Bullet points!

• I refuse to pick on Scoop for taking a contested three with around 15 seconds left in OT, down by three points. When the kid hits the clutch shots we saw at the end of regulation, he has earned the right to take another.
• I was very impressed by UConn’s energy level, considering how much ball they have played in the tourney already. Particularly in crashing the glass. They had a ton of key rebounds on both ends where they went after the ball full-throttle. Even though the overall rebounding numbers were just about even, it seemed they got the biggest ones.
• Foul shooting finally cost SU a game. 5-11 is not going to do it. OT free throws were especially problematic. They went 1-4, including two front ends of 1-and-1s. That’s potentially five points that they failed to tally.
• This was a game SU seemed to beat themselves more than they were beat by UConn. I’m not trying to take away from the Huskies’ achievement and frequently excellent play. But this was not the Syracuse team that we saw yesterday against St. John’s. They were much more tentative, settling for tons of jump shots.
• I loved what I saw from Kris Joseph in this game. He’s still got to learn how to avoid charges (every team has him scouted well in that aspect) but he was more aggressive on both ends, even hauling down 9 rebounds. Great to see him step up his game, because the team is going to need this Kris next weekend.
• I also liked Triche’s confidence. His shot just wasn’t falling tonight, but he had no qualms about letting one go when he had a clean look, and he had the stones to make that drive and leaner with about a minute left despite having only 2 points so far in the game.

So any dreams of a further improvement in our NCAA seed have been officially dashed. Internet consensus seems to be that we are looking at a 3 seed, which is a great place to be. There isn’t much difference between a 2 and a 3, but there is a world of difference between a 3 and a 4. I think SU has done enough to hold themselves on that 3 line, but you never know what could happen in the remaining conference tournament games. (For instance, UConn may have pushed themselves onto the 3 line already. Imagine if they win tomorrow too.) So, we’ll sit back and wait. 44 hours from now their path to glory will be revealed. In the meantime, we’re waiting.