You can't teach experience. And the SU women's team was on the wrong end of a particularly disturbing one this weekend, losing to 11-seed South Florida 68-67 in overtime in the first round of the Big East Tournament. The Orange were making their first appearance in the tournament since 2005 and it showed, despite being the 6 seed. At 22-8 (10-6), the Orange SHOULD still have no problem making the NCAA Tournament. But the wait until March 17th is a much more anxious one today than it was a few days ago. All of a sudden, a promising season full of such a positive turnaround is getting analyzed and picked apart for what didn't happen. Where is the signature win? What happened in those Georgetown and Providence losses? Is that record vs. Top 25 teams respectable enough?
The worrying is probably more over seeding than whether or not the Orange will make the tournament. Whereas they were looking like a 6-seed, the Orange may now be looking at a 7 or an 8. Not the best outcome for this fantastic season, but I think Coach Hillsman will agree...any experience is good experience for this team.
Oh and a belated congrats to Q for winning Big East Coach of the Year. No word on whether or not this puts Hillsman in the "Nobel Prize Winner" bracket but if not, he's getting closer...