NCAA Sweet 16: (5) Butler vs (1) Syracuse

• reclegend22

  

  
  
  "I love you guys."
  
  I feel for ewok, I really do. But this was pretty special considering Butler is from Indy.
• Mulva

  

  jpake1 wrote: That's the thing, nobody in this field looked like they had "it" all year. A weak year in general.

  I thought Kansas might have because of Collins. I definitely think Kentucky does (and have since I saw John Wall single-handedly take over a couple of games and hit a couple of game winners early in the year).
  
  When I was filling out my bracket Syracuse never even crossed my mind.
• killer_ewok

  

  Well, that made me want to vomit.
  
  I'll disagree. Syracuse and Kansas were both special teams IMO. Of course, hindsight is 20/20. It's easy to say they weren't special or them and Kansas didn't appear to have it. Well, almost all year just about everybody was saying that they thought they did have it. That doesn't mean shit now, but it's just a lot of after the fact talk.
  
  You just can't turn the ball over that many times and expect to win. Rick Jackson pretty much handed the ball to a Butler player every time he touched it. A human turnover with legs. And as soon as Howard picked up his 4th foul and went out of the game......Rick Jackson negates any advantage Syracuse had down low by picking up his 4th. Fucking moron. Well, credit to Butler.
  
  Anyways, I'm not sure how to feel about this season. NOBODY had Syracuse as a #1 seed and the Big East regular season champion in the preseason after they lost Flynn, Harris and Devendorf. They were picked to finish 6th in the conference and were probably considered a borderline NCAA team. They exceeded every expectation I had for them by leaps and bounds. Of course, when you have a great season like they did....expectations rise and that's what makes this loss so disappointing. There's always the question of how well they would've done had Onuaku been healthy. We'll never know. That's how it goes.
• devil1197

  Kentucky and Kansas definitely had it.
  
  You cannot say Kansas didn't simply because they were upset by NIU early.
• killer_ewok

  

  Anyways....thanks, rec and S&L (I guess, LOL).
  
  Fuck the rest of you.
• Swamp Fox

  I simply can't believe the way this tournament is going. It's way beyond surprising. It is shocking.
• SportsAndLady

  

  Feel my pain ewok! At least Cuse made it to the Sweet 16 lol and didn't lose to a team from freakin Iowa..
• Rebel_ I.N.S.

  

  Ewok your Cuse had a helluva season man.
  
  Look on the bright side you got to watch your squad for more than one game unlike me
• devil1197

  This is what happens when a mid major team stays composed against top teams.
  
  NIU and Butler did not get frustrated overall. There were spurts, NIU turning it over late and Cuse taking the lead late, but they stayed patient and calm.
• SportsAndLady

  

  devil1197 wrote: Kentucky and Kansas definitely had it.
  
  You cannot say Kansas didn't simply because they were upset by NIU early.

  And im not saying that..im saying in my head, i never truly believed they were the best.
• Non

  

  I think Syracuse had the "it" factor.
  
  With a couple weeks left in the season they were putting on quite a show. Felt like another possible run for Boeheim. Rautins being a guy you would expect to perform great in the tournament. Another top player in Johnson. They weren't at full strength entering the tournament so maybe if they did have the "it" factor late in the season it went away with some late losses and the injury to Onuaku.
  
  Overall, I think you have to say the three teams mostly likely to win it all were Kansas, Kentucky and Syracuse when the tournament began.
  
  Syracuse had the ball leading 54-50 with three minutes to go. That was a stunning collapse after they had come back and pulled in front. I think this was a very good team that didn't play as well as they could have and were unable to survive. You see some other great teams get through a game like this and win the national title.
• killer_ewok

  

  SportsAndLady wrote: Feel my pain ewok! At least Cuse made it to the Sweet 16 lol and didn't lose to a team from freakin Iowa..

  No, instead they lost to a team coached by a fucking 13-year old......
  
  

  Rebel_ I.N.S. wrote: Ewok your Cuse had a helluva season man.

  Thanks, man. I'm pretty much devastated right now. It's a tough pill to swallow. Seasons like this don't come around every year. Again, I thought this team would struggle to make the NCAA tourney and nobody out there (in their right mind) thought this team was going to be a #1 seed after they lost Flynn, Harris and Devendork. An amazing season with a disappointing ending. That's all I can come up with.
  
  I hated to see Rautins end his career like that but what can you do. He was a joy to watch though. A VERY nice career for the Orange. He overcame a knee injury a couple years ago and became a much better player. Onuaku was a project at best when he came to Syracuse and he became a pretty decent player after it was all said and done. Wes Johnson is probably gone and I can't blame him. He's a top 5 pick without a doubt. It's not likely that Syracuse has another season like this next year. Then again, I didn't think there was a chance in hell of a season like this so who knows. Jardine, Joseph, Jackson and Triche all return and maybe Dashonte Riley will actually learn what to do when he has the ball in his hands. Mookie Jones will be back and I think Syracuse is bringing in one of the top recruiting classes in the country.
  
  As always.....GO 'CUSE!
• killer_ewok

  

  Non wrote: I think Syracuse had the "it" factor.
  
  With a couple weeks left in the season they were putting on quite a row. Felt like another possible run for Boeheim. Rautins being a guy you would expect to perform great in the tournament. Another top player in Johnson. They weren't at full strength entering the tournament so maybe if they did have the "it" factor late in the season it went away with some late losses and the injury to Onuaku.
  
  Overall, I think you have to say the three teams mostly likely to win it all were Kansas, Kentucky and Syracuse when the tournament began.
  
  Syracuse had the ball leading 54-50 with three minutes to go. That was a stunning collapse after they had come back and pulled in front. I think this was a very good team that didn't play as well as they could have and were unable to survive. You see some other great teams get through a game like this and win the national title.

  Yeah, I pretty much agree with everything you said here.
• Mulva

  

  They brought Rick Jackson back in after going up 54-50 with him on the bench with the 4 fouls. It was the biggest mistake of the game IMO. He sucked on offense all night, and Howard torched him a couple of possessions in a row on defense after he came back in (although nobody would have stopped the first move, Howard got way too deep the 2nd time, the D had to collapse, and he kicked to Veasley in the corner for a wide open 3).
• killer_ewok

  

  Excuse the term....but Rick Jackson played like a fucking 'tard tonight.
• Non

  

  Yeah Howard ate him up.
  
  After that first move, he knew he had him baked when he posted up the second time.
  
  That matchup was really the difference on those two pivotal possessions.
  
  I didn't see who was guarding him with Jackson out. Johnson? Howard didn't do that much on offense but waited until the right time.
• killer_ewok

  

  Non wrote: Yeah Howard ate him up.
  
  After that first move, he knew he had him baked when he posted up the second time.
  
  That matchup was really the difference on those two pivotal possessions.
  
  I didn't see who was guarding him with Jackson out. Johnson? Howard didn't do that much on offense but waited until the right time.

  In the zone.....probably Riley. I can't rip him too much as he is young and inexperienced. Jackson should know better and should've done better.
• killer_ewok

  

  Kris Joseph laid an egg tonight too.
• UA5straightin2008

  

  yaaaaaaaaa butler!!!! my girlfriend goes there, said the campus was going crazy
• Mulva

  

  killer_ewok wrote:
  In the zone.....probably Riley. I can't rip him too much as he is young and inexperienced. Jackson should know better and should've done better.

  It was Riley. He did a pretty good job I thought.
• centralbucksfan

  Big East takes another hit. I really thought 'Cuse was going to cruise after taking the 54-50 lead. Butler had a helluva run to end the game. To be honest, 'Cuse was lucky Butler wasn't hitting threes in this game though. They had plenty of good looks and didn't shoot well from three as they usually do or I think they would have won by double digits going away. Amazing upsets in NCAA just continue...
• killer_ewok

  

  Mulva wrote:

  killer_ewok wrote:
  In the zone.....probably Riley. I can't rip him too much as he is young and inexperienced. Jackson should know better and should've done better.

  It was Riley. He did a pretty good job I thought.

  Agreed. All things considered....he did a decent job defensively. He's tall and has a nice wingspan for the back of the zone. Just needs to put on a little weight, develop low post game and I think he will become more decisive at both ends of the court with some playing time/experience.
• Non

  

  Rautins hit a three and made it 52-50
  
  then Butler's Zach Hahn bricked a three and Syracuse scored on a slam to make it 54-50
  
  Butler then called a timeout and yanked Hahn out. Not sure who they brought back in but I think Nored. He hit a three to make it 54-53.
  
  Jackson came back in for Syracuse and wasn't able to stop Howard on two key possessions inside, and Butler grabbed the lead.
  
  Syracuse also had a few turnovers in the last couple minutes.
  
  So a lot of factors played into that collapse.
• killer_ewok

  

  centralbucksfan wrote: Big East takes another hit. I really thought 'Cuse was going to cruise after taking the 54-50 lead. Butler had a helluva run to end the game. To be honest, 'Cuse was lucky Butler wasn't hitting threes in this game though. They had plenty of good looks and didn't shoot well from three as they usually do or I think they would have won by double digits going away. Amazing upsets in NCAA just continue...

  Plenty of good looks? Not sure about that. Orange D was pretty darn good and affected quite a few of those misses. As others pointed out earlier....Butler didn't go "3-crazy" and that actually worked out for them. Had they tried to just gun from the perimeter for the majority of the game.....I think I'd be pretty happy right now. Syracuse was closing out on their shooters for the most part when they were even able to rise and fire.
  
  I mean...shit. IF Syracuse didn't turn the ball over zillion fuckin' times they probably win going away. If an "IF" was a "FIFTH".....we'd all be drunk.
• killer_ewok

  

  Incoming Orange Frosh to keep an eye on next season.
  
  Fabricio de Melo (7'0" 270 lbs.) #2 C, #16 overall prospect
  Dion Waiters (6'3" 214 lbs.) SG, #29 overall prospect
  C.J. Fair (6'7" 200 lbs.) PF, #111 overall prospect
  Baye Moussa Keita (6'10" 215 lbs.) #14 C, #145 overall prospect
  
  Currently the #5 recruiting class for 2010.
  
  Syracuse should be a deeper team next season. They lose Rautins, Onuaku and most likely Wes Johnson but with Jardine, Joseph, Triche, Jackson, Riley and Mookie Jones returning and these incoming freshman......I think Syracuse could be pretty good again next season.