The players sat together a year ago on Selection Sunday with their 22 wins and 10 conference victories and an unwavering belief that they would see the name, ‘Syracuse’ pop up on the television.
It never happened. It was the ending to “The Sopranos” before the ending of “The Sopranos.” Blackness.
A hurt like that stays with a team, and it stayed with the Orange.
Regardless of what happened in yesterday’s Big East Conference Tournament opener against Villanova, the Orange weren’t going to watch Selection Sunday. Now they don’t have to.
Syracuse has a new pain to deal with, a pain greater than being snubbed by others. Their fate was in their own hands, and the Orange let it slip away, like the 11-point first-half lead they built against Villanova.
The Wildcats rallied to keep alive their hopes of an NCAA Tournament at-large berth and ruin Syracuse’s hopes with an 82-63 victory yesterday in the Garden. A blowout was the last outcome anyone expected after the teams split their regular season games.
“Shocked,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “Never thought it would be a game like this. We prepared for a battle down to the bitter end. We would have been happy to come out of here with a one-point win at the buzzer.”
Villanova (20-11), the No. 8 seed, can make a strong case for an at-large berth with a win over the top-seeded Hoyas (25-4). Syracuse (19-13) which will miss consecutive NCAA Tournaments for the first time since 1981-82.
When Donte’ Green, the talented freshman who said after the game that he would return for his sophomore season, drained three straight 3-pointers, ‘Cuse opened an 18-7 lead. But ‘Nova closed the half on an 8-0 run to make it 28-27 at the break.
It was all Villanova in the second half. The Wildcats knocked down 8 of 10 from 3-point range to turn a one-point halftime deficit into a 63-47 lead that left Jim Boeheim sitting on the bench, knowing the NCAA Tournament wasn’t going to happen.
The Orange likely will receive an NIT berth, but it’s little consolation.
“Everything is the NCAA,” Boeheim said. “In my mind and their mind it’s if they’re not in the NCAA Tournament, it’s not a good year, period.”
Villanova 82 Syracuse 63