Syracuse searches for motivation

After last season's NCAA Tournament snub, the Syracuse Orange responded on the court with three terrific efforts in the NIT.

The motivation this season isn't nearly as strong — SU knew before Selection Sunday it wouldn't be a NCAA participant — so whether Jim Boeheim's young club comes out with the same kind of us-versus-the world mentality this season is anybody's guess.

"It will be good to be on the court playing so we won't have to think about not playing in the NCAA Tournament," said SU freshman point guard Jonny Flynn. "I know personally if I didn't have practice or games to look forward to I would go crazy."

The fact that the Orange (19-13) earned one of the four top seeds for the NIT at least made the players think they were actually pretty close to earning an NCAA bid.

"It means we were one of the last three or four teams considered," said freshman forward Donte Greene. "So at least we know some people were still thinking of us as a NCAA caliber team."

SU plays a virtually unknown first-round opponent, Robert Morris out of the Northeast Conference, tonight at the Carrier Dome. The Colonials, from Moon Township, Pa., a suburb of Pittsburgh, have neither the résumé nor the national standing of the Orange. Yet the SU players said it doesn't matter; it's still a game for them to win.

"I can't see us taking the court and giving anything less than our best," Flynn said. "I was there (in the crowd) last year when they treated the team like heroes after not making the NCAAs. That was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen."

SU drew 26,000 fans to its second-round NIT game last year versus San Diego State, setting all sorts of tournament records. No one expects that kind of turnout this time.

"I know the fans are disappointed we aren't playing in the NCAA Tournament," Greene said. "I can tell you they are not nearly as frustrated as we are. But we have to put that behind us and just play basketball. There's still a little thing called pride on the line for us."

Robert Morris coach Mike Rice, the Northeast Conference Coach of the Year after guiding his club to the regular-season crown, said, "playing a team the caliber of Syracuse will do nothing but enhance our program. I've seen their young kids play on TV and they are unbelievably good. They present a lot of match-up problems for a team like us that uses four guards."

Boeheim said the fact that his team is still playing, and wants to keep playing, is a good sign.

"They don't want to stop because they have some unfinished business," Boeheim said. "A nice run in the NIT could really be beneficial for next season because so many of our kids are experiencing the postseason for the first time."

Said Flynn: "Now that we're in the NIT, our only goal is to win it all. Our thinking has gone from disappointment to being challenged to beat some other very good teams that did not make the NCAA Tournament."

Also in SU's NIT bracket is No. 2 Massachusetts, a team that beat the Orange in the Carrier Dome earlier this season, No. 3 Florida State out of the Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 4 Minnesota of the Big Ten and No. 5 Maryland of the ACC.