Ignominy

For the first time in forever, the NCAA Tournament will start this weekend, and I won't have a clear rooting interest. Neither Syracuse nor Maryland made the field of 65. This is, of course, karmic blowback from the Giants winning the Super Bowl-- the last time they won, Syracuse became the first #2 seed ever to lose to a #15 seed.

It's going to be an odd experience, but I'm basically ok with it, because neither team deserved to be there. They had their chances to make a case, but bother stumbled badly down the stretch. Maryland lost its last three games in inexcusable fashion, and Syracuse followed one decent win (over Marquette) with a blowout loss to Villanova in the Big East tournament. They were both given a chance to win their way in, and they both threw it away.

The losing trajectories of both teams were very similar. In both cases, the fatal weakness was decision making. Basketball isn't just about great physical feats, it's also got a strong mental element. If you make bad decisions, you lose games.

Syracuse's big problem was shot selection: Donte' Green is 6'10", but preferred to jack the ball up from 25 feet, and hardly ever passed up a shot. Jonny Flynn is incredibly quick, but prone to wild shots of his own. When those two started chucking it up, the Orange were in deep trouble. When Paul Harris is a steadying influence, you've got severe judgment issues.

Maryland's problem was pass selection: Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes are both prone to attempting bizarre trick passes through traffic, when a couple more dribbles and a normal bounce pass would get the ball there safely. Weirdly, they're also fond of lazy and stupid cross-court passes. Combining those tendencies produced about twenty turnovers a game. Maryland was actually pretty good in a set offense or defense, but they lost games because poor decisions gave the other team easy baskets.

It'll be interesting to see what happens next year, because all of the problem guys should be returning. Both teams have a wealth of raw talent, and when they rein in their worst impulses, they can be really good. Maryland looked great beating North Carolina back in January, and Syracuse played really well in the games against Georgetown and Marquette. They just couldn't or wouldn't maintain that focus for the rest of their games, and it killed them.

The problems they had weren't physical (though season-ending injuries to Eric Devendorf and Andy Rautins didn't help Syracuse), they were mental. If they get their heads together better before next season, they have the ability to be really good. If not, another ignominious trip to the NIT may be in the works.