Syracuse fans have now had two days to sit on the fact that their beloved Orange will not be playing in any sort of postseason games this season. A lot of backlash has come out, and to put things bluntly, some of the arguments have been ridiculous. Implementing this ban is the smartest decision that Syracuse could have made given its situation. It’s time to put all of these oppositions to rest.
Argument #1: The NCAA can still do more
 
This is probably the worst reasoning that I have heard throughout all of the mayhem. The possibility of the NCAA implementing more punishments is obviously still there, but it isn’t like that possibility wouldn’t be there without the ban. Even if the NCAA is going to put more on top of what Syracuse put on themselves, they’ll adjust their ruling to correspond with the ban (i.e. if the NCAA was originally planning on giving a 2 year ban to the Orange, they would now give a one year ban on top of the one Syracuse has now).  It’s obvious that this course of action was an apology letter to the NCAA in hopes that no more was to come. The move may not end up helping Syracuse, but I don’t see how it could hurt.
 
Argument #2: Syracuse is punishing players that had nothing to do with this
 
I’d be lying if I told you that I didn’t feel bad for the players, especially Rakeem Christmas. It’s unfair that this team has to take the fall for mistakes that were made by other people, but if you look at things realistically it’d have to happen to someone. If these restrictions weren’t put on this year’s team, they would have been put on next year’s team or the team after that. There are seniors in every class, and some players would have had to miss out on their last year of college basketball no matter how you look at it. It’s awful, but it was going to be awful in any circumstance.
Argument #3: They could have made the tournament!
 
Thinking that the Orange could have made the tournament this year is reasonable, but thinking that anything would have come of a tournament bid is far-fetched to say the least. If you haven’t already, it’s time to realize that this team is decent and only decent. The depth isn’t there, and the talent in the starting lineup is hit or miss (save Christmas). The only things that fans are really missing out on are the ACC Tournament and possibly an NIT game at the Dome. IF the Orange ended up making the tournament, my bracket wouldn’t have them in the Sweet 16.
In short, stop complaining. This move is genius, and if the NCAA takes no further action then whoever came up with the idea should be praised. Banning themselves now makes it that much more unlikely that next year’s potentially stacked team won’t be effected.
Posted:  Nathan Dickinson
