Free Throws Proved Costly for Syracuse

In some ways, it looks so easy.

There are no players to whack at your arms. There are no opponents to cut past and no zones to break. Just you and the ball and the basket 15 feet away. It does not get more fundamental than this.

But foul shooting, for all its simplicity, can be a treacherous and elusive art. And Syracuse, which lost, 74-73, to Indiana for the NCAA title Monday night, needs few reminders. When the Orangemen went to the foul line, they might as well have been grabbing at smoke.

Foul shooting is mystifying stuff--half schoolyard swagger, half Zen. All action stops and the player is left alone, although thousands in the stands may cry for blood.

In football, a kicker faces similar obstacles. But he must deal with the snap, placement and a ton of rampaging flesh from the other side of scrimmage.

A golfer may stand alone on the 18th hole eyeing a 10-foot putt. But, in golf, the roll of the green makes for a different putt each time.

Penalty kicks in hockey and soccer are wonderful moments of isolation. But the goalie and the shooter are part of the same equation, each never entirely alone.

Maybe in archery or bowling or riflery can the equivalent of foul shooting be approached. Who knows? Down the stretch, the Orangemen might have fared better at the line with a bow and arrow.

In the final 3:43, Syracuse took six foul shots and missed four times. For the game, they were 11 of 20, a 55% rate of which no junior high school team would be proud.

In no way is this to belittle the Orangemen and their accomplishments. They played far better than anyone anticipated in a season following the loss of three top players, including Dwayne (Pearl) Washington.

Sherman Douglas took over the point and teamed with Greg Monroe to form an excellent backcourt. The frontline of Howard Triche, Rony Seikaly and Derrick Coleman was one of the best. The coach, Jim Boeheim, finally shook an image he never deserved--an inability to win the big game.

But foul shooting has vexed Syracuse this season--the team shot 64%--and never more so than against Indiana. The last two minutes served as the signature on the Orangemen’s death certificate.

Seikaly makes a layup while fouled to put Syracuse up 70-68. He misses the free throw and Keith Smart ties the score on a reverse layup. Triche sinks an off-balance shot with 57 seconds left and less than 20 seconds later is fouled. He makes the first shot cleanly but barely reaches the rim on the second. Still, the Orange are in command, leading 73-70 with 38 seconds left.

But Smart responds with a pull-up jumper. After the basket, he fouls Coleman with 28 seconds left. The first attempt of the one-and-one by the freshman forward is hopelessly off. Indiana calls time, looks for Steve Alford, finds Smart along the baseline and leaves New Orleans a winner.