Inside Slant
When Arinze Onuaku went down with what looked like a severe injury, Syracuse put out the spin patrol to reassure people right away. It's not that big of a deal, coach Jim Boeheim and the Orange said. It's just a minor injury. He'll probably play in the NCAA Tournament.
But unfortunately for the Orange, that was not the case. Onuaku missed the NCAAs, and had to sit in street clothes as the impressive Syracuse season came to a premature end with a loss to Butler in the Sweet 16.
The finale was disappointing, no doubt. Syracuse was arguably the better team even on that day, but lost its composure in the final five minutes and settled for rushed shots, failing to find Big East Player of the Year Wesley Johnson and allowing the No. 5 seed to take control late. But that doesn't obscure what was by all accounts one of the best coaching jobs of Jim Boeheim's career.
Syracuse was picked sixth in the Big East preseason poll. It began the competitive portion of its season by losing to local rival (and Division II opponent) LeMoyne, though since the game was an exhibition it didn't count in the won-loss record. Still, if anyone claims to have predicted a No. 1 seed in the Big East tournament right after that 82-79 defeat, make them take a lie-detector test.
Instead of losing confidence, the Orange went right out and won the 2K Sports Classic, beating California and defending national champion North Carolina along the way. It swept through nonconference play, but then the doubters had more reason to worry when Pitt began the 2010 calendar year by winning at the Carrier Dome to leave the team at 1-1 in the league.
From then on, the only team that beat Syracuse in league play during the regular season was Louisville. The Orange went 8-1 on the road, its best mark in Big East play ever, and roared to the conference title.
And then ... it all went sour. Georgetown knocked them off in the Big East tournament quarterfinals, and without Onuaku the team's lack of depth became more noticeable. The six-man crew was enough to beat Vermont and blow out Gonzaga, but collapsed on offense against the Bulldogs to see its season end in the West Regional semifinals in Salt Lake City.
Andy Rautins and Onuaku both graduate this offseason, and Johnson may move onto the NBA. That will likely leave Syracuse in the same position in 2010-11 that it started off in 2009-10 expected to be a middle-of-the-pack team. Boeheim can only hope for similar results, minus the injury to his starting center.
