Your toughest Siena losses since you've been a fan...

[MTS]

Well it's nearly 48 hours since our loss to Iona and I'm still sick about how close we came. I know we had an up and down season but I want that game so badly for the four seniors and the program in general not being to the NCAA tournament since 2010 plus when you throw in the Iona factor...

Anyway I was thinking about the toughest loses (obviously all postseason) since I'm been a fan which dates back to the end of Bob Beyer and the Paul Hewitt era.

My top 5...


5) 2007 MAAC championship - The Big 3 and Kenny Hasbrouck almost lead Siena to what would have been four straight NCAA tournaments as it would turn out. Saints had a late lead and ended up falling 83-79.

4) 2017 MAAC championship - Yes it would have been an unexpected title but after 7 years of frustrating basketball Siena, after the huge semifinal win over Monmouth, were one big stop away and a few missed FTs from going back to the NCAA tournament. Why couldn't Nico's shot go in? It was almost a microcosm of the whole season and Patsos regime.

3) Louisville - NCAA Round of 32 - I really thought Siena was going to the sweet 16 when they rallied to take a 4 point lead with about 7 minutes left. Cardinals ended up rallying to win 79-72. I maintain if Siena had won they not only would have went to the sweet 16 but possibly the elite 8 being the higher seed against Arizona. To get that close to the second weekend and not get over the hump knowing how hard it will be to get back into that position was very tough to swallow.

2) Purdue - NCAA round of 64 - Siena was going for their third straight NCAA tournament win in as many seasons. This game might have been lost when Clarence Jackson got hurt in practice during the week. Saints rallied down 15 to get within 3 but ran out of gas in Fran McCaffery's last game. Had Siena won another strong chance at the sweet 16.

1) 2000 MAAC championship - Siena was at home, defending champions and clearly a better team than Iona. To lose this game was a travesty. At the time would have been Siena's first back-to-back NCAA trip. This was a big blemish on the Hewitt tenure.

These are my obvious top 5 ...I don't know what others come close maybe the Penn St (NIT game, Ricky Martin) Villanova a 12 seed after beating Vanderbilt but to me it's pretty clear cut in the last 20 years.

I know some of the older guys will bring up the 1988 NAC tournament I am thankfully too young to remember that

[OneIndian]

Paul and Fran

[mjs72]

Every loss to Doc Sauers or Will Brown. Every effing one

[Deleted]

Competent head coaches and the popcorn FRANchise😁

[siena77]

The Bob Lawson UMass game

[greengold4ever]

every game they lose is the toughest..........................wink!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Deleted]

Minnesota in 89

[greenblood]

2007....Fran's last play call was to dump the ball into Haddix...who missed a bunny. I was so frustrated I hit a wall in the restroom and thought I broke my hand! At the end of that game, Alex came out of the locker room and I was with his father, Stan. Alex was in tears. Stan was flustered because Joi wasn't at the game and he didn't know how to handle Alex's tearful exit from the locker room. Thinking I would step in for Mom, Stan said 'can you talk to him?'.

I looked at Alex and said...'don't ever forget how crappy you feel right now. Do everything in your power to never feel like this again for as long as you are a part of this team'. At the final banquet for that very special team, Stan came over to me and said- 'he never forgot what you told him that day in Bridgeport'