Max Power's Sports Stash

With Monday night's Syracuse vs. San Diego St. game on ESPN U, and the fact that I subscribe to Time Warner Cable (who doesn't offer that channel), I found myself at Dewey's Third Ward Tavern for the tip-off of the second round NIT match-up in the Dome.

I was joined by about 20 other Syracuse fans, all excited to watch the Orange play. Almost 27,000 fans who packed the Carrier Dome were pretty excited as well.

It was another great scene inside the Loud House, an NIT attendance record to boot. They watched the Orange easily dimantle San Diego State.

The Aztecs didn't have a a decent draw in this one. They had to leave sunny San Diego and fly across the country to Central New York. When they got off their plane at Hancock Airport they might as well have been in Antartica. Then, to face an Orange team with a chip on their shoulder in front of more people than any of the Aztec players have seen assembled in one place in their life. I wasn't surpised to see Syracuse win easily, 80-64.

What I realized most during this game, was that the NIT isn't that bad this year. In previous years when Syracuse was in the "other" tournament it wasn't like this. Nobody much cared. I care about Syracuse's performance in this year's NIT. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone. Dewey's Third Ward Tavern was alive with cheers and roars with every dunk, three and rebound. On an adjoining television I was able to watch the Clemson vs. Ole Miss game. Pretty exciting seeing that if Clemson lost, Syracuse would host the next game on Wednesday night. If Clemson won then Syracuse will be boarding a plane for South Carolina Tuesday morning. The excitement wore off quickly as Clemson built a 20 point lead early in the second half.

In all, it was a great way for a college basketball fan to spend the night. If Syracuse had made the dance and lost this weekend I wouldn't have enjoyed Monday night as much as I did. I also wouldn't have Wednesday night's matchup, deep in ACC territory, to anticipate. Of course, we'll always wonder what might have been.

To top off my evening of college hoops bliss I caught the DePaul vs. Kansas State 2nd round NIT matchup on ESPN when I got home. Another Big East team advances! West Virginia hosts N.C. State Tuesday night at 9 pm! This NIT stuff is better than I thought it would be.

Perhaps my relative content with Syracuse playing in the NIT has to do with the favorable outcome of the first two rounds on the NCAA Tournament. 7 ACC teams start, only 1 left! Georgetown sends Boston College home. They did so in an ACC arena that ironically is about 300 miles closer to the Georgetown campus than Boston. Speaking of former Big East schools that bowed out early, how about those #5 seed VPI Hokies? They played two of the worst games of the 1st two rounds and were promptly dismissed by Southern Illinois. Toss in a first round Duke loss and you have a great weekend of basketball in my opinion.

Now for the Big East to eliminate some more dasterdly ACC teams from the post-season. Namely, NC State on Tuesday night and Clemson on Wednesday night.