March 09, 2006
Team Effort
CUUUUSE!!!
Incredible game today. I don't know about all of you, but I'm completely exhausted after watching one of the greatest games of the last quarter century for this Syracuse basketball program. If there was ever a time for me to expend all my energy screaming at a television monitor, jumping up and down with every play, falling to my knees when a J.Wright shot rims out, or pumping my fists and celebrating loud enough for the neighborhood to hear, it was this afternoon.
These Orange showed from the very start that they weren't going to just roll over, hit the snooze, and wait for Selection Sunday. As soon as the ball was tipped everyone watching and listening all over the country knew that the Cuse were in New York City to play with fire once more. For 44 minutes and 54.3 seconds of the contest, this team played with more heart and determination than they had shown all season. Terrence Roberts (8-11, 16pts!) and Darryl Watkins (6-11, 17pts!) went toe-to-toe with a Husky frontcourt that seemed absolutely impenetrable only 29 days ago, and refused to back down. Demetrius Nichols plugged up passing lanes and contested every shot within 10 feet of him, then ran the floor on the opposite end to make the athletic plays we've been expecting his entire career. Eric Devendorf showed his highest level of intensity, bringing the ball upcourt almost exclusively but not commiting a single turnover (of course he also managed to get into a scrum with Hilton Armstrong, a potential lottery pick twice his size). Meanwhile, the play off the bench from Louie McCroskey and Josh Wright helped push the team when they needed it most. Lou hustled to every ball he caught the smallest glimpse of, while denying his urge to take foolish shots and Josh - a sophomore with less experience than most - kept an even keel during pressurized moments the likes of which most players will never experience.
Throughout those entire 44 minutes and 54.3 seconds of gametime today, this team played as a single unit. Nine different Orangemen stepped on the floor, and nine different Orangemen played with a common purpose. Instead of each player trying to make the game his own, they crisply passed the ball to one another and created opportunities for easy buckets. After the overtime-ending buzzer had sounded, Jimmy B. was sure to make note that his squad had finally played their best offensive game of the season, implementing his gameplan about as well as he could have hoped for. These players were truly exciting to watch, (or listen to, which most fans were forced to do) and they made me proud to be an Orange fan.
Nevertheless, no matter how well the team played, they were still up against the undisputed #1 basketball team in the entire country. Even though they had done as we all had hoped for, (they really did play their absolute best game of the year!) they still needed that little extra effort to get over the line drawn between win and loss. As always, McNaclutcha was there to save the game with a full supply of his own brand of heart and determination.
Gerry may not have shot the ball as well as I would have liked, (we're sure to forget he was only 3 for 14 when we look back on this one) but he showed everyone why the absolute last adjective anyone should have ever used to describe him is "overrated." The kid from Scranton played injured today, (leg problems) but still managed to make some exceedingly brilliant plays against a team whose coach admits, "The first thing we always try to do is stop McNamara."
G-Mac went to town on the UConn defense in the first half, finding seams and delivering several smooth passes to the suddenly soft hands of Watkins and Roberts, who found themselves taking advantage of inside opportunities seemingly on every possession. The big men stepped up their game tonight, helping McNamara look even better by consistently finishing around the rim. As a result Gerry took control of the game with his full-court vision, moving in sync with the other Orange players throughout his share of the 44 minutes and 54.3 seconds he spent on the court.
However, there was still those 5.7 seconds between regulation and overtime, when #3 just had to do it on his own. Coming out of a UConn timeout with 11.2 on the clock, when everyone in MSG (including Calhoun, who was incensed by the lack of defensive pressure from Rashad Anderson) knew Syracuse's gameplan, Gerry gave us that extra bit of willpower necessary to beat the best team in the land. McNamazing took the cross-court pass from Devendorf and very calmly dribbled upcourt to drill the NBA three that saved his senior season with 5.5 seconds remaining. Then, instead of over-celebrating, he and his teammates got back down the court as a single unit so they could get a body on Marcus Williams before his attempt at a buzzerbeater.
Gerry McNamara made another showstopping play today, (I'm having trouble remembering any basketball player who ever hit two bigger shots on back-to-back days, though I'm sure there's one or two) but the reason these Orangemen won was that they played 99.9% of the game as nine parts of a single whole. They showed true grit today, and they made sure we won't have to attend any more home games until November - just the way it should be.
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the Orange send the mighty Huskies home a wounded bunch of dogs. The Huskies the better team?? NOT today and NOT without G-Mac the most overrated player in the conference??? Thank you to those reporters who had the nerve to pen that comment. Just the bulletin board material SU needed to play as a team and WITH their undisputed leader. Thank you G-Mac for 1 more day of high fives, joyous screams, and tears from witnessing the possible.
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