Gooo Cuse!

As I walked into my Research Methods class to take my midterm on Wednesday, I looked up and noticed the empty chair behind mine and shook my head in silent awe.

“I guess Gerry earned the right to miss his midterm.”

Just moments earlier, 300 miles away from snowy Syracuse, Gerry McNamara and the rest of the Syracuse basketball team made history by winning a crucial Big East tournament victory against Cincinnati. G-Mac practically carried the team on his back and willed the team to a win that meant the difference between being selected to play in the NCAA Tournament or being relegated to the inconsequential NIT Tournament. With a shocking, last-second three pointer, Gerry got us into the Big Dance and secured a meeting with the number-1 team in the country, UConn, in the next round of the Big East tourney.

Considering the sorry state of affairs with the SU basketball team prior to this big win, Gerry’s last second shot completely changed how we all felt about our beloved Orange. Just three years removed from winning a national championship, we all could only shake our heads in disgust as the losses piled up this season against the likes of UConn, Villanova, and that oh-so horrible 34-point bitch slap from lowly DePaul. It got so bad, that when SU squeaked by then 13th ranked West Virginia a couple of weeks ago, SU students stormed the Carrier Dome floor to celebrate the win. For those who don’t understand the significance of that act, let me put it in perspective; for a team as storied and successful as Syracuse’s basketball team, we should only be rushing the floor if we either 1) win a major tournament game, 2) defeat the number-1 ranked team in the country, or 3) see a shitload of money on the court. So, the fact that fans stormed the court after a victory against W. Virginia, a team good enough to be the 13th best team in the country, (but definitely not THAT good), was a slap in the face to the SU’s storied basketball resume. We’re SUPPOSED to be beating West Virginia, not acting like we just won a miracle.

So, with SU losing frequently and dropping out of the national rankings, the weather in Syracuse felt just a bit colder and the days got a bit greyer. All those sports pundits on ESPN and Sports Illustrated were writing SU off and calling our star player, Gerry McNamara, “overrated.” After experiencing a horrible football season in the fall, we were just about to switch off our TV sets and ignore the March Madness craziness that usually takes our campus by storm.

But then came our game against Cincy in the first round of the Big East tournament. Suddenly, our basketball team felt relevant again. None of us knew what to expect when we knew that UConn was next, the team that all those sports pundits have selected to win the National Championship. And then, THE miracle happened. G-Mac led us to victory with yet another game winning shot against #1 UConn. (Now, THAT’s when you’re supposed to rush the court.) With UConn vanquished, we saw no reason why we shouldn’t win the whole Big East Tournament. And sure enough, two victories later, against the likes of rivals Georgetown and Pittsburgh, Syracuse won the Big East tournament, an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, and finally, respect. G-Mac rightfully won the Big East Tourney MVP award after he carried the Orange on his back for all four games. Now, after all that, ESPN is sucking us off and calling us a “force to be reckoned with” and even saying that we might get to the Sweet 16. Blah, blah, blah.

Get us laid, Gerry!

All I know is that, if Syracuse gets far in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, we are all going nuts. I remember when we won the championship three years ago, everyone on campus went absolutely BANANAS. People were running around naked, liquor flowed, and everyone got laid. It was incredible, and easily one of the best experiences I ever had at Syracuse. With G-Mac the last remaining member of that incredible 2003 team, we can only hope that he’ll take SU on his shoulders for another 6 games, and give us another championship. And then, we can all get drunk and get laid.

Go CUSE! :-D