Who said basketball wasn't a contact sport? Of course the worst contact is usually with the hardwood. Check out this gruesome crash to the floor by Syracuse forward Kristof Ongenaet in Saturday night's Big East final. Fortunately he got up but no doubt is feeling it today.
After a heroic three games, inclding a total of seven overtime periods, the Orange finally succumbed to Louisville, losing 76-66.
Louisville's first season in the Big East was a galling one for a street-hardened New Yorker like Rick Pitino who learned early that "No Blood, No Foul," was the way the game is played.Despite being on the losing team, Orange point guard Jonny Flynn was voted the tourney's most outstanding player.
The Cardinals, perennial Conference USA powers, had to learn for themselves what playing in a power conference was all about. Pitino would watch with one eye closed as his team got "taken behind the woodshed," as he said on a near nightly basis.
"In Conference USA, if you shot the ball well, you would usually win and you thought you were playing well," Pitino said four years ago. "We have a lot to learn about life in the Big East."
The Cardinals have learned their lessons well. After winning just one game in the Big East Conference Tournament in their first three seasons, Louisville completed a journey from the woodshed to the top of the ladder as it cut down the nets in the Garden with a 76-66 win over Supercuse.
"I love the fact that we did it in the toughest year in the history of the Big East," said Pitino. "To sweep both of those things."
Yes, the Cards (28-5) swept the regular season and conference tournament titles. They are all but guaranteed a No.1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Syracuse (26-9) became the unofficial darlings of this tournament after outlasting Connecticut in an epic six-overtime game on Thursday and needing another overtime to beat West Virginia in the semis.
"The way we played the last two weeks is tremendous for what we can do next week," said 'Cuse coach Jim Boeheim. "We had to start playing better at the St. John's game. We were on the verge of going nowhere."
Syracuse destroyed St. John's 87-58 on Feb. 24 at the Garden and the Orange didn't lose again until last night.
UConn threw six overtimes at the Orange, leaving Paul Harris and Jonny Flynn cramping in their hotel beds until 7 a.m. Friday morning. That night West Va. took Syracuse to another OT.
Meanwhile top-seeded Louisville was going through its half of the bracket like a thoroughbred at Churchill Downs. Syracuse finally wilted in the second half. The fresh-legged Cards went on a 21-5 run to turn a 38-30 halftime deficit into a 51-43 lead with 13:56 left. It was during that run that Syracuse showed the first signs of fatigue.
No argument here.
Now we move on to March Madness. Let the fun begin.
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