Syracuse can’t rush through door Las Vegas left open

Las Vegas is many things. It’s a land where dreams rise and fall on the spin of the roulette ball. It’s a place where Wayne is a more important Newton than Isaac. And it’s a city where famously what happens there, stays there.

Well this week the Orange had a chance to change that. They had the opportunity to bring something back with them from Vegas. They had a chance at not one, but two, potentially season altering wins. But as so often happens in Sin City, Syracuse went bust.

Monday against #3 Houston the Orange provided a much needed and long overdue dash of hope to the Syracuse Basketball fanbase. It had been years since the stakes felt as high as they did in the final minutes of regulation and overtime versus the Cougars. Despite the 78-74 loss, when Tyler Betsey’s 3 tied with game with 55 seconds left, Orange fans were alive again.

Hope is the best of things…or is it?

Despite the electricity of the evening, a question loomed after the game. To paraphrase Ellis Boyd Redding, onetime inhabitant of Shawshank Prison, was hope a good thing? Or was it just a missed opportunity that would linger over the Orange all season?

As much as the Monday night loss stung for Syracuse, it was easy for Cuse fans to say, well go get em next time. But we all knew that the next time was less than 24 hours out. And that was where hope and opportunity would collide.

Best Odds?

Tuesday against Kansas, Syracuse had a chance to acquire a win that would stand the test of time. Perhaps it wouldn’t last as long as the win that Melo fellow sitting courtside delivered against the Jayhawks 22 years ago. But it certainly would hold its value until a certain Sunday in March.

While hope is oft the best of things, the Selection Committee cares a lot more for quad one wins than high spirts. While the chance to beat the defending national runners-up slipped through the Orange grasp, and opportunity nearly as good immediately followed.

No Dice

Syracuse played equally hard against Kansas as it did against Houston. Frankly the bulldog man to man defense that Adrian Autry has spent three years trying to deliver is a joy to watch now that it’s here.

The royal King George perimeter combo of Nate and Nait hounds the ball every possession. And William Kyle elevating seemingly above the backboard to block shots is worth the price of admission on its own.

But sadly for Syracuse it was at the other end of the court that Red’s preferred “Level 5” energy was lacking. With Donnie Freeman on the shelf for at least the week in Vegas, the Orange couldn’t consistently put the ball in the bucket in a 71-60 loss to the Jayhawks.

Snake eyes

The worry now is the Orange have already blown their best chances to impress the selection committee.

By the time you read this perhaps someone will have figured out who Syracuse plays next and when the game is(I know we know…but the final game scenarios for the Players Era Tournament are so bizarre and convoluted I refuse to acknowledge it). Perhaps Syracuse will have either won or lost already and be headed home for Thanksgiving.

(Editor's note: Syracuse surprisingly plays Iowa State at 1:00 p.m. ET Wednesday televised on TNT, after a Tuesday evening email from the Tournament outlined the remaining schedule.)

But what I’m absolutely certain of, is that after next Tuesday when Tennessee comes to the Dome, Syracuse will be out of chances to impress the selection committee with a big non-conference win.

This season is already more enjoyable than the entirety of last. And there are still many months and many games to go. But if the Orange want to play “meaningful games in March” this year, they have to do more than just hope in November. They need to win.

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