coached 10 seasons in the NFL and eight in college, so its nothing new

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- It wasnt supposed to end this way for senior C.J. Fair and Syracuse. After starting the season with 25 straight wins and being ranked No. 1 for three weeks, the faltering Orange lost 55-53 to pesky Dayton on Saturday night in the third round of the NCAA tournament, their dreams of a second straight trip to the Final Four dashed by too many misses from 3-point range and a team that refused to cave at the end. "Theyre a small team, but theyre scrappy," Fair said. "Every time we had the ball, they got a hand in there. They set the tone early. We were playing catch-up the whole game." The third-seeded Orange (28-6), who finished second in their first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference, struggled all game against the swarming Dayton defence. Syracuse led only twice in the second half, falling behind for good after two free throws by Devin Oliver gave Dayton a 41-40 lead with 6:18 to play. Syracuse missed all 10 attempts from beyond the arc, while the Flyers hit seven times from long range. It was the first time in 665 games that Syracuse failed to make a 3. "Its hard to win making layups," Orange coach Jim Boeheim said. "At some point in time, you need to knock something down from the perimeter, and we didnt. It was just not a good offensive game for us. If the other team makes five or six 3s and you make five or six layups, youre six points down. That was what I saw out there tonight." Syracuse star freshman point guard Tyler Ennis was open at the top of the key with 2 seconds left and the Flyers holding a two-point lead. When Ennis attempt to win the game clanged harmlessly off the rim, Dayton had a victory it had been chasing for three decades. "We have a good program with great tradition," coach Archie Miller said after his 11th-seeded Flyers reached the Sweet 16 for the first time in 30 years. "Now, we have the ability to build, and thats what its all about." Ennis had beaten Pittsburgh last month with a 40-foot shot at the buzzer, so he had the confidence to try again, even though Syracuse had missed nine attempts from behind the arc. "The last shot was a great shot. It was the right play," Boeheim said. "A chance to win the game. You dont have enough time to get to the basket. I have no problem with that shot." Neither did the 35-year-old Miller, though he probably aged just a little bit while the ball was in the air. "That thing was on line and he went for the win," Miller said. "The thing that went through my head was the game at Pitt, when I saw that highlight 7,000 times. I thought he was going to go to the basket. When I saw him raise up, I didnt feel good about it. But Buffalos been good to us these last couple of days on the buzzer shots." It sure has. Vee Sanfords basket with 3.8 seconds left was the margin of victory in Daytons one-point win over in-state rival Ohio State on Thursday. After that game, the Dayton Daily News mocked Buckeyes fans who refer to "The Ohio State University" with a headline that read: "THE University of Dayton." Dayton (25-10) now advances to the South Regional semifinals next week against No. 2 seed Kansas or 10th-seeded Stanford. Syracuse was in position to pull this one out, but Ennis also missed a foul-line jumper with 8 seconds left. He was down in the subdued locker room, with red faces all around, but confident he had made the right decision as he had so many times in a standout season. "Its hard to digest any loss," said Ennis, who finished with 19 points on 7-of-21 shooting. "They did a good job defensively, and the looks we did get we didnt capitalize." Dyshawn Pierre scored 14 points and Jordan Sibert, held scoreless in the first half, hit a key 3-pointer with 47.7 seconds for Dayton. Sibert finished with 10 points and Sanford had eight, but Sibert nearly gave it away when he stepped out of bounds while the Orange pressured him in the corner with 14 seconds left. After Ennis settled for a jumper from the foul line that missed, instead of driving the lane as he had all night, Syracuse fouled Pierre and he made one free throw, giving the Orange one more golden opportunity that they didnt take advantage of. Fair had 14 points on 4-of-14 shooting and 10 rebounds in his final game for the Orange. Jerami Grant had just four points and attempted only three shots before fouling out late. Trevor Cooney, who broke out of a long slump with four 3-pointers in the second round against Western Michigan, had two points and missed all four shots he took from behind the arc. "When you make shots, you win. When you dont make shots, you lose in close games," Boeheim said. "Early in the year, we made shots." Cheap Asics Running Shoes . -- All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham and the New Orleans Saints met Tuesday for arbitration on his contract. Discount Asics Shoes . Of course that doesnt mean hes ignoring it. Thats actually rather impossible given the behind-the-scenes access to the Toronto Maple Leafs the network is getting. http://www.wholesaleasics.com/ . "If we could score a six in every game, obviously I would be pretty excited," Jones said. "Its a long week but a short week. Its a pretty short round robin from what were used to so you dont want to get behind the eight ball early. Asics Wholesale China . - Mathew Barzal scored 3:47 into overtime as the Seattle Thunderbirds downed the visiting Everett Silvertips 4-3 on Tuesday in Western Hockey League playoff action. Cheap Wholesale Asics . The 31-year-old Spain midfielder hasnt played since Madrid lost in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid in May due to back and foot injuries.LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Chicago Bears defensive co-ordinator Mel Tucker insisted he is only focused on one thing.That would be the next game, not his future.That may be hard to believe, but its not hard as a coach or as a player to get ready for this matchup, Tucker said.Chicago hosts New Orleans on Monday in a game between disappointing teams that are 5-8.While the Saints are tied with Atlanta for the NFC South lead, the Bears will miss the playoffs for the seventh time in eight years.Their defence has ranked among the leagues worst in two seasons under Tucker, who shrugged off questions about his job security and reiterated several times his focus is on preparing for the Saints.Tucker said he hasnt discussed his future with his bosses. If he is gone, few would be surprised.A franchise built on the strength of its defence, with names such as Butkus and Singletary, has been coming up short in a big way.Whether its the coaching or talent, injuries or execution, the Bears have taken a big step back in that area after consistently ranking among the leagues best under former coach Lovie Smith.Theyre allowing a league-high average of 29.1 points, which is about as bad as last season when they allowed 29.9 per game and tied for second worst in the NFL.Chicago is also tied for 28th in yards allowed (377.8 yards per game) and ranks 30th against the pass despite a major off-season overhaul.Injuries cant be overlooked.They were hit hard in that area a year ago, and its been more of the same this time around.Theyve lost four starters to season-ending injuries, with middle linebacker D.J. Williams (neck), joining defensive end Lamarr Houston, cornerback Charles Tillman and linebacker Lance Briggs on injured reserve on Thursday.First of all, were not in the business of making excuses for injuries; we cant, coach Marc Trestman said.Linebacker Jonathan Bostic pinned the Bears struggles on the players — not the coaches. He insisted the issue is execution and thats on the guys wearing helmets and pads.Its not on the coaches, Bostic said. We go back and watch the film andd everybody will see it.dddddddddddd Everything coaches are coaching us (to do), it needs to show up in the game. It cant show up in two out of three plays because that one play where it didnt show up — where one player jumped out of the gap or didnt do exactly what were being coached to do — is when we give up a big play.Asked if he has been given enough talent to succeed, Tucker said: You have to deal in the moment and in the immediate situation, which is New Orleans. We feel good about the guys we have going into the game and our preparation, and thats really all that matters. We feel good about this group, whether theyre rookies or not, just collectively to go in there and get the job done in the game. Thats what were talking about.The Bears have allowed more passing plays of 20 or more yards — 51 — than all but one team, the Philadelphia Eagles.There was similar speculation about his future a year ago, and on Thursday, Tucker dismissed it as something that comes with the territory. He has coached 10 seasons in the NFL and eight in college, so its nothing new to him.Tucker was also asked about the opening at Wisconsin, where he played as a defensive back.He talked to athletic director Barry Alvarez, his former coach, about the job in 2012, but remained in Jacksonville as the Jaguars defensive co-ordinator. That position is open again after Gary Andersen left for Oregon State.Would Tucker be interested this time if his old coach contacted him?Thats a hypothetical, Tucker said. I try to stay out of those. Ultimately, the sole focus is New Orleans and preparing for those guys. Thats the only thing Im thinking about right now.NOTES: K Robbie Gould hopes to be ready after missing a game because of a pulled right quadriceps. He sat out practice along with S Chris Conte (back), OL Michael Ola (back) and LB Darryl Sharpton (hamstring). DT Jeremiah Ratliff (knee) was limited. ... Tucker said there is a good chance Bostic will move to middle linebacker with Williams out.___Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '