Syracuse Basketball: Missing The NCAAs Hurts, But Let’s Win The NIT

The Syracuse Basketball team and fans alike are unhappy and upset about being excluded from the NCAA Tournament. But now the Orange must turn their focus to the NIT. Inside the Loud House reflects on the disappointment of Selection Sunday, but also the opportunities of tomorrow.

I just had this feeling in the pit of my stomach that Selection Sunday would not prove fun for the Syracuse basketball squad and its faithful fan base. I’m in no way a pessimist, but it honestly did not surprise me when, after the NCAA Tournament field got announced, the Orange found itself the first team on the outside looking in.

We could debate for an eternity the merits of SU landing an invite to the Big Dance, and of the ‘Cuse getting shut out. It’s really splitting hairs when one compares Syracuse’s resume to that of the other bubble outfits.

Personally, do I think that the Orange are among the best 68 groups in the country? Without question. Could SU have emerged victorious in a contest or two in March Madness? Absolutely. Did the ‘Cuse got hosed? That, I’m not so sure.

Big-Time Highs, and Truly Wretched Lows:

Once the entire bracket got revealed, chat rooms, message boards and Twitter blew up. And, much of that conversation surrounded our beloved Orange, whose bubble, unfortunately, had burst.

In Our Defense:

In all fairness, the majority of the ‘Cuse’s yucky defeats came two or more months ago. As we’ve tirelessly documented, this Syracuse roster has loads of talent, but also a handful of new faces, and it became evident that our guys needed longer than anticipated to gel as a cohesive unit.

Tyus Battle has been on a tear down the stretch for Syracuse Basketball. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Once Boeheim decided graduate transfer John Gillon was his starting point guard, freshmen Tyus Battle and Taurean Thompson got comfortable, and sophomore Tyler Lydon identified his groove; we began to witness exactly what SU could accomplish.

A few college-basketball pundits brought up on Sunday evening how the Orange fell in five of its last seven clashes. So what? Those losses included a pair to Louisville, on a neutral site versus Miami, and on the road to Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh, two relatively decent groups.

ESPN analysts Jay Bilas, Dick Vitale and Jay Williams each said that Syracuse not getting in to the NCAA Tournament amounted to a snub. Others said the ‘Cuse got what it deserved, and the same should have occurred in the year prior, when SU snuck in as a No. 10 seed and shockingly advanced to the Final Four.

NCAA Exclusion Equals Disappointment All-Around:

I feel terrible for our two grad transfers, Gillon and Andrew White III. They decided to suit up for Boeheim & Co., likely in part because they felt that donning a Syracuse uniform afforded them a terrific opportunity to go dancing. And, now, they aren’t.

It has to prove extremely disappointing to go from the Final Four in 2016 to the NIT in 2017. No other way to slice it. Still, I truly hope that our boys, Boeheim and his staff, and the entire ‘Cuse community hold their heads up high. There is no shame in not making the NCAA Tournament.

A lot of Syracuse fans, particularly on Facebook, called for JB’s head and spoke of how embarrassing it is to play in the NIT. They trashed the NCAA Tournament’s selection committee.

Hate To Say It, but We (as an SU Fanbase) are Spoiled:

I, respectfully, disagree with these folks. First of all, we are such a spoiled fan base. In recent years, SU has secured a duo of Final Fours, reached the Elite Eight, held No. 1 rankings, and received No. 1 seeds in March Madness.

Syrcause has been blessed with great talent the last few years. Rakeem Christmas and Tyler Ennis to name two. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

In the seven-year span from 2009 to 2014, the Orange averaged around 30 wins annually according to SportsReference.com. That’s tremendous. Sure, the victory totals have diminished over the past three stanzas, but that happens to most, if not all, of the country’s premier outfits.

No doubt it’s a tough pill to swallow getting left out in the 2016-17 campaign. Other bubble teams, like Illinois State, are bummed as well. We proved so close.

We Had Our Chances, So Don’t Say We Didn’t:

A conquest of Miami in the ACC Tournament would have likely sealed the deal. Or not collapsing against Connecticut at Madison Square Garden. Or getting past Boston College, Georgia Tech or Pittsburgh on the road. Or conquering Georgetown, Louisville or St. John’s at home.The list goes on, and on, and on. We had countless chances to punch our ticket, and we failed to capitalize on them.

There’s also probably a bit of bad luck that could have contributed to Syracuse not nabbing a NCAA Tournament berth. Rhode Island captured the A-10 Tournament title. Kansas State, which sported a sub-.500 record in the Big 12, upset Baylor in its conference tournament. Xavier, horrid down the regular-season stretch, knocked off Butler in the Big East Tournament.

Not Really Much Argument Against the NCAA Field:

I don’t have many gripes with this year’s field. Southern California had way more victories than SU, although the Trojans hadn’t beaten a squad with a winning mark since late January. Kansas State, as previously noted, went 8-10 in the Big 12.

Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan State didn’t do that much, and the Spartans had 14 setbacks. Vanderbilt, though it faced a brutal schedule, possessed 15 defeats. Wake Forest owned one fewer success in the ACC than the ‘Cuse, and the Orange had the head-to-head category, but the Demon Deacons’ RPI proved way rosier.

It’s a little frustrating that, in 2016, the selection committee appeared to place a ton of emphasis on top-flight triumphs, yet this time around, the poor road and out-of-conference losses suffered by Syracuse seemingly did us in. My biggest complaint, then, is the inconsistency displayed by the selection committee on how it awards at-large invites, and what matters the most. Boeheim said as much. So did ESPN’s Bilas.

It’s Time To Move On: Let’s Win This Thing!

Regardless, it’s time to move on. I’m proud of how this SU squad matured over the course of this term. The season isn’t over. I say stick it to the selection committee and roll through the NIT.

This is not a cakewalk, though. By any means. Formidable opponents in the 32-team tournament include Georgia, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Illinois State, and Iowa.

Up first for the Orange, the NIT’s No. 1 overall seed, is UNC- Greensboro, a No. 8 seed. How juicy.

The Cheap Shot Heard Only in Greensboro

Tournament officials are saying that they didn’t intentionally slot the Spartans (25-9, 14-4 in Southern Conference competition) against the ‘Cuse (18-14, 10-8 in ACC play), but who are we kidding?

Last week, Boeheim took a somewhat cheap shot at Greensboro, advocating that there are more benefits to the ACC and its member schools, as it pertains to media exposure and recruiting, by having the conference tournament in locations like Atlanta, New York and Washington D.C., and, by extension, not having it in Greensboro.

Naturally, the city of Greensboro fired back, understandably so.

Kudos #NIT on having a sense of humor. Well played!
— City of Greensboro (@greensborocity) March 13, 2017

When Syracuse hosts UNC-Greensboro on Wednesday night at 7 pm, with ESPN2 as well as WatchESPN/ESPN3 airing the contest, I sincerely hope that the “trash-talking” continues. It makes for tantalizing drama. The intrigue centered on an opening-round NIT battle has likely never proven greater.

Other Interesting Things of Note:

Additionally, the NCAA is trying out some weird rule changes in the current tournament. I remain bitter about having to play in the NIT, so I’ll leave an explanation of these rule switch-a-roos for another day.

According to the UNC-Greensboro official athletics Web site, the Spartans made it to the NIT once before, in 2002, where they lost in the first round to Memphis. To date, SU owns a 3-0 all-time record versus UNC-Greensboro, the NunesMagician.com says.

Given the inclement weather slated for Central New York, the Carrier Dome crowd could end up on the smaller side. Regardless, I feel like Boeheim and his boys will come out ready to duel. They may find themselves a tad slow out of the gates, but don’t expect the Orange to pout about not making the Big Dance.

For all we know, Boeheim may call it quits when this stanza concludes, so let’s go out with a bang. Greensboro’s got nothing on ‘Cuse Nation.