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Dallas Observer with a recap of unfortunate SMU sports-related nut kicks over the last 30 years...
http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/ncaa-loss-proves-smu-sports-are-cursed-9286058

Losing in the first round of the NCAA tournament is not unusual. Winning this tournament takes skill and luck.

One ball off of someone's foot can decide a game. Someone's foot on the line as they catch a pass can be the difference in a win or a loss.

There will be 63 teams feeling very unlucky over the coming weeks.

This is TMZ fodder.

In the games, so far, seems like 50% of the teams have lost. Does that sound right?

But historically, the higher seed has won 75% of all games in the first round....

...and #11 seeds are 10-6 over #6 seeds since 2014 (6-2 since 2016)

the 6/11 games against a 1st four opponent is a tough draw, but so is the 7/10 and the 8/9 typically and we always see an upset from a mid-major in the 5/12 games. Not sure I will go so far as saying we are cursed...after all, this team did win an outright AAC regular season championship and made it a clean sweep by winning the AAC Tourney as well. Did not think they would be able to do that. The bottom line, though, was that the AAC was not quite of the same caliber as the P5 conferences and Big East this year. As discussed in another thread, that could change as early as next season

I don't know. I always thought someone "wished" a curse on you; or a curse is "invoked" on you.

I'm not sure you qualify as being cursed when things happen as a result of your own act or omission.

The Death Penalty happened to SMU as a direct result of our own actions.

We hired June Jones and rehired him when it was clear his heart was no longer at SMU.

Larry Brown mislead the NCAA (or at least wasn't forthright in their opinion) and the punishment was the result of our own action.

The goaltending by Yannick was a bad call and we still had the chance to win the game at the buzzer with two misses by Nic Moore (which I would bet on any day).

And we lost to USC at the buzzer with the ball in the hands of our senior Ben Moore (who statistically speaking was just an average free throw shooter); and with Shake taking a shot at the buzzer. Again, I will take my chances in a game like that.

Cursed? Not hardly. Walk around our beautiful campus and see it thriving in the community like never before and CURSED is not the word that comes to mind.

He didn't say the campus was cursed.
He said SMU sports are cursed.

For a UNT hack, he speaketh truth.

And he doesn't even mention:
The '97 football bed-crapping at 0-10 TCU
The curtsey to Army in the on-campus bowl game
The last-play loss to Aggies in '95
The Battle of 'Little' Van Horn: The .3-sec shot
The 99-yard drive by Tulsa @ Tulsa
The Rice loss with first bowl in 20 years on the line
The James Madison affair
The inches-wayward Cotton Bowl FG on last play v. Mizzou
The Navy problem
The Larry Johnson calamity

Now everyone, please - get back to yer silly discussion.
It's quite riveting.

Not feeling cursed with a 30 win season. More like deep thankfulness mixed with a lot of hope for the future of SMU bball

I honestly think it's a Dallas sports curse. Yes I know the Mavs won in 2011 but the way they did it went against convention, it felt miraculous.

I keep thinking of these local teams with so much talent and regular season success and either gut punches in the first round or more severe kicks to the balls deeper in playoff contention:

2017 - SMU early exit from NCAA tournament (after AAC champ run)
2017 - Dallas Cowboys early exit from NFL playoffs (after top conference seed)
2016- Texas Rangers early exit from playoffs (after top league seed)
2016 - Dallas Stars exit from playoffs (after top conference seed)
2015 - Texas Rangers early exit from playoffs
2015 - Dallas Cowboys exit from playoffs on end of game shady call on Dez
2015 - SMU early exit from playoffs on end of game shady goaltending call
2011 Texas Rangers one out away from World Series (twice) and still lose
2010 Texas Rangers World Series loss

The list goes on, feel free to add like 10 first round playoff eliminations by the Mavs in there and the 2008 Dallas Stars loss to the Red Wings in the WCF.

Comet wrote:I honestly think it's a Dallas sports curse. Yes I know the Mavs won in 2011 but the way they did it went against convention, it felt miraculous.

I keep thinking of these local teams with so much talent and regular season success and either gut punches in the first round or more severe kicks to the balls deeper in playoff contention:

2017 - SMU early exit from NCAA tournament (after AAC champ run)
2017 - Dallas Cowboys early exit from NFL playoffs (after top conference seed)
2016- Texas Rangers early exit from playoffs (after top league seed)
2016 - Dallas Stars exit from playoffs (after top conference seed)
2015 - Texas Rangers early exit from playoffs
2015 - Dallas Cowboys exit from playoffs on end of game shady call on Dez
2015 - SMU early exit from playoffs on end of game shady goaltending call
2011 Texas Rangers one out away from World Series (twice) and still lose
2010 Texas Rangers World Series loss

The list goes on, feel free to add like 10 first round playoff eliminations by the Mavs in there and the 2008 Dallas Stars loss to the Red Wings in the WCF.

I totally agree. It's just a Dallas sports thing.

Comet wrote:I honestly think it's a Dallas sports curse. Yes I know the Mavs won in 2011 but the way they did it went against convention, it felt miraculous.

I keep thinking of these local teams with so much talent and regular season success and either gut punches in the first round or more severe kicks to the balls deeper in playoff contention:

2017 - SMU early exit from NCAA tournament (after AAC champ run)
2017 - Dallas Cowboys early exit from NFL playoffs (after top conference seed)
2016- Texas Rangers early exit from playoffs (after top league seed)
2016 - Dallas Stars exit from playoffs (after top conference seed)
2015 - Texas Rangers early exit from playoffs
2015 - Dallas Cowboys exit from playoffs on end of game shady call on Dez
2015 - SMU early exit from playoffs on end of game shady goaltending call
2011 Texas Rangers one out away from World Series (twice) and still lose
2010 Texas Rangers World Series loss

The list goes on, feel free to add like 10 first round playoff eliminations by the Mavs in there and the 2008 Dallas Stars loss to the Red Wings in the WCF.

2016 - FC Dallas finishes top of the league, star player gets hurt, loses in first round of the playoffs

you could create a similar list at every school in the Country over 25 years-except there would be higher level screw-ups. Ex. Colt McCoy hurt on 2nd play from scrimmage in National Championship-CURSE. SMU has 4 Championship trophies in a little over 2 years in Basketball

mr. pony wrote:He didn't say the campus was cursed.
He said SMU sports are cursed.

Does this comment belong on "Around the Hilltop" or "On the Hilltop" theme .