15 Years Later: Remembering Syracuse vs. Texas in the 2003 Final Four
0 Comments Published on 4.05.2018 by Brian Harrison
The quintessential moment of the game.
It's been 15 years to the day that Syracuse played Texas for the right to advance to the 2003 National Championship. So tonight Orange::44 pays tribute to the game leading up to the game we will never forget. Both John and I were in very different places, but we both had pretty great experiences watching this game. We'll take you back to April of 2003, on the faithful night no one that watches college basketball would ever not know Carmelo Anthony or how hard someone could dunk.
Brian:
I was a sophomore at the time. While I was in the Pep Band and got to go to Syracuse's Sweet 16 and Elite 8 wins in Albany that year, I didn't have enough points (allegedly) to get to go on the trip to New Orleans. I had a chance at tickets, but due to some personal obligations, I couldn't make the car/plane ride down. I was in Syracuse to watch the game. And being under 21 at the time, my only choice, really, was to go to a friend's house and watch the game. The Sour Sitrus Society only travels 30 band members by rule, and at the time we had tickets for 96 members for each men's game. But there were about 200 or so members. Which meant a lot of us were in the same boat, stuck in Syracuse to watch the game. But with good friends, there are worse situations to be in. I was invited to the corner of Livingston and Stratford. 2nd Floor. Maybe a dozen of us. We had some friends that lived further down Livingston that also joined us. We had plenty of beers, and some good food by college kid standards. And a pretty large, standard definition television. I remember being nervous for the game, but I'm never as nervous at home as I am if I'm actually there, so I was pretty calm. While Syracuse seemed to have the lead from the jump, they never really pulled away. Carmelo kept putting the ball in the bucket. And then, or course, we all remember what happened when Hakim Warrick headed to the basket with authority. Royal Ivey sadly found out the hard way that you can't stop something with that amount of force. However, in one of the most unusual plays you will ever see, the officials counted the basket, but called a charge on Warrick. Either way, that's 2 points that were earned, and to whatever photographer was smart enough to click at the exact right moment, congrats and thank you. The picture above will live forever in the hearts and minds of Syracuse fans. "The Block" is #1 for Warrick, but this was #2. I remember the whole room yelled out when it happened. I think it was at that point, that was assumed Syracuse was going to win. The game really wasn't that tight over the last couple minutes. But none of us wanted to move, or leave the room, or say anything that would jinx the game. Syracuse held on, we all yelled out as the clock hit 0:00. And without talking about it ahead of time, or planning it in any way, we all just ran down the stairs and outside. And for some unexplained reason that still is a mystery to me today, it happened on Livingston with every house full of students watching the game. And we all just started hugging each other. I remember hugging about 15 strangers and just jumping up and down with everyone in the middle of Livingston. And then someone just shouted "we gotta get down to M Street". So we all just started moving to Euclid so we could make the trek down. We got to about 20 feet before the end of the street before a SPD police cruiser pulled into the street and with their bullhorn shouted "GET OUT OF THE STREET". So we waived and moved onto the sidewalk for an orderly march down to Marshall Street. We made it. We "rioted" by just hugging everyone and watching people try and climb trees. No one smashed anything and no one did any real damage, save for a couple tree branches that couldn't handle the weight of even the skinniest college freshman. And it was amazing. Not as amazing as what Monday would become, but we didn't know that then. This was college. We were lucky that we were there and our team made it to the National Championship. I imagine it wouldn't have felt too much different from the kids there in 1987 or 1996. But it was our time, and we were there. It actually happened. Syracuse made it to the National Championship and I was in school for it. Next to many of my friends who also couldn't believe it. I called my parents, and specifically my Dad who grew up watching Syracuse games and was actually born in Syracuse. We shared a moment that could only be topped by winning it all. There were only two teams left, and Syracuse was one of them. I think we then left to drink the night away, with a less enthusiastic but still very electric walk back to the other side of campus. But it was one of those Saturdays in college that you can never forget. We knew we were lucky to have had it. And we knew that it was rare. Anthony had put up 33 points for his career high in college, and it was truly the night he became a Syracuse Legend. Hakim Warrick would follow up his big moment with an even bigger one, but for now we talked about how Ivey was owned... forever. The beers flowed heavy that night my friends. It was truly special.
John:
I have unique memories of the 2003 Final Four, because I was lucky enough to be in New Orleans with the Sour Sitrus Society. Brian wasn't. But that's another story. We flew in on a charter on Friday morning. Our flight was very much delayed, because the plane we were flying in on had to come from (Boston I think?) and because of weather, didn't leave there when it was supposed to. So, we had some quality time at Hancock. But we eventually got to New Orleans and once checked into the hotel, convinced the charter bus to bring us to Bourbon Street. A smarter John Brennan would have paid closer attention to the route from hotel to Bourbon, but I was 21 and wide-eyed and had other certain things on my mind. Miraculously, and with the help of some great Syracuse fans, later that night I made it back, repeating that "I just wanna go to my room!" Again, another story for another day, if you've never heard it. But the next day was game day, and I needed to get my sh*t together. A pregame pep rally at the hotel conference room really psyched us all up for the game. I remember Coach Mike Hopkins taking to the podium -- probably at the height of adrenaline in his life -- bragging about his "hot wife" and how we could beat Texas. I remember Kenneth "Buzz" Shaw, the greatest Chancellor Syracuse has ever had, taking the podium and showing us the Texas "horns" hand sign -- and then flipping them over and saying "Hook 'em and Cook 'em!" Whatever fogginess I had from the night before had dissipated. Had I gotten my sh*t together? And that I did. The bus dropped off the band at the Superdome, we went in, and were brought to our seats courtside. The first game was Kansas vs. Marquette, so we sat there and watched that one while anticipation built. The Golden Eagles had Tom Crean at the helm, and Dwyane Wade at guard, but stood no match for Kansas. That game was out of reach in the first several minutes. I think I spent that entire game just taking it all in -- the Superdome, the Final Four -- I had been to New Orleans my senior year of high school, but I was 21 now and it was totally different, and the enormity of everything seemed to fall on me during that first national semifinal. So after the Kansas blowout of Marquette, there was the 30-minute gap between games, and Syracuse came out to warm up and prepare for its game against Texas. By now it wasn't a secret that for the Orangemen to win the title, that road would take them through the heart of the Big 12. Texas tonight, and then Kansas on Monday if things fell the right way. Sitrus played our normal pregame, and the teams were ready to tip. In all honesty, I don't remember much of the game. I mean, I do, but in the 15 years since, I've seen the TV previews, the media pictures, and all that -- and it sort of rewrites your own personal memories of the event. You all know that the most memorable moment from that game was Hakim Warrick dunking on Royal Ivey -- which has been memorialized in a picture-turned-poster in my office signed by Hak as the "Texas TBag Dunk" (see below). At the time, I remember it being a monster dunk, but didn't really think much of it -- probably because they didn't show replays in the Superdome so I didn't know just how epic it was. Plus -- and this is probably lost to time -- Hak was called for an offensive foul. It was one of those rare calls where the basket counted but the offensive foul was called. But really, who remembers that? Certainly not the poster in my office! Syracuse, as we all know, won that game 95-84. Carmelo Anthony was a beast, and had his best game of the Tournament with a career high 33 points. That effort probably wrecked his back more than he realized, as he struggled during Monday's title game, but we'll let that slide. After the game, the band, cheerleaders, and dance team filed back onto our charter bus back to the hotel. On the bus, Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" came on the radio. For whatever reason, we were all so high on good feelings that we did the best and most memorable singalong I've been a part of. Literally every time I hear that song, my mind goes right back to that bus in New Orleans. I'm not mad about it. So yeah, Saturday, April 5, 2003 was a pretty, pretty, pretty good day. Beautiful, you might say.
Labels: Basketball, Final Four, NCAA Tournament
Syracuse - North Carolina NCAA Tournament Final Four Recap
1 Comments Published on 4.10.2016 by John Brennan
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| NRG with some awesome on-court graphics during player introductions |
Four weeks ago, in the hours preceding the Selection Show, I had resigned myself to the fact that I'd be trekking up to the Carrier Dome a few times to see some NIT games. But then the Selection Committee looked favorably upon Syracuse with a 10-seed, the team started playing really well, had some luck go their way, and then boom, Houston for the Final Four! As I had in 2003 when I was in school, and in 2013, I had to find my way to the Final Four. I had never been to Houston, so this would be a treat in and of itself. An expensive treat, but... from what I've been led to believe, you can't take it with you.
Unfortunately it was pretty late and I was wiped when I got in on Friday night, so I decided to just get a good night's sleep before the Final Four festivities the next day. Saturday I took an Uber from my hotel near the airport, down to the downtown area for some lunch. Then I hopped on Houston's Metro Lightrail down to the NRG Stadium area. I met up with Orange::44 founder Matt Glaude and some other friends for some pregame adult beverages, and then made our way into the stadium. It's right next to the old Astrodome, and is HUGE! Somehow it looks bigger inside, if that's possible. I can't imagine the horrible sight lines for the floor & first section seats. If the Carrier Dome ever tries moving the court to the 50-yard line, I really hope they take things like that into consideration.
The first National Semifinal was Oklahoma vs. Villanova, in a rematch of a game from earlier this season, played in Hawaii. The Sooners had dominated that game 78-55, and I guess the Wildcats were bound and determined to not allow that to happen. So much so that Nova put the pedal to the metal from the opening tip and never let up. This game was over in the first half when it was 42-28. Somehow it got worse in the second half, as Villanova went on to win 95-51. Ahead of the Syracuse game, we all figured seeing a 44-point margin of victory as a good luck sign.
As the Sooner fans quickly cleared out of the stadium, an excited nervousness (maybe a nervous excitement?) settled over the Syracuse fans in attendance. During player introductions, I thought NRG Stadium did a great job of putting on a show. I'm not sure what was shown on TV, but hopefully you can tell how cool it was by the picture above. And then, well, the game. It didn't go how we wanted it to. But, one hell of a run by this team, to have overcome the self-imposed ban last year, Boeheim's suspension this year, and to get to play these games just really gives a great sense of accomplishment for these young men. I especially feel happy for Michael Gbinije and Trevor Cooney. I'll have a game recap at the end of this post.
Sunday a lot of Orange fans still in Houston would be getting together for the gamewatch of the women's Final Four game, but until then we had some time to kill. I got to experience my first ever Top Golf outing. I absolutely suck at golf -- I almost don't deserve to be a lawyer because of it! But Top Golf is a lot of fun, and I had one really good round! If you ever get a chance, do it! Anyway, the women's gamewatch was at Lucky's, and the place was at least three large rooms full of Syracuse fans. And we got to see the ladies play great against Washington to advance to the championship! After the game, I check out a beer bar called Flying Saucers -- which was a great place -- and a good segue to my Monday activities...
NASA. If you know me, you probably know that I'm been a big space geek for a long time. I never went to space camp as a kid (though I definitely would have if given the opportunity) and there was probably a point in time when I wanted to be an astronaut. So back when Syracuse had beat Virginia in the Elite Eight to make it to the Final Four in Houston, one of the first things I thought to myself was that if I went, I couldn't do the trip without making it to the Johnson Space Center. So on Monday, I did just that. Out front they have a big mock-up of a space shuttle along with the modified Boeing 747 used to transport the orbiter. It was pretty cool to be able to go inside each of them. The exhibits inside the museum were pretty cool, but if you ever go to the Space Center, be sure to book yourself a tram tour. On this particular day there were two tram options: one to go to astronaut training center, the other to go to Mission Control. I chose the latter. They brought us into the observation room adjoining the original mission control used for the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions (newer & larger Mission Controls have been built and are in use in other parts of the building). But this was a great experience, and I highly recommend you do it if you find yourself in Houston. The end of the tram tour brought us to Rocket Park, where we could tour an old Saturn V rocket, like those used for the Apollo missions. You really can't appreciate the size and (probable) power of those rockets until you experience them in person.
From NASA, I made my way to 8th Wonder Brewing. This was a great place with some good beers and a lot of opportunities to have fun! It's almost a shame I didn't get to stay later, but I had to get to the Championship game. The group I was going with didn't have tickets -- we were purposely waiting until the last minute, hoping to find a really good deal. On the Light Rail from Downtown to the Stadium, we found tickets on StubHub in the 300-level with suite access! So we had already won in that regard. Then, my concern was not so much who I wanted to win the game, but just seeing a good game. And a good game I saw! Both Villanova and North Carolina battled the whole game, and kept it pretty close. In the second half, Nova built a lead, but you could feel the Tar Heels doing whatever they could to get back into it. NRG's crowd seemed 2-1 in favor of UNC, so no doubt the fans helped the Heels get the momentum swing back towards the end. When Marcus Paige hit that improbable 3-pointer to tie it up with 4.7 seconds left, the place was going absolutely nuts! It was mostly UNC fans around us, who had gone from doom to ecstasy in the snap of a finger. The prospect of the title game going to overtime felt both inevitable and exciting. Ryan Arcidiacono brought the ball up the court, with us all expecting him to have to heave a half-court Hail Mary which would surely miss and send us to overtime. But instead he passed to a wide open Kris Jenkins, who nailed a three as time expired to grant Villanova its first championship since 1985. There was no doubt he got the shot off in time. If the place was going nuts when Paige tied it up, then NRG was a full-out looney bin at this point. I just couldn't believe I had just seen what I had just seen. I just kept saying "Wow" over and over (with some expletives mixed in). What a game! One for the ages!
So I had some friends who didn't go to that game, and instead went out to dinner & ended up watching the game at the official gamewatch bar for Villanova, Dogwood. There evidently had been like 15 people watching there during the game, but as soon as the game ended, it quickly became Nova Nation Central. I made my way there, and I can say the atmosphere rivaled what I experienced on Bourbon Street on April 7, 2003. Every time SportsCenter replayed the game winning shot, the place relived it and the excitement that went along with it. The bar played the Villanova fight song -- which all the fans knew the words to and sang along -- and we heard Bowling for Soup's 1985 at least once. Because they're still preoccupied... with 19... 19... 1985. But good for Villanova -- fun game, fun celebration, and I'm so happy I got to be a part of it.
And now, for the Syracuse game recap:
- In his senior swan song for Syracuse, Trevor Cooney had a great game and was the Orange's leading scorer with 22 points on 9-18 shooting, 4-8 from three, five rebounds, and three steals. If you asked me to recount what positive stat stands out the most to me in Cooney's career, it's his steals, his defensive effort. His career offensive stats are pretty good, but I think he got the raw end of over-hype. During his redshirt season, the coaches, the players, and the media all kept talking about this Trevor Cooney kid, who can shoot the lights out of the ball and is probably a better shooter than Gerry McNamara. And maybe all of that was true. But it never really translated into that kind of shooting once he played in real games. Because it didn't, I think we all developed a negative view of Trevor, that he wasn't living up to the expectations that had been set for him. Had we not had those expectations, we'd probably be able to objectively view his stats, and appreciate what he contributed to the offense through the years. You still couldn't call him clutch and he still wouldn't have any big down-the-stretch or game winning shots to look back on, but we'd like him a lot more than we do. But hey, heck of a career, Trevor. You should be proud.
- Michael Gbinije didn't have a fantastic final college basketball game, but he did have 12 points on 5-18 shooting; he missed all five attempts from three, turned the ball over four times, and fouled out. UNC, having played Syracuse twice before in 2016, knew it had to contain Gbinije, which it did. Jim Boeheim doesn't make a habit of taking transfers, and admitted he didn't want this one, but Duke's loss certainly became Syracuse's gain. Much has been said recently about how he's not Duke transfer Michael Gbinije, he's Syracuse senior Michael Gbinije. And I think he'll go down as one of the fan favorites for years to come. Such a mature guy, very likable, and a very good, consistent basketball player. I don't know where he'll land professionally, but I wish him the best, because he's earned it.
- Malachi Richardson was already a good player when he came to Syracuse, and for much of the season he played above his freshman standing. He showed some great poise in a lot of big games this season, really shined in the Tournament (particularly in the two games in Chicago), and had a great game in Houston: 17 points on 7-14 from the floor and 2-5 from three. He has been mum on his plans for next season (quite frankly he probably doesn't know), but I would expect him to take advantage of the new rule allowing players to submit their name, be evaluated, and then have an opportunity to withdraw and return to college. Personally I think another year in college will greatly improve his game and, in turn, his draft stock for 2017, but he's gotta do what's best for him, and we have to respect that.
- Syracuse shot 40.9% from the field, versus UNC's 53.8%. What really helped the Tar Heels was dominating in the paint -- 50-32.
- UNC held the advantage for much of the game, and was clearly the better team. At the 12:28 point in the second half, UNC held its largest lead at 17 points, before Syracuse made a comeback. Richardson's 3-pointer at 9:48 brought the margin to within seven points, and at that moment I truly thought Syracuse had it in them to win. We'd see another late-game comeback that we've been used to seeing, except this time Syracuse had over nine minutes to close a gap of just seven points. Unfortunately, over the next two minutes the Tar Heels grew that lead back up to 14. At that point, I just knew it was over. An inability to keep the game close at seven showed that it was near impossible to be able to get it back, with the way both teams were playing at that point.
- I'm not sure if the 83-66 final score really tells how close or not close this game was. But I guess it doesn't matter. We can just always remember how magical it was for this team to make a Final Four run when they were on the bubble of making the tourney to begin with.
And so, the 2015-2016 Syracuse Orange men's basketball season comes to an end. In the days since, we've already seen some transfers out of the program, a Tyler Lydon declaration that he'll be back, and the future for Malachi Richardson yet to be determined. The Orange finished the season ranked #10 in the Coaches Poll, and particularly if Mali returns next year, I'd expect the Orange to open the season right around there. For us Syracuse fans, there's a lot to be excited about looking ahead to next year: Georgetown & Duke in the Dome, a stacked team of returning players, a couple highly touted freshmen coming in, and momentum definitely on our side. Let's be thankful and proud of this team for laying that groundwork.
Labels: Basketball, Final Four, Houston, NCAA Tournament, Recap
Syracuse - North Carolina NCAA Tournament Final Four Preview
0 Comments Published on 4.02.2016 by Brian Harrison
Syracuse students agree: The ACC Revenge Tour should continue.
Well here we are. Didn't think it would happen this year. The plucky 10 seed is taking on another #1 seed in North Carolina. Syracuse has played them twice, and lost both times. The first game was in the Dome and Jim Boeheim's first game back from suspension. The 2nd was down at UNC, where SU had the game close within the last 2 minutes before UNC pulled away. Syracuse had the game close in both actually, up until UNC pulled away. Trevor Cooney went off in both games, while Gbinije couldn't get much going in either of them. Syracuse will probably face the same kind of defense today, where Cooney will be left alone, and Gbinije will be unable to get going. That means Tyler Lydon or Malachi Richardon should find opportunity. They must score to keep Syracuse in the game. That will either mean that UNC will then shift focus later to allow Gbinije to get free, or UNC will continue to shut down Gbinije and allow Richardson to go off again, like he did against Virginia. I again see this game going the way of Gonzaga. Syracuse will be beaten in trying to contain the big men of UNC. However, bending and not breaking will again be the key. Syracuse has found continued success in attacking the rim and going at these inside players for opposing teams. If Syracuse finds success in attacking the rim like they did in the 2nd half against Virginia, this game will be over and Syracuse will be heading to the Championship. UNC was beatable in both the matches Syracuse played against them this season, but simply failed to close. Syracuse is riding all the momentum and confidence heading into this game. I'm not picking against the Orange in this one as the ACC Revenge Tour/ The Jim Boehiem Middle Finger Tour rolls on. I'll take Syracuse by 3. This game will be broadcast on TBS at approximately 8:49pm Eastern. If you prefer, you can have the Syracuse homer call on TruTV. John is live in the arena, and I'll be offline for this game. Tune in for John for special reports all day on Twitter @JBren from the arena and surrounding areas. I'll check in now and then. Either way, have fun out there, be safe and LET'S GO ORANGE!
Labels: ACC, Basketball, Final Four, NCAA Tournament, Preview
NCAA Recap: Syracuse - Michigan & Final Four Thoughts
0 Comments Published on 4.16.2013 by John Brennan
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| Your favorite bloggers invade Atlanta! |
In my 31 years on this Earth, I've had the privilege to attend two Final Fours. The first was in 2003 when I traveled to New Orleans as a member of the Sour Sitrus Society. That ended quite well. I thought for sure that Syracuse would make it back to New Orleans last year, but the Fab Melo suspension and the stunning officiating in the Elite Eight game against Ohio State prevented a sort of homecoming to the Big Easy. A month ago, when Syracuse lost to Louisville in the Big East Championship, I was certainly feeling a lot better about how Syracuse was playing, but still just didn't see a deep NCAA Tournament run. But this team, this 2013 iteration of the Syracuse Orange, decided to play some of its best ball of the season in late March. So when it earned the Final Four berth by winning the East Regional in Washington, I immediately went into planning mode; there was no way I was letting a Final Four trip pass me by!
Due to scheduling and prior commitments, Brian wasn't able to make it to Atlanta until Sunday, while I was able to fly down on Friday. This was my first time in Atlanta, and I was anxious to escape the cold, dreary weather of upstate New York. Friday was spent taking in some good eats and drinks away from downtown Atlanta with my good friends Cory and Adrienne, who were amazing hosts and earned themselves a shout-out on the blog. Saturday, though, was when we would really start to take in all of the Final Four festivities Atlanta had to offer. We made our way down to Centennial Olympic Park, which I would consider to be almost the centerpiece of the events of the weekend. Free concerts were offered there all weekend, with food, drink, and portable bathrooms all available. Definitely a music festival atmosphere. That afternoon, we arrived as Macklemore was performing. We caught that show, along with Ludacris shortly thereafter. I would have liked to stay for Flo Rida after that, but I had already gotten quite a bit of sun (as you can see in the above picture), and we needed to start the pregame meet-ups & imbibing at the Official Syracuse Pregame site, Hudson Grille. Luckily, this was essentially right outside one of the entrances of the Park; unfortunately, Hudson Grille was probably 500 people over capacity at that point. No matter; they crammed as many people inside and out on their front patio as could tolerate standing in tight quarters.
A round or two of beers (or, just killing the 12-pack I had to buy at the bar), and it was time to make our way into the Georgia Dome to catch the warm up: Louisville vs. Wichita State. My semifinal tickets were submitted to a flashseats.com site, where I simply had to swipe my credit card at the game and it printed out mini-tickets, really seat vouchers. Scary the first time you use it, because you don't want to be scammed, but it ended up being really convenient and we didn't have to worry about losing or forgetting the tickets. We made our way to our seats in Section 301, which ended up giving us a nice corner view of the court. And it struck me just how gigantic that Dome is. The Carrier Dome is tiny in comparison. This one rises much higher, and seats tens of thousands more.
For a "warm-up game" or the less desirable of the two semifinals, Louisville-Wichita State was a great game. The Shockers were in it to win it, and the entire Georgia Dome was cheering for them, save those clad in red. But as the Cardinals came back in the second half, and eventually gained the lead, those dressed in red really came alive and got LOUD! It was a good, exciting game to watch, and really got me pumped for the main event.
Syracuse - Michigan
The storylines coming into this game were: Jim Boeheim has never lost a national semifinal; John Beilein has never beaten Jim Boeheim; the Syracuse 2-3 zone has been suffocating high powered offenses; Trey Burke is pretty damn good. But once the tip goes up, none of that matters. The game is determined by what happens on that court during those 40 minutes. And what happened during those 40 minutes is that the Syracuse offense regressed back almost to what it was at the end of the regular season, when it was all gloom & doom. The defense kept the Orange in the game, but in the end, Syracuse had just dug itself too deep of a hole to climb out of, allowing Michigan to win 61-56.
- For Syracuse, this game belonged to CJ Fair. But for CJ, Syracuse is not in any sort of conversation to even have a chance to win in the last 90 seconds. But as it was, CJ scored a game-high 22 points on 9-20 shooting, 1-3 from three, six rebounds, a block, and a steal in 37 minutes. Not only was he the consistent CJ Fair we had seen all season, but he went above and beyond defensively. He got a lot of good looks, and that soft touch he has with the jumper or floater just makes you feel really good about his game play.
- Brandon Triche was such an enigma in this game. He'd have a good stretch or moments of greatness, but then other times just totally disappear or toss up a horrible shot or cough up a turnover. His final line: 11 points on 4-9 shooting, 0-2 from three, three rebounds, eight assists, and two turnovers in 39 minutes before fouling out to end his career at Syracuse. More on the fouls in a bit.
- Michael Carter-Williams was virtually a statistical ghost. Two points, five rebounds, two assists. Those are not point guard numbers. You look at CJ putting up all those points, but then you realize that he created his own scoring plays. MCW also fouled out after logging 35 minutes.
- James Southerland also mightily struggled offensively. That's probably an awful grammatical sentence, but it fits with James's contribution. Five points on 2-9 shooting, 1-5 from three. On the up side, he had the offensive highlight of the game for the Orange with that monster dunk. So, at least we have that.
- Christmas, Keita, Grant, and Cooney all saw some minutes, but nobody was really able to step up and take over the game. And that really cost Syracuse.
- People will debate for a long time how Boeheim handled the final minute of play, particularly faced with ultimately having both his starting guards foul out and having to rely on putting the ball in Trevor Cooney's inexperienced hands. Should Boeheim have called a timeout and drawn up a play before Brandon fouled out? If that final play was designed to get Southerland a look for a three point shot, should more have been done to get him open before Trevor drove to the basket? Fact is, it happened how it happened, and we fans have to live with it; I'm sure the final outcome hurt the players whose sweat was on that court a lot more than it hurt us watching in the stands or on TV.
- By and large, the zone did its job. The prolific Wolverine offense was held to 61 points, and faced the same struggles that most teams face against the zone. Their shooters did a great job of extending the zone, opening up room in the middle, but those outside and middle shots are still tough shots to hit. Michigan shot only 39.6% from the field, and 33.3% from three.
- Syracuse shot 41.8% from the field, but only 21.4% from three. That, my friends, is probably the game changer. Hit a few more of those shots, and Syracuse is fighting to hold onto the lead at the end, instead of fighting to get it.
- From my seat in 301, I didn't think the officiating was horrible. There are always going to be some questionable calls, but nothing I saw from way up there made me think that the refs altered the outcome of the game. A few days ago I rewatched the game on my DVR, and I still feel that way. They missed a few calls, and had a part in Brandon & MCW fouling out, but it wasn't so atrocious that we should be up in arms as a fan base. More simply put, it was not Syracuse vs. Ohio State in the Elite Eight last year. Syracuse was in this game -- a 3-pointer away from tying it when a timeout was taken with 15 seconds left -- so you can put the loss on Syracuse's lack of execution, not on a call that should have gone Syracuse's way.
Not in recent memory do I recall being so nervous during the last part of a game. My heart was pounding out of my chest, my extremities were shaking, and I had to take deep breaths just to hold it together. This missed jumper by Cooney with nine seconds to go sent it all crashing down, and I almost had no choice but to stand there in disbelief, trying to gather all of my emotions and come to terms with the fact that Syracuse had lost, and the season was over.
It was bittersweet, for sure. We almost felt like Syracuse deserved to be in the Championship game, after the turnaround the team had made during the Big East Tournament. We wanted to see a fourth meeting between Syracuse and Louisville. We wanted to see an all-Big East Championship. In that moment as the final horn sounded, the disappointment clearly overshadowed the great accomplishment it was for this team to make it all the way to the Final Four. Perspective and timing are weird like that.
The rest of Final Four weekend
Brian flew in at noon on Sunday. After lunch and a few rounds of mimosas, we made our way back to Centennial Olympic Park for more free music. Bigger names this time: Sting, followed by Dave Matthews Band. Personally, I think neither disappointed, and it was a great atmosphere to be in at that time. I have to give the NCAA and Atlanta a lot of credit for putting on these concerts at the Park all weekend.
We all had tickets for Monday's Championship game, and while we debated whether or not to sell them, we ultimately decided to go to the game, as fans with no real rooting interest (other than wanting to see a Big East team win). Well, maybe Brian had some money at stake if he won a bracket (entertainment purposes only). We sat in Section 215, which was much lower than the 300 level. We had an extra ticket, which we sold to a Louisville alum. He was actually a pleasure to sit next to; he was really into the game, knew what he was talking about, taught us Cardinals cheers, and we were genuinely excited for him once the game started going Louisville's way. Aside from that, what a phenomenal game to watch in person! Championship or not, that was just a great basketball game. Maybe we could have gotten $300+ each for our tickets, but I'm glad we got to experience that in person.
After the game, a bunch of us were out at Taco Mac, and struck up conversation with a woman who works in the hotel that housed the Syracuse team. She described how the entire staff adopted Syracuse as their team (yeah, financial reasons, but still) and how great the fans and players were before Saturday's game. But that all changed after the game. Syracuse fans went from happy-go-lucky to sore losers, complaining about everything, miserable to be around. And I believed every word she spoke. Because I've seen it too. Blame the refs, blame Boeheim, blame the players. Maybe it goes back to that perspective thing I mentioned earlier. But you know, let's say Syracuse had beaten Michigan and had beaten Louisville for the championship; all we'd hear out in Atlanta is "Let's Go Orange" and the obscene lyrics to the Hey Song. Louisville, on the other hand, had some good cheers going after the game. They were just genuinely happy to have won.
This post is dragging on, and I don't want to get too preachy. But Syracuse, let's try to be more appreciative for what this team gives us. It's okay to be disappointed that we didn't get to see the Orange play for the National Championship; but they made it farther than everyone except three other teams in the country. The team we root for, day in and day out, that brings us so much joy, so much pride, so much emotion, put together an amazing run through March and made it to a place just a month ago nobody could have realistically predicted they'd be. That should be our lasting memory of this team, of this season.
Atlanta, this was my first time, and it was good. I think some of your bars really underestimated how slammed they'd be all weekend, and could have had more staff on hand, better crowd control, a better inventory on hand. But all in all, no serious complaints. I mean, you handled the Olympics 17 years ago, and there was a tragic bombing there, so this was no big deal for you. We were blessed with fantastic weather all weekend, and no major issues with crime or violence in connection with the Final Four. Good host city, maybe we Syracuse fans will see you again!
Labels: Atlanta, Basketball, Farewell Big East Basketball, Final Four, NCAA Tournament
I'm rooting for West Virginia. You probably should too.Labels: Basketball, Big East, Final Four, NCAA Tournament, Other Conferences Are Inferior
We are serious about lacrosse... and tailgating.It was only two weeks ago Syracuse won a record 11th National Championship. Some would say tenth, but even the NCAA is selling shirts that say 11 so we’re going with that. As promised I would have the mega awesome recap. Uniquely however, rather than boiling down the Final Four in my usual prose and text written in this space here (you can read my Final Four and Championship recaps), I bring it to you in living video and in pictures. We start with the recap from the people that brought you the games; ESPN. From SU Alumnus Dave Ryan and Quint Kessenich, they called another Final Four in the booth together and bring you the official recap.
Next, we hit the Youtubes to see some compiled game footage, as the miracle actually happened.
Then the fine folks at Inside Lacrosse got a camera in the hands of injured player Spencer Van Shaak to give you a behind the scenes look at the team.
The IL folks obviously had the access, so they got some great interviews of players. Be sure to check out the end of Jovan Miller’s interview. He throws some trash talk Quint’s way.
Finally, we have the official SU Athletics’ DOCTOR Gross Propaganda Machine Celebratory Video. Trademark pending. Highlighted by the inspirational ol’ ball coach, the legendary Roy Simmons II.
Check out my personal photograph album from the weekend right here. Feel free to log on and comment if we’re actually friends on Facebook. If you feel like reading a couple great articles, both from Syracuse Alumni, check out Dave Ryan's recap here, and a great article on the Syracuse Mystique from Inside Lacrosse Editor John Jiloty here. It was an epic weekend and the best 30 seconds of lacrosse I have ever been a witness to. It makes it all the better that it was for the National Championship. The epic and magical 11th National Championship, making Syracuse the definitive elite program of the last decade and of all time. If you aren’t into Syracuse Lacrosse what are you waiting for?
Oh, and one more time… The Glaude!
Next, we hit the Youtubes to see some compiled game footage, as the miracle actually happened.
Then the fine folks at Inside Lacrosse got a camera in the hands of injured player Spencer Van Shaak to give you a behind the scenes look at the team.
The IL folks obviously had the access, so they got some great interviews of players. Be sure to check out the end of Jovan Miller’s interview. He throws some trash talk Quint’s way.
Finally, we have the official SU Athletics’ DOCTOR Gross Propaganda Machine Celebratory Video. Trademark pending. Highlighted by the inspirational ol’ ball coach, the legendary Roy Simmons II.
Check out my personal photograph album from the weekend right here. Feel free to log on and comment if we’re actually friends on Facebook. If you feel like reading a couple great articles, both from Syracuse Alumni, check out Dave Ryan's recap here, and a great article on the Syracuse Mystique from Inside Lacrosse Editor John Jiloty here. It was an epic weekend and the best 30 seconds of lacrosse I have ever been a witness to. It makes it all the better that it was for the National Championship. The epic and magical 11th National Championship, making Syracuse the definitive elite program of the last decade and of all time. If you aren’t into Syracuse Lacrosse what are you waiting for?
Oh, and one more time… The Glaude!
Also, just to briefly change gears, NBC 3's Alex Dunbar did a great report on the progress of the Melo Center. Check that out here.
Labels: Brian Harrison's Terrific Travels, Congratulations Are In Order, Facebook Fun, Final Four, Lacrosse, Matt Glaude's Terrific Adventures, NCAA Tournament, Videos
Troy loves hilarious late night programs.Sean from Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician and I had another one of our now famous chats. This week we talk about that lax ending, a little football, a little basketball, and your new television options at 11:30pm.
1. Orange::44: Be honest, was that not the best lacrosse you've ever witnessed? I know lacrosse isn't your favorite sport, but this has to make every Syracuse fan a lax fan now right?
Nunes: Sadly I didn't get to watch the game live but I did watch my fair share of clips, especially the ending, and it was indeed one of the most exciting finishes I've ever seen. It was the SU lacrosse fan's equivalent of the SU-UConn game this past season...just one amazing, heart-stopping moment after another. I especially loved that feeling heading into overtime where you just KNEW Syracuse was going to win. If it were a video game, the momentum bar would have been so far in their favor it would have tipped over.
I love watching a great lacrosse game and I'm bummed I didn't get to see it live. And its a real shame for anyone who's a Syracuse fan that can't get into lacrosse, cause you are missing out on the one opportunity you have...for what might be a long time...to celebrate something Syracuse is the very best at. There is no better lacrosse program in the nation. Not a discussion and not up for arguing. Five national titles in ten years. Drink it up, SU fans. Drink it up.
2. Orange::44: The staff at Inside Lacrosse has started calling the last 30 seconds of the National Championship the "Syracuse Scramble". Right on, or do you have another?
Nunes: I'll go with that. There's two kinds of acceptable ways to name famous plays or moments in sports. One is the iconic phrase that is a well-placed play on words or a generic describer that so completely embodies the moment that no one can possibly disagree about its value as the perfect description. Examples include The Immaculate Reception, The Hand of God goal, The Miracle on Ice and The Catch.
If a phrase doesn't present itself, then you have to include either the name of the winning team or work in something about the team, city, player or location to make it work. See The Music City Miracle, The Hail-Manning and, now, The Syracuse Scramble.
3. Orange::44: How do you see the Paulus QB situation playing out? Do you think he is going to contribute to the team, or will he ride the pine and get a free degree?
Nunes: Will Greg Paulus be our savior? Sorry to disappoint but no. So the sooner we accept that the sooner we can put him in perspective.
I do expect him to play. I won't be shocked if he beats out Nassib for the starting job and I won't be shocked if doesn't. But I will be surprised if he doesn't play at all. I don't think Doug Marrone is a pushover and he's under no obligation I can see to play Paulus. That said, I think there would be some level of "buyer's remorse" if we didn't at least give the guy a go.
Assuming he's NOT the starter against Minnesota, I think we'll still see him within the first couple games of the season. Especially if there's a blowout or two in there (Hi Penn State). From there, it's anybody's guess how this season unfolds at the QB spot and otherwise.
4. Orange::44: "Orange Pride" bit the dust recently. Do you like Marrone cleaning house or are there some things that he should think about keeping from that coach we don't mention?
Nunes: Should we keep anything from the Greg Robinson Era around? Absolutely not. What good came from that time in our lives? What positive method, motivational tool or experience could possibly be worth keeping around? I say take any last remnant, dump it in the middle of the Manley Parking Lot and burn it. Let God sneeze from all the smoke that rises his way.
(But yes, Greg was a really nice guy.)
5. Orange::44: It's a ways away, but what is the one thing you want to see next basketball season that you didn't this year?
Nunes: Other than the obvious (National Title), I'd love to see Syracuse dominate under the basket. I feel like it's been forever since we've been considered one of the more physical teams in the Big East. I'm looking at AO to step it up every single game because if he does he has the potential to be the dominant big man in the conference. All his biggest threats went pro. If he can improve and Rick Jackson improves, I think that's going to be the most satisfying part of SU's transition from the Flynn Era. And couple it with Wes Johnson's arrival and the Brandon Triche Experience and this team's got potential.
6. Orange::44: What was one yearly event held in Syracuse you always looked forward to?
Nunes: Tough question considering I don't attend any of them, but I think the first home football game of the season is the most exciting time of the year for me. Just knowing that college football is back and this game that we've spent months getting excited about is finally here. Of course, recent versions of this have ended up being extremely depressing affairs but that doesn't stop me from having the highest of hopes come September the following year.
Given that this is the beginning of a new era and all of the hope that comes with it, I expect this season's home opener against Minnesota to be an emotional affair, either way it turns out.
7. Orange::44: Finally, Conan O'Brien started doing his version of the Tonight Show this week. You trying to get tix or what?
Nunes: You know, I love Conan and try my best to check in when I can but I'm not really much of a late night watcher. For one thing, I'm an old fogie and usually in bed by the time he's on, even now. And also, I usually have other things I'd rather watch, like TIVO'd shows or a movie.
Nunes: Sadly I didn't get to watch the game live but I did watch my fair share of clips, especially the ending, and it was indeed one of the most exciting finishes I've ever seen. It was the SU lacrosse fan's equivalent of the SU-UConn game this past season...just one amazing, heart-stopping moment after another. I especially loved that feeling heading into overtime where you just KNEW Syracuse was going to win. If it were a video game, the momentum bar would have been so far in their favor it would have tipped over.
I love watching a great lacrosse game and I'm bummed I didn't get to see it live. And its a real shame for anyone who's a Syracuse fan that can't get into lacrosse, cause you are missing out on the one opportunity you have...for what might be a long time...to celebrate something Syracuse is the very best at. There is no better lacrosse program in the nation. Not a discussion and not up for arguing. Five national titles in ten years. Drink it up, SU fans. Drink it up.
2. Orange::44: The staff at Inside Lacrosse has started calling the last 30 seconds of the National Championship the "Syracuse Scramble". Right on, or do you have another?
Nunes: I'll go with that. There's two kinds of acceptable ways to name famous plays or moments in sports. One is the iconic phrase that is a well-placed play on words or a generic describer that so completely embodies the moment that no one can possibly disagree about its value as the perfect description. Examples include The Immaculate Reception, The Hand of God goal, The Miracle on Ice and The Catch.
If a phrase doesn't present itself, then you have to include either the name of the winning team or work in something about the team, city, player or location to make it work. See The Music City Miracle, The Hail-Manning and, now, The Syracuse Scramble.
3. Orange::44: How do you see the Paulus QB situation playing out? Do you think he is going to contribute to the team, or will he ride the pine and get a free degree?
Nunes: Will Greg Paulus be our savior? Sorry to disappoint but no. So the sooner we accept that the sooner we can put him in perspective.
I do expect him to play. I won't be shocked if he beats out Nassib for the starting job and I won't be shocked if doesn't. But I will be surprised if he doesn't play at all. I don't think Doug Marrone is a pushover and he's under no obligation I can see to play Paulus. That said, I think there would be some level of "buyer's remorse" if we didn't at least give the guy a go.
Assuming he's NOT the starter against Minnesota, I think we'll still see him within the first couple games of the season. Especially if there's a blowout or two in there (Hi Penn State). From there, it's anybody's guess how this season unfolds at the QB spot and otherwise.
4. Orange::44: "Orange Pride" bit the dust recently. Do you like Marrone cleaning house or are there some things that he should think about keeping from that coach we don't mention?
Nunes: Should we keep anything from the Greg Robinson Era around? Absolutely not. What good came from that time in our lives? What positive method, motivational tool or experience could possibly be worth keeping around? I say take any last remnant, dump it in the middle of the Manley Parking Lot and burn it. Let God sneeze from all the smoke that rises his way.
(But yes, Greg was a really nice guy.)
5. Orange::44: It's a ways away, but what is the one thing you want to see next basketball season that you didn't this year?
Nunes: Other than the obvious (National Title), I'd love to see Syracuse dominate under the basket. I feel like it's been forever since we've been considered one of the more physical teams in the Big East. I'm looking at AO to step it up every single game because if he does he has the potential to be the dominant big man in the conference. All his biggest threats went pro. If he can improve and Rick Jackson improves, I think that's going to be the most satisfying part of SU's transition from the Flynn Era. And couple it with Wes Johnson's arrival and the Brandon Triche Experience and this team's got potential.
6. Orange::44: What was one yearly event held in Syracuse you always looked forward to?
Nunes: Tough question considering I don't attend any of them, but I think the first home football game of the season is the most exciting time of the year for me. Just knowing that college football is back and this game that we've spent months getting excited about is finally here. Of course, recent versions of this have ended up being extremely depressing affairs but that doesn't stop me from having the highest of hopes come September the following year.
Given that this is the beginning of a new era and all of the hope that comes with it, I expect this season's home opener against Minnesota to be an emotional affair, either way it turns out.
7. Orange::44: Finally, Conan O'Brien started doing his version of the Tonight Show this week. You trying to get tix or what?
Nunes: You know, I love Conan and try my best to check in when I can but I'm not really much of a late night watcher. For one thing, I'm an old fogie and usually in bed by the time he's on, even now. And also, I usually have other things I'd rather watch, like TIVO'd shows or a movie.
The show's taped up in Burbank which is a little bit of a hike for me. That's north of LA and I live on the southern tip of LA. And if you know anything about the city, it's that traffic is a mothertrucker. I avoid it like the plague.
I've been to the Jimmy Kimmel Show a couple times and had the pleasure of hanging out in the green room. It's fantastic...free food, all the guests are hanging out with you. It's a little weird though because it's like a little party where everyone is looking at you to make sure you're not famous so they can stop looking at you and find someone who is. Actually, I think that basically sums up LA.
I've been to the Jimmy Kimmel Show a couple times and had the pleasure of hanging out in the green room. It's fantastic...free food, all the guests are hanging out with you. It's a little weird though because it's like a little party where everyone is looking at you to make sure you're not famous so they can stop looking at you and find someone who is. Actually, I think that basically sums up LA.
Editor’s Note: This is another installment in the ongoing collaboration between Orange::44 and Nunes/Magician. Usually every other Wednesday Nunes::44 will appear here, while the following week Orange::44/Magician will appear on his site. Until then, enjoy excellent Nunes/Magician articles as always and stay tuned to Orange::44 for complete postgame coverage from every Syracuse game.
Labels: Basketball, Coaching News, Final Four, Football, Lacrosse, NCAA Tournament, Nunes/Magician
Yes, it's still mostly lax around here.Sean from Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician and I frequently chat. By frequently I mean weekly. This week was my turn to answer questions he posed. Being that we just won National Championship #11 in lacrosse and I was there Sean wondered my thoughts on the whole weekend. We also chat about Flynn's draft status, chances for a threepeat, and the ABA of all things. Check out Orange::44 is an Absolute Magician version 26.0.
I'll be back later this weekend to wrap up the Final Four and let you knwo the schedule of events around this place for the summer. There are some, but you won't like it I'm guessing.
Labels: Basketball, Final Four, Lacrosse, NCAA Tournament, Nunes/Magician
Title #11 comes back to back. Amazing.I had to take a little longer than usual for a postgame article to take this one in. Sitting in the stands in Gillette Stadium I said at least four times “well that’s it”. Then Syracuse pulled one of the most amazing feats the lacrosse world has ever witnessed in a championship game. To be there was unbelievable, to see it on television was a privilege, and to even hear about it as an SU fan must have been a treat. This one may not go down as the best finals game ever, but it will certainly be in the discussion. Syracuse pulls off a miraculous comeback for their 11th title over Cornell in overtime ten to nine.
This game was started with Cornell getting the first two scores of the game from John Glynn. Then Syracuse made it even when Cornell struck with 21 seconds left in the first quarter. Stephen Keogh earned goal 48 on the season to start the second quarter. Then each team scored again before Cornell got two goals to end the first half, including a man up goal from Max Seibald. The third quarter was low scoring, with each team adding one to head into the fourth quarter with Cornell up seven to five. Then an explosive fourth quarter occurred. After Dan Hardy closed the gap to one Cornell seemed to put the game unreachable at 5:31, down by three. Then Syracuse scored three goals, most notably with 4.5 seconds remaining by Kenny Nims, to miraculously tie the game back up. Then after Cornell won the face off in overtime, Sid Smith caused a turnover, and finally Cody Jamieson put in the game winner. Syracuse is the best in the lacrosse world again.
The Orange again did it with contributions from several players. Syracuse had eight different scorers in the game. Stephen Keogh and Cody Jamieson led in scoring with two goals a piece, including the game winner from Jamieson in the overtime. Matt Abbot and Dan Hardy each added two assists as well. Hardy and Jamieson each finished with three points a piece. Long stick midfielder Joel White led the team with ground balls and played fantastic on the defensive end and on face offs. Jake Moulton again played well, winning ten of 17 face offs. Gavin Jenkinson also won two of four. Finally, John Galloway played well on the day in the second half and finished with ten saves and nine goals against.
Cornell did an excellent job of limiting Syracuse’s shots. Syracuse had 33 in the game, while Cornell had 39. Cornell also edged out Syracuse in ground balls, picking up 30 to Syracuse’s 28. Syracuse won 12 of 22 face offs in the game, with Cornell taking ten. Cornell cleared 15 of 19 possessions, while Syracuse cleared 16 of 17. Syracuse’s extra man defense was excellent as Cornell could only convert on one of six opportunities. Syracuse failed to convert on their one opportunity. Both teams had ten saves.
This game was fun to watch. In the last play to tie the game with 4.5 seconds in regulation, to which I have seen a dozen times now, and I am amazed that it happened. First the check from Nims on Cornell’s Moyer, then White’s check to really free the ball, the crazy pass from Keogh to Matt Abbot, and then while getting hit passes to Nims in front of the cage somehow getting the pass perfectly after hitting the Cornell defender’s stick, finally resulting in that Nims goal was unbelievable. This was easily the best 20 seconds of lacrosse you could see this season. Next, how lucky were we that the NCAA finally decided to not drag their feet and actually clear Cody Jamieson. The kid will be a star next season. Clearly Syracuse had ridiculous offensive depth on this team that even when the team was confused and stifled by Cornell’s defense that several players can step up and play big to come back and tie the game. The complete box score can be found here.
I’ll be back shortly to round out the coverage on the weekend including some video, several pictures, and some memories from the season. Also I will be back with the blogging situation this blog will undergo over the next few months until football cranks up again. It was a special weekend and I want to revisit it again before we truly put this championship season to rest.
This game was started with Cornell getting the first two scores of the game from John Glynn. Then Syracuse made it even when Cornell struck with 21 seconds left in the first quarter. Stephen Keogh earned goal 48 on the season to start the second quarter. Then each team scored again before Cornell got two goals to end the first half, including a man up goal from Max Seibald. The third quarter was low scoring, with each team adding one to head into the fourth quarter with Cornell up seven to five. Then an explosive fourth quarter occurred. After Dan Hardy closed the gap to one Cornell seemed to put the game unreachable at 5:31, down by three. Then Syracuse scored three goals, most notably with 4.5 seconds remaining by Kenny Nims, to miraculously tie the game back up. Then after Cornell won the face off in overtime, Sid Smith caused a turnover, and finally Cody Jamieson put in the game winner. Syracuse is the best in the lacrosse world again.
The Orange again did it with contributions from several players. Syracuse had eight different scorers in the game. Stephen Keogh and Cody Jamieson led in scoring with two goals a piece, including the game winner from Jamieson in the overtime. Matt Abbot and Dan Hardy each added two assists as well. Hardy and Jamieson each finished with three points a piece. Long stick midfielder Joel White led the team with ground balls and played fantastic on the defensive end and on face offs. Jake Moulton again played well, winning ten of 17 face offs. Gavin Jenkinson also won two of four. Finally, John Galloway played well on the day in the second half and finished with ten saves and nine goals against.
Cornell did an excellent job of limiting Syracuse’s shots. Syracuse had 33 in the game, while Cornell had 39. Cornell also edged out Syracuse in ground balls, picking up 30 to Syracuse’s 28. Syracuse won 12 of 22 face offs in the game, with Cornell taking ten. Cornell cleared 15 of 19 possessions, while Syracuse cleared 16 of 17. Syracuse’s extra man defense was excellent as Cornell could only convert on one of six opportunities. Syracuse failed to convert on their one opportunity. Both teams had ten saves.
This game was fun to watch. In the last play to tie the game with 4.5 seconds in regulation, to which I have seen a dozen times now, and I am amazed that it happened. First the check from Nims on Cornell’s Moyer, then White’s check to really free the ball, the crazy pass from Keogh to Matt Abbot, and then while getting hit passes to Nims in front of the cage somehow getting the pass perfectly after hitting the Cornell defender’s stick, finally resulting in that Nims goal was unbelievable. This was easily the best 20 seconds of lacrosse you could see this season. Next, how lucky were we that the NCAA finally decided to not drag their feet and actually clear Cody Jamieson. The kid will be a star next season. Clearly Syracuse had ridiculous offensive depth on this team that even when the team was confused and stifled by Cornell’s defense that several players can step up and play big to come back and tie the game. The complete box score can be found here.
I’ll be back shortly to round out the coverage on the weekend including some video, several pictures, and some memories from the season. Also I will be back with the blogging situation this blog will undergo over the next few months until football cranks up again. It was a special weekend and I want to revisit it again before we truly put this championship season to rest.
Labels: Final Four, Lacrosse, NCAA Tournament
NCAA Lacrosse Tournament Preview - Championship Edition
0 Comments Published on 5.24.2009 by Brian Harrison
Time for another repeat don't you think?Upstate New York is where the heart of this rivalry lies. Foxborough, Massachusetts is where the final battle will take place of the 2009 season. Both teams enter the championship after a routing of their competition, Syracuse winning 17 to seven, and Cornell upsetting #1 Virginia 15 to six. This should make for an interesting final on Memorial Day.
By now you know the successes of the Syracuse offense. Cody Jamieson has six goals in the NCAA Tournament, along with Stephen Keogh. Kenny Nims is the nation’s leading scorer with 31 goals and 42 assists. Dan Hardy has 24 goals and 16 assists. The Syracuse offense is powerful and impressive and has weapons near the crease, as well as outside. Cornell’s defense however held Virginia to just six goals and held Virginia to just 12 shots in the first half and 27 on the day. Matt Moyer matched up on Virginia’s All-American Danny Glading to just two goals and one assist. Syracuse’s defense is nothing to sneer at as well though, holding Duke to just seven goals, and limited Ned Crotty to just two assists on the day. Sid Smith was outstanding in the game, and John Lade was quick with his slides to truly make shooting difficult for Duke. He will most likely play on John Glynn who has 20 goals and wins 58% of the face offs he takes. Sid Smith will most likely take on Rob Pannell who has 24 goals and 41 assists on the year. Syracuse’s defense will have its hands full, but should shut them down much like they did against Duke’s dynamic duo. John Galloway, starting goalie for Syracuse, is certainly no stranger to playing in Foxborough (his fourth game in the stadium), and will be playing for his second championship in two seasons. He has been outstanding in the NCAA Tournament this year and played very well against Duke, especially early in the game. If Galloway plays well early, and Syracuse scores in the first quarter, the outcome will not be solidified until the fourth quarter, but Syracuse should maintain the lead. Syracuse is looking for their 11th NCAA Championship and looking to be the first repeat team since Princeton won in 1996-1998. Cornell is looking for its first championship since 1977. This game will be exciting early and often, but look for Syracuse to limit the scorers of Cornell, including senior captain and four time Ivy League first team member Max Seibald. Jake Moulton should continue his good work at the X and win more than half. Syracuse won this meeting earlier in the season 15-10, and this game should come out around the same. Look for Syracuse to win by four.
I will again be in Foxborough watching the game live, and listen to me Monday on Matt Mc’s Sports Fix to recap all the weekend’s action. You know the drill. Go to his site and click on the date in the bottom right to hear the show. I’ll have my game recap late Monday evening or early Tuesday. Hopefully we will be celebrating title #11 for Syracuse.
By now you know the successes of the Syracuse offense. Cody Jamieson has six goals in the NCAA Tournament, along with Stephen Keogh. Kenny Nims is the nation’s leading scorer with 31 goals and 42 assists. Dan Hardy has 24 goals and 16 assists. The Syracuse offense is powerful and impressive and has weapons near the crease, as well as outside. Cornell’s defense however held Virginia to just six goals and held Virginia to just 12 shots in the first half and 27 on the day. Matt Moyer matched up on Virginia’s All-American Danny Glading to just two goals and one assist. Syracuse’s defense is nothing to sneer at as well though, holding Duke to just seven goals, and limited Ned Crotty to just two assists on the day. Sid Smith was outstanding in the game, and John Lade was quick with his slides to truly make shooting difficult for Duke. He will most likely play on John Glynn who has 20 goals and wins 58% of the face offs he takes. Sid Smith will most likely take on Rob Pannell who has 24 goals and 41 assists on the year. Syracuse’s defense will have its hands full, but should shut them down much like they did against Duke’s dynamic duo. John Galloway, starting goalie for Syracuse, is certainly no stranger to playing in Foxborough (his fourth game in the stadium), and will be playing for his second championship in two seasons. He has been outstanding in the NCAA Tournament this year and played very well against Duke, especially early in the game. If Galloway plays well early, and Syracuse scores in the first quarter, the outcome will not be solidified until the fourth quarter, but Syracuse should maintain the lead. Syracuse is looking for their 11th NCAA Championship and looking to be the first repeat team since Princeton won in 1996-1998. Cornell is looking for its first championship since 1977. This game will be exciting early and often, but look for Syracuse to limit the scorers of Cornell, including senior captain and four time Ivy League first team member Max Seibald. Jake Moulton should continue his good work at the X and win more than half. Syracuse won this meeting earlier in the season 15-10, and this game should come out around the same. Look for Syracuse to win by four.
I will again be in Foxborough watching the game live, and listen to me Monday on Matt Mc’s Sports Fix to recap all the weekend’s action. You know the drill. Go to his site and click on the date in the bottom right to hear the show. I’ll have my game recap late Monday evening or early Tuesday. Hopefully we will be celebrating title #11 for Syracuse.
Labels: Final Four, NCAA Tournament, Preview
Another career day for another great Orange player.“Today was by far our best performance all season.” Senior Kenny Nims sums it up perfectly. Syracuse came into Foxborough looking pretty even on paper with the Duke Blue Devils, the only program not to have a National Championship. They were sent home empty handed as the #2 Syracuse Orange beat the Dukies 17 to seven.
The game started with Syracuse getting first crack at Duke, with Chris Daniello putting SU on the board with 13:08 in the first quarter. Long stick Joel White then added another with 7:13 remaining in the first half. Duke then got on the board with a pair of their own from Zach Howell to tie the game 2-2. Then with 35 seconds remaining in the first quarter star of the day Pat Perritt hit his first goal to give SU back the lead. Then with one second remaining in the quarter Kenny Nims earned his first goal of the day as well on an excellent isolation and split dodge. Duke wasted no time trying to come back earning a goal only 11 seconds in the second quarter. Syracuse then added four goals in the second quarter with Duke only adding one more to leave Syracuse up 8-4 at the half. Then Jake Moulton, our face off specialist, took exactly seven seconds to start the second half to score. Syracuse then proceeded to outscore Duke 6-2 in the third quarter. By then it was basically over. Duke added one more before Syracuse finished the game with a stretch of three goals to finish the game. Syracuse was in control this game and clearly had the best offense on the field.
Kenny Nims had four goals on the day, but so did fellow senior Pat Perritt who had a career day. Seven other players also had goals, including Cody Jamieson and Tim Desko who each had two. Dan Hardy led the team with assists with two. He also added a goal. Jake Moulton led the team in ground balls with six. He was also the man at the face off X, winning ten of 17. Gavin Jenkinson also won seven of nine face offs. They were helped by several Duke procedure calls to give Syracuse the win at the X. John Galloway played well in his 57:17 in the game. He had 11 saves and only allowed seven goals. Backup Al Cavalieri came in but did not make any saves.
Syracuse once again led the shot category. SU had 48 shots while Duke had 32. ‘Cuse led in ground balls picking up 36, with Duke picking up 33. Syracuse won a total of 18 of 28 face offs, winning eight more than Duke. Duke was perfect on clears, converting 19 of 19, while Syracuse converted 22 of 25. Duke did manage to, after clearing, try to pass and miss it, allowing it to roll out of bounds. Syracuse converted 2-4 on extra man opportunities, and Duke converted 1-5. Each team had 11 saves.
While Pat Perritt was the offensive MVP, Sid Smith was clearly the MVP for the defense. He limited Duke’s Ned Crotty to just two assists. He was pressuring and swarming when he needed to be and really limited the Duke stars in this game. I still cannot say enough about Nims and Perritt in this game. They were masterful and their offensive awareness was key in this game. Galloway also did what Galloway has become known for; playing clutch in NCAA games. He started early and often making big stops on the Duke shooters, and was rewarded with having this game in hand in the third quarter. Syracuse played a great game on every side of the ball and I agree with Nims, this was Syracuse’s best complete performance on the season. The complete box score is here.
As you now know for sure, Syracuse will take on #5 Cornell at 1:00pm on ESPN and ESPNHD on Monday, Memorial Day. I will have my preview for the game in a bit, and also congratulations to SUNY Cortland as they won the D-III Championship this afternoon. Congratulations to LeMoyne on making it to the D-II finals as well. In the meantime, enjoy Matt Glaude from Hoya Suxa dancing in the parking lot after our big win over Duke.
The game started with Syracuse getting first crack at Duke, with Chris Daniello putting SU on the board with 13:08 in the first quarter. Long stick Joel White then added another with 7:13 remaining in the first half. Duke then got on the board with a pair of their own from Zach Howell to tie the game 2-2. Then with 35 seconds remaining in the first quarter star of the day Pat Perritt hit his first goal to give SU back the lead. Then with one second remaining in the quarter Kenny Nims earned his first goal of the day as well on an excellent isolation and split dodge. Duke wasted no time trying to come back earning a goal only 11 seconds in the second quarter. Syracuse then added four goals in the second quarter with Duke only adding one more to leave Syracuse up 8-4 at the half. Then Jake Moulton, our face off specialist, took exactly seven seconds to start the second half to score. Syracuse then proceeded to outscore Duke 6-2 in the third quarter. By then it was basically over. Duke added one more before Syracuse finished the game with a stretch of three goals to finish the game. Syracuse was in control this game and clearly had the best offense on the field.
Kenny Nims had four goals on the day, but so did fellow senior Pat Perritt who had a career day. Seven other players also had goals, including Cody Jamieson and Tim Desko who each had two. Dan Hardy led the team with assists with two. He also added a goal. Jake Moulton led the team in ground balls with six. He was also the man at the face off X, winning ten of 17. Gavin Jenkinson also won seven of nine face offs. They were helped by several Duke procedure calls to give Syracuse the win at the X. John Galloway played well in his 57:17 in the game. He had 11 saves and only allowed seven goals. Backup Al Cavalieri came in but did not make any saves.
Syracuse once again led the shot category. SU had 48 shots while Duke had 32. ‘Cuse led in ground balls picking up 36, with Duke picking up 33. Syracuse won a total of 18 of 28 face offs, winning eight more than Duke. Duke was perfect on clears, converting 19 of 19, while Syracuse converted 22 of 25. Duke did manage to, after clearing, try to pass and miss it, allowing it to roll out of bounds. Syracuse converted 2-4 on extra man opportunities, and Duke converted 1-5. Each team had 11 saves.
While Pat Perritt was the offensive MVP, Sid Smith was clearly the MVP for the defense. He limited Duke’s Ned Crotty to just two assists. He was pressuring and swarming when he needed to be and really limited the Duke stars in this game. I still cannot say enough about Nims and Perritt in this game. They were masterful and their offensive awareness was key in this game. Galloway also did what Galloway has become known for; playing clutch in NCAA games. He started early and often making big stops on the Duke shooters, and was rewarded with having this game in hand in the third quarter. Syracuse played a great game on every side of the ball and I agree with Nims, this was Syracuse’s best complete performance on the season. The complete box score is here.
As you now know for sure, Syracuse will take on #5 Cornell at 1:00pm on ESPN and ESPNHD on Monday, Memorial Day. I will have my preview for the game in a bit, and also congratulations to SUNY Cortland as they won the D-III Championship this afternoon. Congratulations to LeMoyne on making it to the D-II finals as well. In the meantime, enjoy Matt Glaude from Hoya Suxa dancing in the parking lot after our big win over Duke.
Labels: Final Four, Lacrosse, NCAA Tournament, Videos
NCAA Lacrosse Tournament Preview - Final Four Edition
0 Comments Published on 5.21.2009 by Brian Harrison
Back in Boston. Strap on the Syracuse is in another semi-final game. This isn’t new. But this game, on paper, is easily the best semi-final of the two. The #2 seed Syracuse is facing a very good #3 Duke team and this will be a lacrosse fans delight. Duke is the only program in the Final Four without a National Championship, but this will again not be the year as Syracuse should advance to Memorial Day.
Syracuse is an offensive machine, averaging 12.9 goals a game. They have balanced scoring, attaining sometimes ten different players putting the ball in the cage. The depth of Syracuse’s attack unit is crazy delicious, with the likes of Stephen Keogh, Kenny Nims, Chris Daniello, Greg Niewieroski, the coach’s son Tim Desko, and of course the very hot as of late Cody Jamieson. Keogh is second in the nation in goals per game with 2.9, and has 46 on the season. The same depth can be talked about in the midfield as well, as Dan Hardy, wearing famed #22, has 23 goals and 14 assists on the season. The SU defense is nothing to scoff at as well, with Syracuse only allowing 7.3 goals per game, a team low since 1970. Jovan Miller, Joel White, Matt Tierney, and the star Sid Smith will have their hands full with Duke’s offensive duo of Matt Danowski and Ned Crotty. These two can score and can score big. The two have combined for 68 points on the year and lead a very good Duke team that beat #1 seed Virginia twice during the regular season. The key match ups in this game are if Duke’s defense can stop this Syracuse offense. Duke goalie Rob Schroeder has played well in the NCAA Tournament and this season, with a save percentage of 52%, and again stopped Virginia’s offense. However Syracuse features a depth at attack and midfield that Duke has not seen this season. Similarly, Syracuse will have to contain Danowski and Crotty. Look for Tierney to take primary duty, while Smith should defend more inside. Smith is slower than these two Duke players however, so Syracuse will have to force more outside shots for the Blue Devils. Additionally, at the face off X, Syracuse is averaging exactly 50%, while duke is winning 54% on the season. Syracuse will again have to at least win half or better to limit Duke possessions, as Jake Moulton will have to step up big this weekend. Goalie John Galloway looks to be healthy again and should make the start for Syracuse. He has been sensational in the NCAA Tournament in his one game against Siena this year, and all four tournament games last season including two in Foxborough. If he plays well, Syracuse’s offense should take over and win this game. The experts are giving Syracuse a one goal edge in this game, but I say that Syracuse will outscore Duke in the second and fourth quarters and should make this a three to four goal game. Look for Syracuse to advance to Monday’s Natty Championship by three.
I will be making the trek to the greater Boston area this weekend and will be in the stadium live for this game, so look for my recap most likely on Sunday, with a hopeful preview of Monday’s game. Tailgating is always optimal at these weekends, and I look forward to enjoying some BBQing and consuming with fellow lacrosse aficionado, Orange::44 founder, and blogger Matt Glaude of Hoya Suxa, as well as some other excellent Syracuse alumni. Athough I am not on Twitter so I cannot provide live in game updates (but I'm sure Matt will), look for some special coverage coming your way Sunday besides my recap if all goes well. Stay tuned to Orange::44 all Championship Weekend for complete coverage of the 2009 Lacrosse Final Four.
Labels: Final Four, Lacrosse, NCAA Tournament, Preview
First start, first win. That's how you do it.When you make a game plan, you hope that it will give you the best chance to win. When the goalie you game plan for is ill and is not in the game, you basically have to toss your game plan out the window. That is what Maryland had to do. I admit I was worried putting in a goalie in the NCAA Tournament for his first career start, but Syracuse played brilliantly at both ends of the field. #2 Syracuse punches their ticket to Foxborough against Maryland 11 to six.
Syracuse jumped off to an early three goal lead in the first quarter. Kenny Nims got Syracuse going early on a nice goal running from behind the cage. During the first quarter Al Cavalieri was sensational stopping several tough shots from Maryland. Syracuse’s Cody Jamieson then hit a goal to start the second quarter. Maryland then picked up two goals before dazzling saves from Cavalieri. Then Syracuse and Maryland got another goal each to end the half with Syracuse up 5-3. SU started the second half before Maryland answered back. Then it was all Syracuse for the next five goals. Maryland got two goals in garbage time when it was too late to close out the game, but Syracuse was in control basically the entire second half.
Eight different scorers added at least one goal to Syracuse’s tally. Stephen Keogh, Kenny Nims, and Dan Hardy all each had two goals. Nims, Matt Abbot, and Pat Perritt each had two assists. Nims led the Orange with four points on the day. Matt Abbot, the one man clear, picked up six ground balls on the day. Jake Moulton did well at the face off X, winning six of 12. Gavin Jenkinson also did very well, winning five of seven. Josh Knight lost his two face offs. Al Cavalieri was again outstanding in his first start as he made 14 saves and only allowed six goals.
Syracuse once again led in the shots category. Syracuse had 38 shots, while Maryland had only 26. Maryland led in the ground balls category picking up 34, while Syracuse had 30. Syracuse led overall in face offs winning 11 of 21. Maryland had trouble clearing the ball as they only managed 12 of 17, while Syracuse cleared 20 of 21. Each team converted on an extra man opportunity, as Maryland was 1-2, while Syracuse was 1-3. Finally, Syracuse had 14 saves, while the Maryland goalies combined for 11 saves.
Of course Syracuse had their back up goalie in as well, but Maryland also had to put in their back up as well. Although not a true back up, Maryland had been using a two goalie system most of the season, but recently settled on sophomore Brian Phipps as their starter. He was in for 13:58 when while protesting a call he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Jason Carter, who had seen considerable minutes this season, stepped in and played well, but Syracuse’s offense was simply too much for the senior to handle. The best goal of the day went to Tyler Hlawati who received an assist from Sid Smith for a rarely seen long stick to long stick goal early in the forth quarter. In this game Syracuse was visibly in control for the majority of the contest. Although time of possession is not a statistic that is kept, Syracuse possessed the ball more than Maryland, and looked sharp and far more active and confident than Maryland did. It was a nice victory for Syracuse. The complete box score is here.
Other quarterfinal scores were:
Hofstra Regional:
#5 Cornell 6 – #4 Princeton 4
Navy Regional:
#8 Johns Hopkins 8 – #1 Virginia 19
#6 North Carolina 11 – #3 Duke 12
The complete bracket is here.
So the Final Four is set. #2 Syracuse will take on #3 Syracuse at 12:00pm, while #5 Cornell will take on #1 Virginia at 2:00pm. Syracuse earns yet another trip to the Final Four and takes on a team that Syracuse has been dying to match up against in basketball, has taken their point guard as our potential quarterback, and a lacrosse team that has been quite embattled the last few years. The Duke Blue Devils will not be an easy team, and should provide a classic semifinal game, much like the Virginia game last season. Stay tuned for my preview later this week of course, and again for the record, I am still perfect in my bracket.
Syracuse jumped off to an early three goal lead in the first quarter. Kenny Nims got Syracuse going early on a nice goal running from behind the cage. During the first quarter Al Cavalieri was sensational stopping several tough shots from Maryland. Syracuse’s Cody Jamieson then hit a goal to start the second quarter. Maryland then picked up two goals before dazzling saves from Cavalieri. Then Syracuse and Maryland got another goal each to end the half with Syracuse up 5-3. SU started the second half before Maryland answered back. Then it was all Syracuse for the next five goals. Maryland got two goals in garbage time when it was too late to close out the game, but Syracuse was in control basically the entire second half.
Eight different scorers added at least one goal to Syracuse’s tally. Stephen Keogh, Kenny Nims, and Dan Hardy all each had two goals. Nims, Matt Abbot, and Pat Perritt each had two assists. Nims led the Orange with four points on the day. Matt Abbot, the one man clear, picked up six ground balls on the day. Jake Moulton did well at the face off X, winning six of 12. Gavin Jenkinson also did very well, winning five of seven. Josh Knight lost his two face offs. Al Cavalieri was again outstanding in his first start as he made 14 saves and only allowed six goals.
Syracuse once again led in the shots category. Syracuse had 38 shots, while Maryland had only 26. Maryland led in the ground balls category picking up 34, while Syracuse had 30. Syracuse led overall in face offs winning 11 of 21. Maryland had trouble clearing the ball as they only managed 12 of 17, while Syracuse cleared 20 of 21. Each team converted on an extra man opportunity, as Maryland was 1-2, while Syracuse was 1-3. Finally, Syracuse had 14 saves, while the Maryland goalies combined for 11 saves.
Of course Syracuse had their back up goalie in as well, but Maryland also had to put in their back up as well. Although not a true back up, Maryland had been using a two goalie system most of the season, but recently settled on sophomore Brian Phipps as their starter. He was in for 13:58 when while protesting a call he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Jason Carter, who had seen considerable minutes this season, stepped in and played well, but Syracuse’s offense was simply too much for the senior to handle. The best goal of the day went to Tyler Hlawati who received an assist from Sid Smith for a rarely seen long stick to long stick goal early in the forth quarter. In this game Syracuse was visibly in control for the majority of the contest. Although time of possession is not a statistic that is kept, Syracuse possessed the ball more than Maryland, and looked sharp and far more active and confident than Maryland did. It was a nice victory for Syracuse. The complete box score is here.
Other quarterfinal scores were:
Hofstra Regional:
#5 Cornell 6 – #4 Princeton 4
Navy Regional:
#8 Johns Hopkins 8 – #1 Virginia 19
#6 North Carolina 11 – #3 Duke 12
The complete bracket is here.
So the Final Four is set. #2 Syracuse will take on #3 Syracuse at 12:00pm, while #5 Cornell will take on #1 Virginia at 2:00pm. Syracuse earns yet another trip to the Final Four and takes on a team that Syracuse has been dying to match up against in basketball, has taken their point guard as our potential quarterback, and a lacrosse team that has been quite embattled the last few years. The Duke Blue Devils will not be an easy team, and should provide a classic semifinal game, much like the Virginia game last season. Stay tuned for my preview later this week of course, and again for the record, I am still perfect in my bracket.
Labels: Final Four, Lacrosse, NCAA Tournament
Because Matt's been too busy to post stuff like this. Sorry little Calhoun.Labels: Basketball, Final Four, NCAA Tournament, UConn, Unprompted Hatred
Syracuse once again possessed the hardware of champions.Editor’s Note: This is part three of a three part review of the historic 2008 Syracuse Lacrosse season. Part one focused on the first half of the regular season, part two focused on the second half of the regular season, and part three will focus on the NCAA Tournament. Part one can be found here, while part two can be found here.
The Syracuse Orange finished the regular season in dominating fashion, only losing two games. None of the regular season matters when it gets to be tournament time though. Syracuse had been on a mission the entire year, led by their senior captain Mike Leveille. Anything less than a National Championship would be considered failure, especially after the last two seasons, and an absence from that kind of glory since 2004. The bracket was set. Syracuse was the #3 seed. The Orange were on the road to the Final Four. The biggest question facing the Orange would be if Danny Brennan would be able to play, as he had to sit out the team’s last game versus Colgate. Would he be ready to take the ball for Syracuse, or would the team have to rely on backups to handle the duties in the X? Time would tell.
They would first have to face Canisius, arguably the weakest team in the field of 16. Due to the few teams from the Great Western Lacrosse League gaining entrance to the tournament, Canisius was forced to travel to the Carrier Dome to take on Syracuse, a clearly overmatching team. While it is nice to see new teams making the tournament, the program could simply not keep up with the abilities of Syracuse. The Orange unleashed their offensive and rained down shots upon the unsuspecting Griffin goalie, who could do nothing but simply watch as the shot went by… 20 times. That would be 20 goals out of 41 shots. Not a bad day’s work. Mike Leveille single handedly outscored the entire Canisius team, by earning four goals and two assists. Danny Brennan won the first four of five face offs he took, but then exited the game to rest his injured leg, and really there was no need to have him in with the lead Syracuse had. Canisius did not even score until the second quarter, only after Syracuse was up by eight. Jovan Miller, a freshman on the squad, turned out to be an excellent utility man in the game and had an impressive day. In the end, this game was all Syracuse and they easily handled the Canisius team 20 to three. The team had to then travel to nearby Ithaca, New York, and leave the confines of the Carrier Dome to face their next foe.
On Schoellkopf Field at the campus of Cornell University, Syracuse would have to prove to be the better team to earn the right to go to the Final Four in Foxborough. The foe would be #6 Notre Dame, a team that dispatched a tough Colgate team the week prior. They would not go down easy. Syracuse would be trailing or tied with Notre Dame for the majority of the second half. After a six to two lead at the half, freshman goalie John Galloway would allow five unanswered goals in the third quarter, a disappointment Syracuse almost did not survive. Dan Hardy was the hero of the day, earning three goals and an assist. DBren had one hell of a day as well, winning 17 of 24 face offs he took. He gave Syracuse the possessions they needed to keep up with and eventually overtake the Irish to win the game. Syracuse, much like it had most of the year, led in shots, and they certainly had some spectacular ones. Syracuse would win the game 11 to nine, and thus punching their ticket to another Final Four. The question was if Syracuse would taste redemption, or end up short. To Massachusetts we went.
Foxborough, Massachusetts, where the Patriots play, would be the scene for which either glory or heartbreak could be found in 2008. Four teams get to play on the biggest stage in the sport, but only one could walk away with the hardware. Syracuse, or any team for that matter, did not have an easy road. Syracuse faced daunted and traditional foe Virginia in the first national semifinal. Virginia beat Syracuse earlier in the season in overtime 14 to 13 for one of Syracuse’s two losses on the season. What commenced on May 24th was nothing short of a top notch lacrosse game. Virginia scored first and led in the first half six to three. Syracuse faced a brick wall in Virginia’s goalkeeper Bud Petit. He had an outstanding 16 saves in the game. He was dominating between the cage, and Syracuse had to fight for every goal. John Galloway was unreliable and Syracuse needed offensive help. Once again Danny Brennan provided the possessions Syracuse needed, winning 19 of 27 face offs in the game. Mike Leveille had five goals in the game, which turned out to be all the difference. But Syracuse would need to chip at the Virginia lead in the second half if they expected to advance. Syracuse entered the last quarter down by three. Virginia would make Syracuse be down by four with just over 14 minutes to go in the game. Syracuse chipped away, trading goals with Virginia until Syracuse was just down 11 to ten with 6:01 remaining on the clock. Then Syracuse’s Mike Leveille stepped up and scored with exactly three minutes on the clock. After trading shots back and forth, both teams gaining opportunities to go ahead, the clock expired. It was time for overtime. If you are a fan of either team, it was the height of drama. Through seven shots between the two teams in the first overtime, and no goals scored, that meant a second overtime. There was a tension in the stands that was clearly palpable. Shots were traded back and forth, but finally after making several moves past defenders, an underhanded shot by Mike Leveille, the captain, trickled past Petit and Syracuse advanced after two overtimes to Memorial Day and the National Championship. The crowd cheered, the drama transformed to joy, and simply the best lacrosse game I have ever witnessed had come to a conclusion. The euphoria of the weekend would not be done yet however.
The National Championship would not be easy to take. While Syracuse had achieved one of their secondary goals of making it back to the National Championship, it did not earn the complete redemption that they yearned so hard for after going 5-8 the year before. They also faced a familiar foe in rival Johns Hopkins, the #5 seed in the tournament. Hopkins also had one of the best players in the game, Paul Rabil, who had carried his team through the season and the playoffs. Hopkins had struck first, and Mr. Rabil was the one to do so. Hopkins led for most of the first half, but Syracuse managed to gain a six to five lead at the half despite facing yet another game with expert goalie play. Michael Gvozden, the goalie for Hopkins had 20 saves in the game. Yes, that is a lot and he was outstanding the entire game. Syracuse battled in all facets of the game to keep their lead. DBren did not have the game he wanted though, only winning 13 of 26 face offs. However, his wins seemed to come at the right times as he was unstoppable in the forth quarter, the typical M.O. that he displayed throughout the close games of the season. Coupled with Dan Hardy’s three goals, Syracuse had a lead deep in the game. John Galloway again had a disappointing game as the utterly magical play from Paul Rabil continued late in the game as he added two more goals to make the score 13 to ten with 2:37 remaining. It was his sixth goal of the game. The predominately Syracuse crowd seemed worried that they would see another upset. But Syracuse held on and John Galloway had a couple great saves late in the game to give Syracuse their record tenth title. The final score would be 13 to ten. The players mobbed the field and each other, throwing sticks and helmets everywhere. Syracuse had done it. Syracuse won quite possibly the most important game in program history.
The Orange came back from a dismal season, newly motivated, and buying into all the changes that the coaching staff implemented. The seniors stepped up and led these young men into game after game with a fervor never seen by the program. For his efforts, John Desko earned National Coach of the Year honors. Mike Leveille earned the Tewaaraton Trophy, the “Heisman of college lacrosse”, the awarded that goes to the best college lacrosse player in the nation. Several other players earned national honors. But the most important hardware was Syracuse’s again. The coveted National Championship returned to SU, earned from beating dreaded rivals along the way. Redemption was at hand for the Orange and the sweet taste of victory was present in the Salt City once again. A record ten titles is no joke and there is no questioning who the best program in college lacrosse history is anymore. Syracuse won, and every fan that ever doubted the program could again rest easy. The team was back and the program does not seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.
The Syracuse Orange finished the regular season in dominating fashion, only losing two games. None of the regular season matters when it gets to be tournament time though. Syracuse had been on a mission the entire year, led by their senior captain Mike Leveille. Anything less than a National Championship would be considered failure, especially after the last two seasons, and an absence from that kind of glory since 2004. The bracket was set. Syracuse was the #3 seed. The Orange were on the road to the Final Four. The biggest question facing the Orange would be if Danny Brennan would be able to play, as he had to sit out the team’s last game versus Colgate. Would he be ready to take the ball for Syracuse, or would the team have to rely on backups to handle the duties in the X? Time would tell.
They would first have to face Canisius, arguably the weakest team in the field of 16. Due to the few teams from the Great Western Lacrosse League gaining entrance to the tournament, Canisius was forced to travel to the Carrier Dome to take on Syracuse, a clearly overmatching team. While it is nice to see new teams making the tournament, the program could simply not keep up with the abilities of Syracuse. The Orange unleashed their offensive and rained down shots upon the unsuspecting Griffin goalie, who could do nothing but simply watch as the shot went by… 20 times. That would be 20 goals out of 41 shots. Not a bad day’s work. Mike Leveille single handedly outscored the entire Canisius team, by earning four goals and two assists. Danny Brennan won the first four of five face offs he took, but then exited the game to rest his injured leg, and really there was no need to have him in with the lead Syracuse had. Canisius did not even score until the second quarter, only after Syracuse was up by eight. Jovan Miller, a freshman on the squad, turned out to be an excellent utility man in the game and had an impressive day. In the end, this game was all Syracuse and they easily handled the Canisius team 20 to three. The team had to then travel to nearby Ithaca, New York, and leave the confines of the Carrier Dome to face their next foe.
On Schoellkopf Field at the campus of Cornell University, Syracuse would have to prove to be the better team to earn the right to go to the Final Four in Foxborough. The foe would be #6 Notre Dame, a team that dispatched a tough Colgate team the week prior. They would not go down easy. Syracuse would be trailing or tied with Notre Dame for the majority of the second half. After a six to two lead at the half, freshman goalie John Galloway would allow five unanswered goals in the third quarter, a disappointment Syracuse almost did not survive. Dan Hardy was the hero of the day, earning three goals and an assist. DBren had one hell of a day as well, winning 17 of 24 face offs he took. He gave Syracuse the possessions they needed to keep up with and eventually overtake the Irish to win the game. Syracuse, much like it had most of the year, led in shots, and they certainly had some spectacular ones. Syracuse would win the game 11 to nine, and thus punching their ticket to another Final Four. The question was if Syracuse would taste redemption, or end up short. To Massachusetts we went.
Foxborough, Massachusetts, where the Patriots play, would be the scene for which either glory or heartbreak could be found in 2008. Four teams get to play on the biggest stage in the sport, but only one could walk away with the hardware. Syracuse, or any team for that matter, did not have an easy road. Syracuse faced daunted and traditional foe Virginia in the first national semifinal. Virginia beat Syracuse earlier in the season in overtime 14 to 13 for one of Syracuse’s two losses on the season. What commenced on May 24th was nothing short of a top notch lacrosse game. Virginia scored first and led in the first half six to three. Syracuse faced a brick wall in Virginia’s goalkeeper Bud Petit. He had an outstanding 16 saves in the game. He was dominating between the cage, and Syracuse had to fight for every goal. John Galloway was unreliable and Syracuse needed offensive help. Once again Danny Brennan provided the possessions Syracuse needed, winning 19 of 27 face offs in the game. Mike Leveille had five goals in the game, which turned out to be all the difference. But Syracuse would need to chip at the Virginia lead in the second half if they expected to advance. Syracuse entered the last quarter down by three. Virginia would make Syracuse be down by four with just over 14 minutes to go in the game. Syracuse chipped away, trading goals with Virginia until Syracuse was just down 11 to ten with 6:01 remaining on the clock. Then Syracuse’s Mike Leveille stepped up and scored with exactly three minutes on the clock. After trading shots back and forth, both teams gaining opportunities to go ahead, the clock expired. It was time for overtime. If you are a fan of either team, it was the height of drama. Through seven shots between the two teams in the first overtime, and no goals scored, that meant a second overtime. There was a tension in the stands that was clearly palpable. Shots were traded back and forth, but finally after making several moves past defenders, an underhanded shot by Mike Leveille, the captain, trickled past Petit and Syracuse advanced after two overtimes to Memorial Day and the National Championship. The crowd cheered, the drama transformed to joy, and simply the best lacrosse game I have ever witnessed had come to a conclusion. The euphoria of the weekend would not be done yet however.
The National Championship would not be easy to take. While Syracuse had achieved one of their secondary goals of making it back to the National Championship, it did not earn the complete redemption that they yearned so hard for after going 5-8 the year before. They also faced a familiar foe in rival Johns Hopkins, the #5 seed in the tournament. Hopkins also had one of the best players in the game, Paul Rabil, who had carried his team through the season and the playoffs. Hopkins had struck first, and Mr. Rabil was the one to do so. Hopkins led for most of the first half, but Syracuse managed to gain a six to five lead at the half despite facing yet another game with expert goalie play. Michael Gvozden, the goalie for Hopkins had 20 saves in the game. Yes, that is a lot and he was outstanding the entire game. Syracuse battled in all facets of the game to keep their lead. DBren did not have the game he wanted though, only winning 13 of 26 face offs. However, his wins seemed to come at the right times as he was unstoppable in the forth quarter, the typical M.O. that he displayed throughout the close games of the season. Coupled with Dan Hardy’s three goals, Syracuse had a lead deep in the game. John Galloway again had a disappointing game as the utterly magical play from Paul Rabil continued late in the game as he added two more goals to make the score 13 to ten with 2:37 remaining. It was his sixth goal of the game. The predominately Syracuse crowd seemed worried that they would see another upset. But Syracuse held on and John Galloway had a couple great saves late in the game to give Syracuse their record tenth title. The final score would be 13 to ten. The players mobbed the field and each other, throwing sticks and helmets everywhere. Syracuse had done it. Syracuse won quite possibly the most important game in program history.
The Orange came back from a dismal season, newly motivated, and buying into all the changes that the coaching staff implemented. The seniors stepped up and led these young men into game after game with a fervor never seen by the program. For his efforts, John Desko earned National Coach of the Year honors. Mike Leveille earned the Tewaaraton Trophy, the “Heisman of college lacrosse”, the awarded that goes to the best college lacrosse player in the nation. Several other players earned national honors. But the most important hardware was Syracuse’s again. The coveted National Championship returned to SU, earned from beating dreaded rivals along the way. Redemption was at hand for the Orange and the sweet taste of victory was present in the Salt City once again. A record ten titles is no joke and there is no questioning who the best program in college lacrosse history is anymore. Syracuse won, and every fan that ever doubted the program could again rest easy. The team was back and the program does not seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.
Labels: Final Four, Lacrosse, NCAA Tournament
Nunes can't escape, much like you hearing about lacrosse.Seeing as Sean has some time on his hands, I thought he should answer some of my questions. We talk one last week about lacrosse, plus some football. Enjoy the latest, and I promise to do some work on this blog soon.
1. Orange::44: Now after Syracuse won the National Championship are you finally interested in lacrosse?
Nunes: Yeah I guess I'll start paying attention now. What's lacrosse anyway, is that the one with the brooms on the ice?
I really got into it towards the end of the season and I guess that makes me a front-runner but hey, that still makes me a better lacrosse fan than 97% of the Syracuse fandom out there. You could not have asked for a better Final Four. Two amazing semifinal games and then a definitive victory in the championship over a hated, uppity rival. It's amazing how comfortable we all got again with being the best team so quickly. And yet it didn't feel like old hat at all. Last season, for all its terribleness, was a great re-calibrator for SU lacrosse fans.
And frontrunners like myself.
2. Orange::44: Any closing thoughts for you on the Lacrosse Final Four or the season in general?
Nunes: I KNEW that early on when all those "parity" folks came out of the woodwork that we'd end up with a Final Four consisting of teams like Hopkins, Duke, Virginia and Syracuse. I love that lacrosse is expanding and new teams are getting their due but college lacrosse is in a real Catch-22 right now. It needs to become more of a national sport yet it risks alienating its hardcore base if the Final Four ever consists of Ohio State, Denver, Notre Dame and Providence. The whole process is moving at a glacial, steady pace but maybe that's the best thing. It took a little while to get used to this whole "Duke is really good" thing and now they're part of the old guard. I think we'll see more teams creep into the top tier over the next few years, but not many and not as often as you might think.
Only four schools have won the national title since 1991. And only five schools have won the national title since 1978. That's INSANE. It's not in the sport's best interest for that to continue, but it's not in the best interest for those teams to totally go away either.
3. Orange::44: Has the women's lax team become relevant to the Syracuse community simply because of Gait and making it to the Final Four?
Nunes: When we remember this women's lacrosse season, there will probably come a point when we forget the Orange were really good last year as well, the year before Gait got here. But let's face it, there is no better form of instant credibility in lacrosse than to align yourself with Gary Gait. What may or may not have been a nice run by Syracuse women's lacrosse is now feeling like the budding of a dynasty. Northwestern more than proved how good their program is with another title this year, their fourth in four, but you get the sense Syracuse is about to become challenger #1 to that run. And possibly overtake them sooner than later.
Like women's basketball, the program is in a fantastic position to remain relevant in the community. Now they just have to keep building on it. And eating whatever it is Katie Rowan is eating. I'm guessing Wheaties.
4. Orange::44: We now turn to football. I know it is early, but how do you think the Northwestern game will turn out for Syracuse?
Nunes: God dammit, I thought we had another month or so before we had to trick ourselves into thinking we had a shot this year. Now Mike Williams went all cheatie on us and nothing feels good about this team anymore. That really sucked all the wind out of the sails. It opened our eyes to just how fragile this team is...take away one guy and we're left with a good QB, a questionably decent stable of RBs, an OL we just can't trust yet and a quorom of untested WRs. I'll go into battle with these guys but I can't be sure of how good we're gonna do.
On paper, we've tricked ourselves into thinking this game is quite winnable but we keep forgetting one thing. It's not like Northwestern is looking at us and thinking they're screwed. They're licking their chops over there...and why shouldn't they be?
It's too early to say for sure but I wouldn't commit to anything better than a 50/50 shot for us to win that one right now.
5. Orange::44: I make the argument that the offense should be better this season. But really, I think everyone should be concerned with the defense. Who will be and who should be the biggest defensive playmakers on the team?
Nunes: Assuming you wrote this question pre-Mike Williams news, you want to amend?
Agreed though, we're all so worried about the RBs, OL and WR positions we're forgetting about that defense that needed major upgrading over last season.
I'm counting on Bud Tribbey to step it up at the D-line. We just lost our most experience player, Tony Jenkins, and I think Tribbey is the best young guy with the shot to become an impact player right away. CB Mike Holmes, our second leading tackler last year, is going to need to step it up as well since I expect him to become our leading tackler, for better or worse.
6. Orange::44: Finally, now that school is out and it is the Syracuse "off season", what exactly do you plan to fill the void with, both in real life and on the blog?
Nunes: It's funny, I was literally saying to myself the other day that I have nothing to write about cause we're in a dead zone and then BOOM the Mike Williams thing happens. So clearly it's my fault. I do want to do a couple random ideas I've been thinking of, such as Best Places To Drink at SU or Ranking The Dorian's Sandwiches and I'm sure I'll get around to them as soon as there's a day one of our players doesn't break school policy and/or our athletics department isn't making vague statements about it.
In the real world, it’s the summer and I live in LA so I really have excuses. The great thing about California is that you almost feel compelled to go hiking/run/play volleyball every second of the day so it forces you to get out there and actually do something productive with your life that doesn't include detailing the inner workings of Syracuse football.
Otherwise I'm also trying to do a lot of writing in terms of screenplays and short films. I'm doing my best to uphold the stereotype that everyone in this town is either an actor/director/writer. I've currently got "multiple projects in various stages of development" so I'm just trying to keep those balls rolling and be productive. My goal is to eventually get on the writing staff of The Office and write an episode where they go to a Gerry McNamara autograph signing and Dwight freaks out. Fingers crossed.
Nunes: Yeah I guess I'll start paying attention now. What's lacrosse anyway, is that the one with the brooms on the ice?
I really got into it towards the end of the season and I guess that makes me a front-runner but hey, that still makes me a better lacrosse fan than 97% of the Syracuse fandom out there. You could not have asked for a better Final Four. Two amazing semifinal games and then a definitive victory in the championship over a hated, uppity rival. It's amazing how comfortable we all got again with being the best team so quickly. And yet it didn't feel like old hat at all. Last season, for all its terribleness, was a great re-calibrator for SU lacrosse fans.
And frontrunners like myself.
2. Orange::44: Any closing thoughts for you on the Lacrosse Final Four or the season in general?
Nunes: I KNEW that early on when all those "parity" folks came out of the woodwork that we'd end up with a Final Four consisting of teams like Hopkins, Duke, Virginia and Syracuse. I love that lacrosse is expanding and new teams are getting their due but college lacrosse is in a real Catch-22 right now. It needs to become more of a national sport yet it risks alienating its hardcore base if the Final Four ever consists of Ohio State, Denver, Notre Dame and Providence. The whole process is moving at a glacial, steady pace but maybe that's the best thing. It took a little while to get used to this whole "Duke is really good" thing and now they're part of the old guard. I think we'll see more teams creep into the top tier over the next few years, but not many and not as often as you might think.
Only four schools have won the national title since 1991. And only five schools have won the national title since 1978. That's INSANE. It's not in the sport's best interest for that to continue, but it's not in the best interest for those teams to totally go away either.
3. Orange::44: Has the women's lax team become relevant to the Syracuse community simply because of Gait and making it to the Final Four?
Nunes: When we remember this women's lacrosse season, there will probably come a point when we forget the Orange were really good last year as well, the year before Gait got here. But let's face it, there is no better form of instant credibility in lacrosse than to align yourself with Gary Gait. What may or may not have been a nice run by Syracuse women's lacrosse is now feeling like the budding of a dynasty. Northwestern more than proved how good their program is with another title this year, their fourth in four, but you get the sense Syracuse is about to become challenger #1 to that run. And possibly overtake them sooner than later.
Like women's basketball, the program is in a fantastic position to remain relevant in the community. Now they just have to keep building on it. And eating whatever it is Katie Rowan is eating. I'm guessing Wheaties.
4. Orange::44: We now turn to football. I know it is early, but how do you think the Northwestern game will turn out for Syracuse?
Nunes: God dammit, I thought we had another month or so before we had to trick ourselves into thinking we had a shot this year. Now Mike Williams went all cheatie on us and nothing feels good about this team anymore. That really sucked all the wind out of the sails. It opened our eyes to just how fragile this team is...take away one guy and we're left with a good QB, a questionably decent stable of RBs, an OL we just can't trust yet and a quorom of untested WRs. I'll go into battle with these guys but I can't be sure of how good we're gonna do.
On paper, we've tricked ourselves into thinking this game is quite winnable but we keep forgetting one thing. It's not like Northwestern is looking at us and thinking they're screwed. They're licking their chops over there...and why shouldn't they be?
It's too early to say for sure but I wouldn't commit to anything better than a 50/50 shot for us to win that one right now.
5. Orange::44: I make the argument that the offense should be better this season. But really, I think everyone should be concerned with the defense. Who will be and who should be the biggest defensive playmakers on the team?
Nunes: Assuming you wrote this question pre-Mike Williams news, you want to amend?
Agreed though, we're all so worried about the RBs, OL and WR positions we're forgetting about that defense that needed major upgrading over last season.
I'm counting on Bud Tribbey to step it up at the D-line. We just lost our most experience player, Tony Jenkins, and I think Tribbey is the best young guy with the shot to become an impact player right away. CB Mike Holmes, our second leading tackler last year, is going to need to step it up as well since I expect him to become our leading tackler, for better or worse.
6. Orange::44: Finally, now that school is out and it is the Syracuse "off season", what exactly do you plan to fill the void with, both in real life and on the blog?
Nunes: It's funny, I was literally saying to myself the other day that I have nothing to write about cause we're in a dead zone and then BOOM the Mike Williams thing happens. So clearly it's my fault. I do want to do a couple random ideas I've been thinking of, such as Best Places To Drink at SU or Ranking The Dorian's Sandwiches and I'm sure I'll get around to them as soon as there's a day one of our players doesn't break school policy and/or our athletics department isn't making vague statements about it.
In the real world, it’s the summer and I live in LA so I really have excuses. The great thing about California is that you almost feel compelled to go hiking/run/play volleyball every second of the day so it forces you to get out there and actually do something productive with your life that doesn't include detailing the inner workings of Syracuse football.
Otherwise I'm also trying to do a lot of writing in terms of screenplays and short films. I'm doing my best to uphold the stereotype that everyone in this town is either an actor/director/writer. I've currently got "multiple projects in various stages of development" so I'm just trying to keep those balls rolling and be productive. My goal is to eventually get on the writing staff of The Office and write an episode where they go to a Gerry McNamara autograph signing and Dwight freaks out. Fingers crossed.
Editor’s Note: This is another installment in the ongoing collaboration between Orange::44 and Nunes/Magician. Usually every other Tuesday Nunes::44 will appear here, while the following week Orange::44/Magician will appear on his site. Until then, enjoy Nunes/Magician articles and stay tuned to Orange::44 for complete postgame coverage from every Syracuse game.
Labels: Final Four, Football, Lacrosse, NCAA Tournament, Nunes/Magician