Donte Greene put his best spin on a tough situation.
"I'm happy. We have a No. 1 seed, the chance at least to play two games at home," Greene said Monday as Syracuse began preparing for its first-round NIT game against Robert Morris. "We're disappointed we're not in the NCAA tournament, but we're just going to refocus and try to win the NIT."
Syracuse (19-13) is playing in the NIT for the second straight year. It means the Orange will endure four straight years without an NCAA tournament victory, their longest drought since 1969-72 ? four years before Jim Boeheim became head coach. Since capturing the national championship in 2003, Syracuse has won just two NCAA tournament games (in 2004).
"We don't miss the tournament too many times, so it's a disappointment for everybody," said Boeheim, whose 40 NCAA tournament wins ties him for eighth all-time with Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun. "But that's the way it is. You have to get ready to go. Life's full of a lot of disappointments. You have to be ready to play the next game."
That next game is Tuesday night in the Carrier Dome against Robert Morris, which will be making its first postseason NIT appearance. Robert Morris (26-7) ended its season with an 83-65 loss to Mount St. Mary's in the Northeast Conference tournament. As regular-season champion of the conference, the Colonials, who have set a school record for wins, automatically qualified for the NIT.
"Robert Morris is a really good team," Boeheim said. "There are really no bad teams in this tournament, they're all good. You have to play well to win, no matter who you play."
Despite the sting of not making the NCAA tournament, the Orange were ready to move on and make the postseason something to remember.
"We're just trying to get the whole tournament issue off our minds, go out there and compete," center Arinze Onuaku said. "Now that it's over, we can just go out and play basketball. Everybody's dream is to be in the tournament. But now that we're in this, you don't want to go out there and lose a game. We've just got to compete every game. We're going to go out there and try to win every game."
One more win will give the Orange their 30th 20-win season in Boeheim's 32-year tenure.
"We just have to be ready to play," Boeheim said. "It's important that whenever you go out to play, you play. It doesn't matter whether it's the NIT or a regular-season game or nonconference or exhibition game. As a basketball player, you need to be ready to play and that should not be a problem. We'd better be ready to play, and I think we will be."
The teams have met only once, a 103-67 Syracuse win in 1994. The winner will play the winner of the first-round matchup between Maryland and Minnesota.
Last year, Syracuse was a No. 2 seed and lost at Clemson in the NIT quarterfinals, but the Orange made their mark on the tournament. The largest crowd in NIT history ? an orange-clad swarm of 26,752 ? braved sleet, snow and a biting March wind to give the Carrier Dome a championship atmosphere for the Orange's second-round win over San Diego State. It was the last home game for the team's four seniors ? Demetris Nichols, Terrence Roberts, Darryl Watkins and Matt Gorman.
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Notes
Prior to last year, Syracuse last appeared in the NIT in 2002, winning three games to advance to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden. The Orange are 12-12 all-time in the NIT.
"I'm happy. We have a No. 1 seed, the chance at least to play two games at home," Greene said Monday as Syracuse began preparing for its first-round NIT game against Robert Morris. "We're disappointed we're not in the NCAA tournament, but we're just going to refocus and try to win the NIT."
Syracuse (19-13) is playing in the NIT for the second straight year. It means the Orange will endure four straight years without an NCAA tournament victory, their longest drought since 1969-72 ? four years before Jim Boeheim became head coach. Since capturing the national championship in 2003, Syracuse has won just two NCAA tournament games (in 2004).
"We don't miss the tournament too many times, so it's a disappointment for everybody," said Boeheim, whose 40 NCAA tournament wins ties him for eighth all-time with Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun. "But that's the way it is. You have to get ready to go. Life's full of a lot of disappointments. You have to be ready to play the next game."
That next game is Tuesday night in the Carrier Dome against Robert Morris, which will be making its first postseason NIT appearance. Robert Morris (26-7) ended its season with an 83-65 loss to Mount St. Mary's in the Northeast Conference tournament. As regular-season champion of the conference, the Colonials, who have set a school record for wins, automatically qualified for the NIT.
"Robert Morris is a really good team," Boeheim said. "There are really no bad teams in this tournament, they're all good. You have to play well to win, no matter who you play."
Despite the sting of not making the NCAA tournament, the Orange were ready to move on and make the postseason something to remember.
"We're just trying to get the whole tournament issue off our minds, go out there and compete," center Arinze Onuaku said. "Now that it's over, we can just go out and play basketball. Everybody's dream is to be in the tournament. But now that we're in this, you don't want to go out there and lose a game. We've just got to compete every game. We're going to go out there and try to win every game."
One more win will give the Orange their 30th 20-win season in Boeheim's 32-year tenure.
"We just have to be ready to play," Boeheim said. "It's important that whenever you go out to play, you play. It doesn't matter whether it's the NIT or a regular-season game or nonconference or exhibition game. As a basketball player, you need to be ready to play and that should not be a problem. We'd better be ready to play, and I think we will be."
The teams have met only once, a 103-67 Syracuse win in 1994. The winner will play the winner of the first-round matchup between Maryland and Minnesota.
Last year, Syracuse was a No. 2 seed and lost at Clemson in the NIT quarterfinals, but the Orange made their mark on the tournament. The largest crowd in NIT history ? an orange-clad swarm of 26,752 ? braved sleet, snow and a biting March wind to give the Carrier Dome a championship atmosphere for the Orange's second-round win over San Diego State. It was the last home game for the team's four seniors ? Demetris Nichols, Terrence Roberts, Darryl Watkins and Matt Gorman.
___
Notes
Prior to last year, Syracuse last appeared in the NIT in 2002, winning three games to advance to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden. The Orange are 12-12 all-time in the NIT.