That is the question plaguing me as Syracuse embarks on a legacy-defining NCAA tournament.
By almost all accounts this is the best regular season in Syracuse history. 30 wins before the conference tournament (that tied a record, even when you include postseason games), a .968 winning percentage, the longest run at #1, it's been a remarkable year.
And they way they've done it has been even more spectacular. First there have been the on the court challenges. The team lacks a singular star, a go-to player. But that has been part of the joy, watching a different player emerge every night. It wasn't just Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine. Some days it was Dion Waiters or Brandon Triche and even CJ Fair emerged as a go-to scorer. And on those rare occasions when Fab Melo was dominating a game on defense (Seton Hall) it was thrilling to watch how far he had come in only one year.
Early in the season Syracuse was blowing everyone out, which is a lot of fun if you are a fan, no worries at all, just enjoy the show. Then they got into a rhythm where they would start slow, and go on huge runs (NC State, South Florida, Marquette) and then coast to victory. Other times the coasting didn't quite go as well, and SU ended up in some nail-biters (Georgetown, Louisville, UConn). But maybe those were the most impressive, when they were able to get a defensive stop they absolutely needed, or nail a big 3 to answer an opponents run despite shooting only 1 of 15 from downtown to that point (just an example).
Maybe in 30 years I'll only remember that, the wins, the teamwork, the camaraderie and I'll forget all the other stuff.
Maybe I'll forget that this season began under the cloud of a potentially horrific child molestation scandal that cost longtime assistant Bernie Fine his job. Maybe I'll remember that the only loss came when Fab Melo was not playing, but I won't dwell on the fact that he missed 3 games for academic issues. And maybe this new scandal emerging now (players failing drug tests and not being disciplined according to University guideline) won't amount to anything. Maybe it will be huge and rock the program to its core.
Surely none of that will matter when I look back in 30 years at the greatest regular season in school history if it leads to a national title, but...
What if the Orange don't win the national title? They happen to be having the greatest regular season in school history at the same time when Kentucky is equally as good if not better (their one loss came by one point on a last second shot). What if SU plays 5 great games and matches up against a more talent Kentucky team in the final game (again) and loses (again)? What if SU plays North Carolina in the Final Four and for the first time in school history loses a national semifinal (we're 3 and oh, dontcha know)?
Would those be disappointments, but acceptable ones?
What if SU faces a spunky Wichita State team in the Sweet 16 and gets shocked by the Shockers? It would be the third straight year getting knocked out by major upset. And what if God forbid (pooh pooh pooh) Syracuse became the first one seed to lose to a 16 seed in the first round?
Would that ruin all the great things this team has accomplished?
I don't know the answers to these questions I've posed and I hope I never need to find out.
Excellent post that hits home for me as a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan. It's so difficult to celebrate a great season when the final outcome falls short of expectations.
ReplyDeleteAnd the NCAA tournament, with its 40 minute elimination games and quick turnarounds between games, is particularly brutal for top teams who are ultimately measured only by how far they got in March.