Syracuse Is Number 1, Enjoy It
by Sean Keeley on Mar 1, 2010 12:28 PM EST
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PrintI agree with you, it doesn't matter who's ranked No. 1 or No. 2 during the season. It has no bearing on the Tournament or the final outcome of the season. I'm with you 100% on that.
But you know what...it still feels DAMN GOOD to be ranked No. 1 in the AP for the first time since 1990. Take off your devil's advocate hat for a moment and just enjoy it.
Today's Associated Press has the Orange jumping four spots to No. 1. This comes after last week's top three teams -- Kansas, Kentucky and Purdue -- all suffered losses while Syracuse beat No. 7 Villanova before a record-breaking crowd in the Carrier Dome.
The Orange were the runaway, receiving 59 first-place votes from the national media panel to make the jump from fourth. This is their first time on top since a six-week run during the 1989-90 season.
Seems crazy, right? The last time SU was ranked No. 1, Mike Hopkins was still playing for the team instead of coaching it.
So if 59 folks voted the Orange to the top, that also means six folks voted elsewhere (presumably for Kansas). We already know about Goodman (Parrish isn't in the AP), but who else joins the fold?
Tom Keegan of the Lawrence Journal-World (Kansas), who is not at all biased. Nope. And even puts SU at #3. THREE!
Joshua Parrott of the Daily Advertiser (LA)
Bill Cole of the Winston-Salem NC Journal
Bob Sutton of the Times-News Burlington NC
Elton Alexander of the Cleveland Plain Dealer
Update: Watch Syracuse literally rise up the rankings from Week One. Thanks Jameson.\
Update: SU also No. 1 in the Coaches Poll. Orange receive 23 first-place votes, Kansas receives 7 and Duke receives one. Coach K...you can't do that...
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They go all the way up
"(BARF)" - Donovan McNabb, during his game winning drive against Virginia Tech in 1998
Looks like
Juli.
"Send it in Jerome!!!!"
by AndyKinsella on Mar 1, 2010 12:40 PM EST up reply actions
Let’s just enjoy this and go easy on the dissenting six voters. You have to appreciate resume ranking — Kansas’ resume is very solid, too — and the fact that those six guys are at least thinking about their votes and not simply going with the mindless herd mentality of “moving teams up” or down based on one win or loss.
That said, if any of those six writers happen to write for the Lawrence, Kansas Times or something… BLOOD
...it's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
by Girardi Party on Mar 1, 2010 12:31 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Agreed
who cares who voted Kansas 1? Thsoe guys aren’t blindly moving people up and down. Can’t blame them for that and it shows that they care about the poll as meaningless as it may be. Have to give them credit for that.
Did anyone think Cuse was going to be a unanimous number 1 this late in the year? Of course not. This is pretty close though.
by krackatoan on Mar 1, 2010 12:35 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Fox News Insanity
“In fact, we’re keeping Bill Self’s team at numero uno due to a more impressive body of work. The Jayhawks have beaten eight NCAA tournament teams, and four of those wins have come on the road.
In comparison, Syracuse has also knocked off eight likely tourney teams — and just two have come in true road contests.
However, it’s a close call between the two teams right now."
http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2010/03/01/week/
I can only imagine that FoxNews is pandering to it’s political base in the Bible Belt…
Orange you glad it's not football season?
I never thought fox news would be able to make me gag outside of watching Hannity/O'Reilly et al.
But they managed to pull it off. I’m kind of impressed.
Tom Keegan - #3!
of the Lawrence Journal World
Kansas as #1 I can understand, but...
…he left Kentucky ahead of us? Really?
Agreed. Kansas is OK, Kentucky is not given their conference and SOS.
And the Lawrence Journal World… hmmmm…
...it's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
by Girardi Party on Mar 1, 2010 12:37 PM EST up reply actions
It didn't matter to me either that much...
…but that being said, it is AWESOME to be ranked #1. Go ’Cuse!
"(BARF)" - Donovan McNabb, during his game winning drive against Virginia Tech in 1998
by kotite4ever on Mar 1, 2010 12:35 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Wait
The 1,2, and 3 teams all have EXACTLY the same record? I wonder when the last time that has happened this late in the season. Pretty cool to see.
Here we go:
Keegan
is probably the only one who really deserves to be raked over the coals.
...it's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
by Girardi Party on Mar 1, 2010 12:40 PM EST up reply actions
Agreed.
I’m not criticizing the others (well, Goodman too since he was going to put KU ahead of SU regardless of the Nova game outcome) – just doing a little legwork since I’m sure others are curious too.
COACHES POLL TOO
23 first place votes to Kansas’s 7.
I WILL wear my Snuggie to the game tomorrow so as not to jinx it.
The 'Cuse is in tha house, oh my God oh my God.
Seth Davis
dropped Purdue to 13th. They must be going ballistic at that Purdue blog over that.
Purdue fans
lit him up on Twitter last night. It was quite amusing.
by Jameson_Fleming on Mar 1, 2010 12:44 PM EST up reply actions
They did lose their #2 scorer, no?
Maybe give them another game to play without him and see the results before dropping them so far, but I would guess that was his reasoning.
Scoring 44 points
is only appropriate if you lose your top 5 scorers. WTF?
Coaches Poll
Someone has Duke #1? Really?
beat me to it.
I just said the same thing to myself.
"Send it in Jerome!!!!"
by AndyKinsella on Mar 1, 2010 12:44 PM EST up reply actions
I bet it was Boeheim
I don’t think you are allowed to vote for your own team #1, or something? I can easily see him with his excessive CBB knowledge thinking that Duke was actually better than Kansas at this point.
http://cusecountry.com
good point
but I don’t think he actually casts the vote. probably Hop.
"Send it in Jerome!!!!"
by AndyKinsella on Mar 1, 2010 12:46 PM EST up reply actions
I don't know.
If he truly believed it, he would do something like that.
Like in 2003 when he refused to give his Final Four picks because he actually thought we’d be there.
Duke getting a first place vote
almost ruins this week for me….
nahhh…. but still. wtf?
Coaches dont make votes public
for reasons that are probably evident
Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician - The Syracuse blog that cares.
someone please find out who gave Duke the #1 vote
i’m dying to know
You think Jimmy did it to scuttle KU in case it was close?
I do.
The 'Cuse is in tha house, oh my God oh my God.
I think someone needs to throw up a post at casual hoya
Its too good not to
The people at Holy Shirt could probably buy their own island now.
by upstateNYYFan1984 on Mar 1, 2010 1:15 PM EST up reply actions
Worked so well when Kentucky did it...
Oh wait
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
Nice to be #1 but keep it in perspective.
This doesn’t mean anything if we don’t reach the final four!
by upstateNYYFan1984 on Mar 1, 2010 1:15 PM EST reply actions
Disagree
Crazy junk can happen in the NCAAs, don’t judge your entire season on what happens in a single-elimination contest. Climbing from unranked to #1 over the course of the season is something to be incredibly proud of, no matter what happens from here on out.
http://cusecountry.com
Id have to agree
with you. Even getting to the Elite 8 means that we pretty much finished the season as a top 10 team. Also by the time you get to that point you’re going to be playing a very very good large conference team 95% of the time.
Granted, those are the teams we’ve been beating all season, but it’s still a big deal just to make it to the 2nd week of the tourney.
Without Gerry McNamara we wouldn't have won 10 f-- games, not 10
by PoetryInMoten on Mar 1, 2010 1:49 PM EST up reply actions
What??
I agree with upstate…I’d be heartbroken if we lost in elite 8…cause that means we would have been upset by a #2 (at the highest). You guys can be proud finishing in the top 10, but I want to win it all. Thats what we are here for, right?? To win it all? Or was I out sick when we went over this?
by Mike Will is DoubleDown on Mar 1, 2010 2:29 PM EST up reply actions
Good luck
I can understand being heartbroken if we lost. That is being a fan.
However, as a #1 seed, the only thing to be embarrassed about is losing the first game.
After it gets to 32 teams… anything can happen and usually does. If this team gets in foul trouble, we can lose any game.
And to be upset about losing to a #2 is just insane. That’s not even an upset really. C’mon.
Look
I’m not saying I won’t be disappointed, but we’re having too fine of a season to be upset if we don’t make the Final 4.
Without Gerry McNamara we wouldn't have won 10 f-- games, not 10
by PoetryInMoten on Mar 1, 2010 3:51 PM EST up reply actions
Remember
We’re not Kentucky fans here. We dont get pissed when we set super unrealistic goals for ourselves in the pre-seaso, then don’t meet them.
Without Gerry McNamara we wouldn't have won 10 f-- games, not 10
by PoetryInMoten on Mar 1, 2010 6:54 PM EST up reply actions
my rankings
1. the birth of my son
2. march 1, 2010 – ’cuse is #1
3. my wedding day
EDIT:
1. birth of my son
2. 2003 national championship
3. march 1, 2010 – ’cuse is #1
4. my wedding day
Are you still married?
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
All this
with no top 50 recruits as starters. No all americans on the roster. If Jimmy B is not coach of the year, some other coach better have found a cure for both cancer and AIDS, and won the national championship with a squad made entirely of quadriplegics.
Dick Vitale
thinks Mike K. could do all of those things.
In fairness
All of Coach K’s quadriplegics would be McDonald’s All Americans.
The Hoyas shuffled off with their twin cocktails of discontent - Dana O'neil 2/18/10
Which came first? Chicken v. Egg
Were they Duke commits or were they McDonald’s All Americans?
by DMF on Mar 1, 2010 1:43 PM EST up reply actions
Of course they were Duke commits first
With Coach K’s never miss evaluations he now only accepts commints from eighth graders and freshmen. If he doesn’t have you in the fold by then he doesn’t need you.
The Hoyas shuffled off with their twin cocktails of discontent - Dana O'neil 2/18/10
Double One's!
Lax obviously at number one and now hoops too
Though with lax, Quint Kessenich still feels Syracuse is #2 (putting Virginia #1, which I can see if they beat the Orange Saturday), Hopkins #4 after barely beating Siena, and Maryland ahead of UNC (at #6 instead of 4, wow.) and Princeton.
And there’s my irrelevant to the topic, obligatory Quint “Hopkins Hopkins Hopkins” rant of the week. I hope to god Princeton gives them another early season ass whipping this weekend. Though Quint will still rank them top 5 probably.
Glad to be #1
I’m glad the Orange got to be #1. It’s good for the players to get some praise, and great for the fans to revel it. In college basketball it doesn’t matter, as the tournament plays out for the eventual champion, but it is sweet being able to crow about it in the meantime.
Meanwhile, about Keegan not putting us in the top 3. Lord knows what he is thinking. By his logic, if Purdue had won, Syracuse would’ve still be #4 in his ranking.
Our #3 voter, that is
...it's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
by Girardi Party on Mar 1, 2010 2:25 PM EST up reply actions
Almost indistinguishable top 3, SU probably slightly overrated at #1 though.
I would say KU, SU then UK. The real question who is #4??? Purdue and Duke have good entering arguments but watch out for the LOBOS and even Butler come tourney time, baby.
because they are better!
big east is way over-rated to begin with, probably gonna lose at least one of their last two, KU and UK will not
You didn't answer the question
I’m pretty sure I can speak for AndyKinsella in saying we know what KU being ahead of Syracuse MEANS — that they’re better. We’re all operating under that assumption, I think. He asked WHY they’re better.
...it's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
by Girardi Party on Mar 1, 2010 6:34 PM EST up reply actions
why am I responding to the troll?
I bet KU loses one of their last 2
KSU & @ Mizzou. Mizzou is tough at home.
I doubt UK loses again, but that has more to do with SEC suckitude than anything UK does.
And no, I wouldn’t be surprised if we lose @ Lville this weekend. But we’ll still be a #1 seed.
I’m not sold on Butler, but New Mexico is for real.
Syracuse players have a lot of length.
This may be a stupid question but...
Don’t you have anything better to do? Your team lost this weekend, why are you here?
by DMF on Mar 1, 2010 6:13 PM EST up reply actions
Heeeere, troll-y troll-y troll....
...it's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
by Girardi Party on Mar 1, 2010 6:35 PM EST up reply actions
Duke? Really?
As much as my hatred of all things Duke puts me squarely in the biased camp, I can’t figure out for the life of me why anyone would vote them number 1? Can someone explain it to me? Yes, the same Duke that lost to NC State, and hasn’t won a road game of significance all season. That Duke
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