Pizza Parlor Madness: Syracuse

Nickname: Orange
Colors: Orange and Blue
Location: Syracuse, NY
Enrollment: 18,247
Conference: Big East
Distinguished Alumni: Ted Koppel, Bob Costas, Mike Tirico, Donovan McNabb, Me, KeriAnn Lynch, Scott Isaacs, Kate and Paul Amin, Josh Hughes, Kristen and Brian Beers, Mike Friedlander and Stacey Katz, Bill Procopio and Alison, Dan Greco, Eric Wohlleber Anton Plano, John Smist, Erin O’Connell, Mike Pot, Mike Z, Pete Mason, Slope Day, Hasa Basa, and Adult Film Star Lexington Steele

Head Coach: Jim “Ten Fucking Games” Boeheim
Record (Conference Record): 23-11 (7-9)
Advanced by: Beat Pittsburgh to win Big East Tournament
RPI: 18
SOS: 2
Best Performance: Beat Connecticut 86-84 (OT) in Big East Tournament
Best Player: F Louis McCroskey (just seeing if you're awake)
No. of Seniors: 2
NCAA Tournament Appearances (in four years): 30 (4)
Likely Seed: 5

Next to the 2003 and 1996 NCAA Tournaments, these past four days were the most enjoyable run I’ve ever endured as a Syracuse fan. Starting by “watching” the Cincinnati and UConn games through the internet, e-mails, and text messages because I was at work to the Georgetown game to last night it was as magical as some SU NCAA tournament runs in the past. I like most others didn’t think this team was capable of any inspired performance, nonetheless four in four days. I doubt they are but it’d be a smart idea to print orange t-shirts that say “Ten Fucking Games” because that was the turning point of the season for this team. Their captain was taking it on the chin by the alumni (us) and the media, their coach defended him in the most exclamatory of words and this SU team and Gerry McNamara took this week as a chance to make a statement. Next week, who knows McNamara is still a one man show, Louie McCroskey still can’t dribble, and Eric Devendorf is still a dum freshman (man, is he dumb). But for one week, this SU team showed the magic of some the school’s better teams and gave us a pleasant unexpected memory.