hands down. After his steal and breakaway for the dunk in the Marquette game the whole Dome came alive and Marquette was done. If this team makes the NCAA as a #16 pick, this could be the first year ever for a #16 to beat a #1. If they don't make the NCAA I will not be disappointed, because they have played with heart this year and I will be watching next year. When they are a year older, a year smarter and a lot healthier. "

" Big East all-conference and all-rookie teams were announced today, and Syracuse landed three selections.
Freshman Donte Greene and sophomore Paul Harris were named to the All-Big East Second Team while freshman Jonny Flynn was an All-Big East Honorable Mention.
Both Greene and Flynn were unanimous selections on the Big East All-Rookie team.

A good showing by the 'Cuse. But I have a small gripe.
I know Greene's numbers are enticing, but Flynn has been far more important to Syracuse. I would have selected him to the second team, not Greene.
But I am happy for Harris, who deserves this honor. I'm glad the Big East coaches realized how much he's improved and how he's had to carry the team at times during the last two months.

Awards for player, coach, most improved and rookie of the year will be announced tomorrow night.

- Ryan Day "

" Just when we get out, they pull us back in...
The SU bandwagon, which was running on empty one week ago, is getting crowded again.
The Orange have won two in a row, finished 9-9 in Big East play and have two marquee wins -- Georgetown and Marquette.
And how bout that Marquette game. The Carrier Dome was rockin even without the students. Marquette was completely overmatched and my boy Dominic James had no answer from long range.
And how bout Kristof -- a few more dunks like that and they'll have to retire his jersey too.
ONIONS!
It looks like Syracuse has a date with Nova in the 8-9 game in the Big East Tournament. That is a must-win game for both teams. I think the winner will be in the NCAAs, and the loser will be out. There's not enough room for both, as the selection committee won't take nine teams from the same conference.
SU got a favorable draw in the Big East. The Orange match up well with Nova -- if not for foul trouble, they would have swept the season series -- and with a win, they'll have a date with Georgetown in the quarterfinals and SU has definitely proven it can handle the Hoyas.
It's not yet time to bust out the dancin shoes and crank up the Journey -- Syracuse still has work to be done.
But this was a good week. They took care of business and didn't let the meltdown against Pitt influence their play.

Some hits on the past week of games:
- You're telling me Jonny Flynn isn't the BE Rookie of the Year? The vote shouldn't even be close, but it will be.
- Apparently Donte's headband was restricted the oxygen sent to his brain because without it, he's averaging 20 points per game and shooting much higher from the field.
- How was Ongenaet's dunk not on Sportscenter's Top 10 plays for Saturday? Who's picking these things? Major oversight. That was the play of the year for the Orange.
- Is it just more, or are you screaming "NO" everytime Scoop shoots but "YES" when it goes in? He's got an ugly shot but I guess it works. It's the Billy Edelin factor. It looks awful, but it goes in.
- This is a bit off topic, but I was watching the UCLA-Stanford game the other night (Stanford got hosed by the way) and I was especially interested in the matchup between Kevin Love and Brook Lopez. Love, who is practically heralded as the next Bill Walton at UCLA (give me a break) got frustrated and started shooting 3s when Lopez blocked his shot a few times. This got me thinking, how many decent big men are there in the Pac-10? The answer -- 2. Lopez and Love are it. Kevin Love is a heck of a talent, I'll give you that. But let's see what he does against giants like Hasheem Thabeet, Luke Harangody or even Arinze Onuaku. There's nobody to man up with him out west. Personally, aside from his passing abilities, I don't think he's any better than the three guys I just mentioned.
- Is anyone else pumped for Championship Week? I'm getting jittery. Best time of the year.

And FYI, you better take an extended lunch break on Wednesday, because it's almost certain the 'Cuse will play the noon game in the BE tourney.
Until then, I'll be filling out my other bracket -- http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/artsandliving/television/features/2007/lost-central/lost_madness.html

Namaste

- Ryan Day "

" So Billy Owens' No. 30 will be hoisted to the rafters on Saturday and I applaud this decision by SU.
But it gets me thinking, who's next?
I've got to believe at some point that Lawrence Moten will get his due. I mean, he's the Big East all-time leading scorer for crying out loud.
And I can't believe that anyone will wear No. 3 again. It may be a few years, but G-Mac will get his day.
I think the real debate is with Carmelo Anthony.
Nobody can debate that Melo had as big of an impact on SU basketball than anybody has in the team's history.
But the argument -- can you retire the jersey of a player that stayed in school for just one year?
I say, YES, emphatically.
In any typical situation, you cannot retire the jersey of someone who played just one season.
But Melo delivered a national championship.
And plus, can you imagine anyone wearing the No. 15 again?
It wouldn't be right.
So I say send the 15 up to the rafters too.

So here we are again, another must-win game for the Orange. Seton Hall and Syracuse have identical records and each are coming off crushing defeats.
Neither team looks good for the NCAA tournament, but you can be sure that a loss tonight and the dream is completely vanquished.
I say Paul Harris has an epic game. He took the blame for the Pitt loss and I believe he'll be on a mission against the Pirates. I'm thinking something like 24 and 12.

Finally, how could Jonny Flynn be left off the Big East honor roll. His numbers were better than every player on there. Apparently, 28 points and 5 dimes isn't what it used to be.
And I'm sorry, but if Flynn isn't the Big East rookie of the year, the coaches have been sleeping. No freshman has meant more to his team.

SU vs. Seton Hall, 7 p.m., ESPN2

Enjoy

- Ryan Day "

" For some reason my entire column from Saturday's game didn't make it online, so here it is for those who want to relive the pain:

This one hurts.
And the sting isn't going away anytime soon.
There's a reason why Jim Boeheim called Saturday's crushing 82-77 loss to Pittsburgh "the most disappointing game I've ever been involved with."
This is a man who stood on the sideline when Keith Smart buried Syracuse in the NCAA title game with a baseline jumper.
He was there for the Vermont stunner. He was there when Richmond knocked off SU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, becoming the first 15 seed to defeat a 2.
Boeheim has seen plenty of losses -- 32 years worth of crushing defeats. And this one hurts the most.
That's saying something.
Barring a run through the Big East Tournament, Syracuse is done. Beating Pittsburgh was a must to keep the tourney hopes alive.
And the worst part is, they had the game won.
Syracuse had a 70-59 lead with 5:52 remaining. The Panthers were on the ropes and the Orange was ready to deliver a knock-out blow.
But it never came.
And Pitt outscored Syracuse 18-2 in the game's final 3:30.
In that span, Syracuse missed four shots and had four turnovers.
"We just cracked under pressure," freshman Jonny Flynn said. "We blew an 11-point lead with three minutes to go. We just cracked. I guess we just didn't want it enough."
To make matters worse, Syracuse actually played well.
Donte Greene broke out of a month-long slump with a 23-point performance. Flynn equaled a career high with 28 points.
Offensively, the Orange were clicking all game. They shot 58.8 percent from the floor and 47.1 percent from behind the arc.
The stats were there. Everything was set up for a Syracuse victory.
But turnovers eventually led to its doom.
The Orange gave the ball away 18 times, leading directly to 19 Pittsburgh points.
There's your game folks.
"In the last 32 years, I've never been involved in a game, a bigger game, where our team has played better in every phase of the game, except turning the ball over," Boeheim said.
"We played absolutely the best game we can play."
So to lose like this -- it's rather crushing. There was absolutely no youthful exuberance in this SU post-game locker room. There were no "we'll get 'em next time" pep talks. Nobody saying "keep your heads up."
There was only heartbreak and a lot of blank looks.
Even Flynn, who usually talks quite candidly after losses, couldn't muster many words.
"We gave this game away," he said. "We know how much this game meant for us, for the NCAA Tournament. We didn't come through."
For all intents and purposes, this was an elimination game for the Orange and for 35 minutes, they played like a team that not only would make the tournament, but could win a few games there.
Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon could see it.
"They're an NCAA Tournament team," said Dixon, before adding "they've just had some tough losses and some injuries."
That's no consolation.
Syracuse played like one of the best 65 teams in the country on Saturday. But the Orange also played like a team filled with freshman and sophomores.
Every mistake was costly.
And with the season was on the line, SU choked.
Blowing that kind of lead, the way they did, they don't deserve to be in the NCAAs. You have to win your way into the tournament. Syracuse had its chance to not only pick up a marquee win, but to make a statement against a team that is considered a lock for the Big Dance.
Instead, the Orange suffered its most debilitating loss of the season and to top off the debacle that was Saturday's game, they are now out of the NCAA Tournament picture.
So yes, I believe Jimmy B when he says this is the most disappointing loss he's ever been associated with. I bet most Orange fans would concur.

- Ryan Day "

" Has it really been more than two weeks since their last win?
Ugh.
What a season. Let's see if I've got this straight.
Torn ACLs. Check.
Stolen meal card. Check.
Player abandoning team. Check.
Missed buzzer beaters. Check.
And our newest entry...
Blown 11-point lead that crushes any hopes of an NCAA Tournament berth. Check.
Looking back through the years, I'm beginning to think that Syracuse fans may have made a deal with the devil for that title in 2003 and this is payback.
2004 wasn't all that bad, the Orange made the Sweet 16.
But in 2005, SU was a legitimate Final Four contender but was shocked by Vermont.
2006 -- first-round loss to Texas A&M and G-Mac's injury.
2007 -- the snub heard round the world.
2008 -- a train wreck from the beginning.
And the worst part is Syracuse has played all teams tough this season. They don't get blown out.
They battled back from double-digit deficits against Louisville, Notre Dame and South Florida, just to lose in the end.
They held substantial leads against UMass, Rhode Island and Pitt, just to blow it in the end.
They had looks to win games against Georgetown, UConn and Pitt, but none were on target.
This is the ultimate "what if" year.
What if Devo and Rautins didn't go down?
What if Jonny's shot had rattled home against the Hoyas?
What if Paul Harris didn't lose the ball against the Panthers?
It'll drive you crazy thinking about all the missed opportunities and bad luck.
But the season's not over. If Syracuse can get to the 20-win mark, that would involve two wins to close out the regular season and at least one win in the Big East Tournament, they'd have to at least be mentioned when bubble teams are brought up.
In reality though, they're NIT-bound for the second straight season.
But at least this year we won't have to wait until Selection Sunday to know of SU's fate.

The Orange travel to play Seton Hall on Wednesday. The Hall has the exact same record as the 'Cuse, 17-12 overall and 7-9 in the Big East.
My guess is the Syracuse players won't show up for this one. Saturday's game was so draining, it'll stick with them for a while. I'd like to think they'd use it to fuel their play, but I don't see it happening.

Is it baseball season yet?

- Ryan Day "