The month was May. The year, 2001. The setting was the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship at picturesque Rutgers Stadium.
The importance? A single statement delivered to Sean K. Palmer from The Glaude.
Was the loss tough to take? Sure, but it was a Syracuse team loaded with a ridiculous amount of underclass talent (read: Freshman Mike Powell). There was hope in defeat. Plus, the 3+ hour ride home was all the therapy I would need to rationalize such a gut-wrenching defeat.
The month was March. The year, 2000. The setting was the NCAA Men's Basketball Regional Semifinal at the picturesque Palace at Auburn Hills.
The importance? A single statement delivered to a forgettable soul.
Was the loss tough to take? Sure, but it was impressive just handling MSU the way SU did. It all happened in an incredibly hostile environment just a week following a gutty victory against 5th seeded and Jamaal Magloire-led Kentucky. Plus, there was plenty of time on the plane ride home to engage in some worthwhile reflection.
The month was March. The year, 2005. The setting was the NCAA Men's Basketball 1st Round at the decrepit Worcester Centrum (or whatever it's called now) and the cold warmth of the Carrier Dome.
The importance? I didn't drink a gallon of Clorox around 9:20 PM. And I found a cure for McNamania. It's called taking an IV of "freakin' unbelievable."
It was a perfect storm of defeat for the Orange today. Black Friday if there ever was one. I challenge any university on the planet to measure up to the day of defeat Syracuse University endured this evening. Just the most delicious offering of suffering I haven't seen since Dante's Inferno.
Not only was Orange basketball upset in the most ridiculous of overtime fashions, the lacrosse team managed to piddle away what was seen as an insurmountable lead against #1 ranked Johns Hopkins.
Hoops: It all came crashing down when Syracuse decided to commit more turnovers (24) than made field goals (23). Hakim Warrick led the way with 10 giveaways. Congratulations. Take your place at the front of the line to stab me in the face with a rusty spoon.
Incredible Moment: Vermont cruise missile T.J. Sorrentine decided to shoot from the parking lot and drilled the most ridiculous three pointer since Talik Brown graced the floor of Madison Square Garden. Honorable mention goes to the referee who T'd up Terrence Roberts. Those free throws were the difference maker in pushing the game into overtime. Way to use that impecible, or possibly imbecile, discretion.
Lacrosse: It all came crashing down when Syracuse dropped an early 7-1 advantage and Greg Peyser smoked the bean past Orange goalkeeper Jay Pfiefer in the overtime session. Pfiefer may have played his best game of the season to date, but Syracuse still couldn't manage to scrounge out enough offense to slip past the Jays.
Incredible Moment: Simply losing in overtime. That's two one-goal defeats in the last two outings. SU is now sitting at an abysmal 1-3 going into Princeton next week.
So, in case you're keeping score that's:
Heartbreaking Overtime Defeats: 2
Span of Heartbreaking Overtime Defeats: 20 minutes
Orange Nation - You are officially on suicide watch.
The importance? A single statement delivered to Sean K. Palmer from The Glaude.
"I'd rather see a loss in regulation than in overtime. It's just too painful to lose in overtime."The result: B.J. Prager (4G) netted Princeton it's sixth national championship 3:19 into the overtime session.
Was the loss tough to take? Sure, but it was a Syracuse team loaded with a ridiculous amount of underclass talent (read: Freshman Mike Powell). There was hope in defeat. Plus, the 3+ hour ride home was all the therapy I would need to rationalize such a gut-wrenching defeat.
The month was March. The year, 2000. The setting was the NCAA Men's Basketball Regional Semifinal at the picturesque Palace at Auburn Hills.
The importance? A single statement delivered to a forgettable soul.
"Man, it's gonna be nice shutting up all these Michigan State folks. Better tell my professors I'll be missing some classes to go to the Final Four."The result: Michigan State, led by All-American Mateen Cleaves, erased a 20-point second half deficit to shock the Etan Thomas-led Syracuse Orangemen.
Was the loss tough to take? Sure, but it was impressive just handling MSU the way SU did. It all happened in an incredibly hostile environment just a week following a gutty victory against 5th seeded and Jamaal Magloire-led Kentucky. Plus, there was plenty of time on the plane ride home to engage in some worthwhile reflection.
The month was March. The year, 2005. The setting was the NCAA Men's Basketball 1st Round at the decrepit Worcester Centrum (or whatever it's called now) and the cold warmth of the Carrier Dome.
The importance? I didn't drink a gallon of Clorox around 9:20 PM. And I found a cure for McNamania. It's called taking an IV of "freakin' unbelievable."
It was a perfect storm of defeat for the Orange today. Black Friday if there ever was one. I challenge any university on the planet to measure up to the day of defeat Syracuse University endured this evening. Just the most delicious offering of suffering I haven't seen since Dante's Inferno.
Not only was Orange basketball upset in the most ridiculous of overtime fashions, the lacrosse team managed to piddle away what was seen as an insurmountable lead against #1 ranked Johns Hopkins.
Hoops: It all came crashing down when Syracuse decided to commit more turnovers (24) than made field goals (23). Hakim Warrick led the way with 10 giveaways. Congratulations. Take your place at the front of the line to stab me in the face with a rusty spoon.
Incredible Moment: Vermont cruise missile T.J. Sorrentine decided to shoot from the parking lot and drilled the most ridiculous three pointer since Talik Brown graced the floor of Madison Square Garden. Honorable mention goes to the referee who T'd up Terrence Roberts. Those free throws were the difference maker in pushing the game into overtime. Way to use that impecible, or possibly imbecile, discretion.
Lacrosse: It all came crashing down when Syracuse dropped an early 7-1 advantage and Greg Peyser smoked the bean past Orange goalkeeper Jay Pfiefer in the overtime session. Pfiefer may have played his best game of the season to date, but Syracuse still couldn't manage to scrounge out enough offense to slip past the Jays.
Incredible Moment: Simply losing in overtime. That's two one-goal defeats in the last two outings. SU is now sitting at an abysmal 1-3 going into Princeton next week.
So, in case you're keeping score that's:
Heartbreaking Overtime Defeats: 2
Span of Heartbreaking Overtime Defeats: 20 minutes
Orange Nation - You are officially on suicide watch.
Some humor on an otherwise terrible day:
http://www.slate.com/id/2114937/