Syracuse's Bubble Burst

By Trashtalk Superstar

Syracuse, which for the third straight year is squarely on the NCAA Tournament "bubble," got embarrassed by Villanova 82-63 in the Big East Tournament yesterday. It has practically become an annual early March right of passage for the national sports media to devote seemingly unlimited airtime and print space to obsessing over the merits of "the 'Cuse's" Tournament prospects. That's, no doubt, because so many of the people who work in the national sports media -- particularly on the East Coast (and especially at ESPN) -- are Syracuse alumni who bleed Syracuse Orange.

But, whether they realize it or not, the folks in the national media who eat, sleep and breathe Syracuse basketball are little more than Syracuse homers/cheerleaders. And when they whined ad nauseam because "the 'Cuse" was left out of the Tournament field last year (despite the fact that Syracuse's case for being invited to the Tournament was thinner than the Olsen twins), they served as nothing more than Syracuse apologists.

Expect more of the same this year when the Tournament Selection Committee leaves "the 'Cuse" out of the Tournament ... again.

And expect Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim to make the rounds on all the national sports shows in order to whine about being left out of the Tournament ... again.

By the way, to further exemplify my point about the national media's (especially ESPN's) Syracuse-centric disposition, consider the fact that the above linked article about Syracuse's plummeting Tournament prospects was the top story on ESPN.com early this morning.