Note: The only teams available on the website before the 1999-2000 team are the 86-87 and 95-96 Final Four teams, so we don't exactly get to include every team, but it'll be close.
I decided to take it upon myself to create a 12 team bracket out of the 12 available 'Cuse teams on W.I.S., then play it out Big East Tournament style (aka top 4 seeds get a bye). To determine seedings, I went by how successful each team was.
The #1 seed was obviously the 2002-03 team. Seeds 2 and 3 were the other Final Four teams (1986-87 taking the 2 spot). I awarded the 4th seed to the 1999-00 squad because they were Big East regular season champions. The 5 and 6 seeds were given to the 2005 and 2006 Big East tournament champions, 2005 taking home the 5 because they were overall a better team than the '06 miracle squad.
The 7 seed went to this year's team because they had the best overall record of the remaining 6. The rest of the seeds: 8 - 2004, 9 - 2001, 10 - 2007, 11 - 2002, 12 - 2008.
Now that I have the tournament seeded, time to begin!
8 Cuse '04 - 88
9 Cuse '01 - 78
- 2001 takes a 6 point lead into the half. With 8:32 left, McNamara puts 2004 up 62-61, their first lead since their 7-5 lead early in the game. 2004 has control the rest of the game. '01 doesn't give up, having it within 5 with 32 seconds to go, but '04 just ends up being too much for '01 to handle.
5 Cuse '05 - 74
12 Cuse '08 - 73
- A far more exciting contest than the first one. After taking a 2 point lead into the half, '05 is able to extend their 2nd half margin to as much as 16 points. With 5 minutes left in the game, '05 still held a 12 point advantage, but then the '08 squad stormed back into it, getting within 1 with 2:15 left on a Flynn jumper. '08 was never able to get a lead however, and McNamara was able to sink clutch free throws. Donte Greene hits a 3 at the buzzer, but it's too little, too late.
7 Cuse '09 - 67
10 Cuse '07 - 54
- This was a tale of two halves. '07 actually took a 5 point lead into the break, but '09 was able to quickly turn things around in the second half. After taking the lead away with 16:24 left in the game, '09 never relinquished the lead again.
6 Cuse '06 - 61
11 Cuse ' 02 - 60
- This game was a defensive struggle in the second half. With 4:27 left in the game, Josh Wright hits a jumper to tie the game at 59. There were no more points put on the board for nearly four minutes until DeShaun Williams gets fouled by Arinze Onuaku with 31 seconds left, going to the line and hitting one. Apparently looking to make up for his foul moments before, Arinze hits the game winning shot with 12 seconds left. Craig Forth misses a layup with 5 seconds left, and that wraps it up.
Side note: Until running this sim, I had completely forgotten that Arinze was on the 2005-06 team.
There were a couple close calls in the first round, but no upsets as we move on to the quarterfinals of the B.E.S.T. tournament (Best Ever Syracuse Team - I'm so clever).
1 Cuse '03 - 82
8 Cuse '04 - 69
- Losing Kueth Duany and Carmelo Anthony was obviously way too much for the '04 team to handle. '03 actually doesn't come up with their first lead of the game until there is 2:27 left in the first half, but once they get it, they never give it up. The champs move on.
4 Cuse '00 - 82
5 Cuse '05 - 77
- This one actually came very close to going to overtime. McNamara does something out of the ordinary for him and misses a potential game tying 3 with 7 seconds left in the contest. Ryan Blackwell comes away with the rebound and immediately gets fouled. He sinks 2, which ends up sealing the deal for '00.
2 Cuse '87 - 82
7 Cuse '09 - 70
- Apparently the young '09 team was just too awestruck by the '87 team. '87 goes into the half only up 6, but the second half is never really close, with the margin hanging in double digits for the majority of it.
3 Cuse '96 - 65
6 Cuse '06 - 64
- The McNamara Magic comes to an end - but not without a fight. '06 storms back from a 14 point halftime deficit to almost steal victory away from the favored '96 squad. John Wallace hits 1 of 2 free throws with 5 seconds left to elevate the '96 lead to 4 points, thus making a Terrence Roberts 3(?) at the buzzer pointless.
Heading into the tournament semi-finals, the higher seed has won every match-up. With the remaining teams, it would seem obvious that this isn't going to change. Not so fast my friend!
1 Cuse '03 - 89
4 Cuse '00 - 91
- The game of the tournament couldn't even finish in regulation, it took overtime for the '00 squad to upset the one and only group of National Champions in Syracuse history. With 49 seconds left, Jason Hart his 2 freebies to put '00 up by the winning margin. With around 30 seconds left, Warrick gets sent to the line for a 1-and-1. Anyone who knows anything about Syracuse basketball knows what happens next: Hak misses the front end. '00 gets the rebound and is able to run out the clock, securing a spot in the B.E.S.T tourney finals.
Side note: The result of this game is giving me a small sense of redemption, seeing the 2000 team beat the actual first SU champion. I remember believing from the moment the 1998-99 season ended up until Syracuse got scorched in the second half of their Sweet 16 meeting with Michigan State in 2000 that this team was going to win the national title. With Hart, Blackwell, and Etan Thomas all coming back as seniors, I thought it was destiny. I will admit right now to anyone reading this that Syracuse's loss to Mich St. in that tournament was one of the two sporting event results that ever caused me to cry.
2 Cuse '87 - 92
3 Cuse '96 - 96
- What a coincidence, the '96 team puts up 96 points. This was a game that wasn't really close late, as Sherman Douglas hit a 3 at the buzzer just to allow '87 to pull within a final margin of 4 points. John Wallace was a beast in this game, going 8-14 from the field and 9-11 from the line, scoring 28 points while adding 8 boards. I can't in good conscious bring up John Wallace without including a youtube link to one of the greatest moments of all time.
And so it comes down to this. The 1996 Orangemen vs the 2000 Orangemen, for the title of #1 Syracuse team in the history of the world...
3 Cuse '96 - 79
4 Cuse '00 - 69
- After an exciting tournament, it ends very anti-climactically. After allowing '00 to go into the half up 5, '96 takes care of business in the second, outscoring '00 by 15 points. Free throws tell the story in this one, as '96 went 17-19 from the line, while '00 only went 9-19.
So there you have it. After four rounds of battle, the 1996 Syracuse Orangemen are crowned kings Central New York.
Somebody link this to John Wallace, Todd Burgan, Lazarus Sims, Otis Hill, Jason Cipolla, and Marius Janulis and let them know they won something.
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