Max Power's Sports Stash

The NCAA Tournament begins today and Orange fans won't have to worry about an excuse to get out of work to watch them play. They played last night in the first round of the NIT at the Dome. While not much to get excited about at first glance, Wednesday night's win over South Alabama ended up being a pretty special night.

About 17,000 fans made their way through the Carrier Dome gates to support this Syracuse team. With the students on break, tickets only going on sale late Monday afternoon, and the disappointment of being robbed of an at-large bid to the big tournament, the large turnout was impressive.

The Orange players, in their new Nike home uniforms, understandably came out flat. It was only at the urging of the crowd that the players began to play with a sense of urgency. The game was nationally televised and the country got a good look at what true Orange fans are all about.

Devendorf was just amazing. With 34 points he almost single handedly lifted the team to a win.

A few notes on Syracuse and the NIT and today's NCAA action...

- I'm sure many of you were curious to see Syracuse as a #2 seed, in the South Region no less. There is a good reason Syracuse was given a #2 seed despite being obviously among the best 4 teams on paper in this tournament (West Virginia was one of the #1 seeds). When the NIT selection committee was preparing their brackets to announce only 2 hours after the NCAA fields was announced, they were thrown for a loop. Suddenly Syracuse, a team they hadn't expected to be available for the NIT, was in fact available. SU wasn't even on their radar as they assumed, like most of America, that they would be playing in the NCAA Tournament. They probably had Arkansas slated to be the #2 seed in the South and to host South Alabama, That match-up certainly makes sense. The NIT usually doesn't make the visiting teams travel that far for their first round game. The NCAA Selection Committee even shocked their NIT counterparts with their snub of Syracuse.

- Perhaps now that the first round is thankfully behind them, this team can focus and make a serious run at an NIT Championship. At this point, there could be no better end to this season than to hoist a trophy in Madison Square Garden and once and for all confirm the idiocy of Gary Walters and his selection committee. If the Orange should get to Madison Square Garden in NYC I predict an electric atmosphere unlike any the NIT has seen. When it's all said and done, this would be a much more satisifying way to end the season than even a sweet sixteen exit from the Big Dance. Of course, we will always be left to wonder what might have been... A second championship? Boeheim's fourth Final Four?

-  Syracuse's snub is being explained under the veil of a major misconception, that the Big East is a weak conference. It's funny how the Big East has 5 teams in the top 20 of the AP poll this week. No other conference has more than 3. In any case, root hard for the Big East teams over the next 4 days. As has always been the case for Big East fans, we have to take our respect, it's not just handed out like it is for the overrated ACC, SEC, Big Ten and Pac-10.

- Syracuse plays again next week, on Monday night at home against San Diego State. Maybe we'll see 20,000 for that one? Let's Go Orange!