At some point over the next week, SU will announce Arinze Onuaku's actual condition and how long it will take him to recover from it. We'll all very quickly come to the conclusion that there was no way AO was going to play at all, let alone in the Elite 8, had Syracuse advanced there. We'll then finally realize that Syracuse most-likely, almost-certainly told a little fib when they announced that Arinze Onuaku would be fine just before the NCAA Tournament seedings were announced. And then we'll officially know that SU purposely gave out false information to ensure itself of a one-seed. (But for now, this continues to be conjecture...FYI)
NOW. If this is the case, it's not good business. Obviously, we can understand why they did it (anyone who remembers Kenyan Martin's injury and Cincy knows) but it still leaves a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths.
Especially Gregg Doyel. Hoooooly crap was Gregg Doyel pissed.
Shame on Syracuse for lying, but congratulations to Butler for eliminating the liar from this tournament. Until Orange coach Jim Boeheim's big lie, Syracuse was a team to root for -- a team of spare parts and castoffs and overlooked recruits, all of them congealing around the greatness of Iowa State transfer Wes Johnson into the most surprising team of the season. Onuaku had contributed modestly (10.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game) but he shot 66.8 percent from the floor. He anchored the Orange's inside-out offense, and without him, the Orange were lost against Butler.
Syracuse had floated past two teams thanks to its talent level and thanks also, no question, to its advantageous seed. But Butler has a Final Four-like team, and the Bulldogs are now one game away from the Final Four -- in their hometown of Indianapolis.
First of all Gregg, stop masturbating for everyone to see. It's disgusting.
Second, let's all be honest here (for a change). If Syracuse announced beforehand that Onuaku would not be available, at least for the first round, the most realistic thing that would have changed would be...nothing. I think if we're all impartial here, the odds are still reasonable good that Syracuse gets a one-seed. And, at the very worst, they drop down to a two-seed.
Next, Gregg slams the Orange for their first-round game against Vermont, "instead of a potentially dangerous game against a No. 15 seed." What Gregg doesn't mention is that most folks believed Vermont was under-seeded and deserved to be a 15 or even a 14. And I love the way Gregg makes it sound ooooooooh so much different. As if 15-seeds are beating 2-seeds on a regular basis and Syracuse dodged a bullet by playing the pushover 16-seed. Jesus, man, do you take a step back after you write these diatribes?
He then goes on to say Syracuse got it easy by playing 8-seed Gonzaga instead of a 7-seed. Apparently Gregg is under the impression that being a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament is the hardest job in America. Meanwhile, he regrets to mention that 7-seed BYU was almost as much of a pushover as the Zags. But otherwise, sound argument, Gregg.
Ultimately, Syracuse may have pissed off the karma Gods by lying. But that's about the only real thing that changed with the Arinze Onuaku decision. Was it the "right" things to do? Probably not. Was it the "smart" thing to do? Absolutely. Did it make a different in Syracuse's seedings? Probably not, possibly, but a minor difference if anything.
Come on down from your ivory tower, Gregg. This monolithic advantage that you think Syracuse gained? Completely in your head. You're right about one thing...the Orange needed Onuaku out there on the court Thursday night. Had he been there...completely different story. But guess what...even if they told they truth about his injury...they still would have been there. Same place, same time, same region, same seed.