With the Big East Tournament and UConn loss behind them and the NCAA Tournament and Indiana State ahead of them, the Syracuse basketball team is ready to forget about everything that happened before now and focus on the future.
The Orange have something to prove. There are a lot of folks out there who only see the eight-game stretch in the middle of Big East play when SU went 2-6 and assume that's what they are. And of course, there's that whole "unfinished business" slogan you may have heard once or twice this year.
"Yeah, been to the Sweet 16 two years in a row," Syracuse junior guard Scoop Jardine said. "We’re trying to go past that and further."
"I’m just ready to go," Syracuse senior forward Rick Jackson said. "This is my last go-round. I’m trying to go out with a bang. Just seeing them guys last year, once we lost, that’s a bad feeling to have, knowing it’s your last game. I just want to end on a good note."
The Orange are focus on Indiana State but things will not be easy at any point this March. The Sycamores are capable of putting up a fight. Win that game and you're either facing a Marquette team that beat us earlier in the year or an extremely dangerous Xavier. And there's a whole bunch of tough competition waiting in the second weekend and beyond.
They've got a week to prepare. Expect the Orange to be ready. They've got business to finish.