JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Gerry McNamara has been the barometer for the Syracuse men’s basketball team this season, and for much of his time with the Orange.

He proved just how valuable he is in the 2006 Big East tournament, making clutch shots in all four games en route to most outstanding player honors and leading SU to the title. But in Thursday night’s first-round NCAA Tournament game against Texas A&M at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, McNamara’s worth came through in a different way.

Hounded, followed, shoved and slapped by Aggie defenders, McNamara’s presence in the game was almost impalpable. With its lone senior severely limited by a groin injury which has bothered him much of the season, the fifth-seeded Orange stumbled against 12th-seeded Texas A&M, 66-58.

It is Syracuse’s second straight first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament. Last year, Vermont upset SU in overtime, 60-57.

But in many ways, this loss was worse.

McNamara failed to score until 36 seconds remaining in the first half when he converted two foul shots. He didn’t convert a field goal all game. It is the first time in McNamara’s career he failed to score from the field.

‘I feel great about (my final game),’ McNamara said. ‘We lost, probably because of me. I feel great about it.’

As McNamara struggled so did the Orange. Gone was the hot shooting and energy seen in New York. Replacing it was Darryl Watkins going up for a dunk but throwing the ball out of bounds, McNamara clanging the ball off the rim and out of bounds on a 3-pointer and Josh Wright anxiously throwing a fast-break layup off the backboard.

Even when McNamara saw an open look – a rarity all season – the result was ugly. The last shot of his career was a 3-point attempt which appeared to barely graze the rim.

He only played 23 minutes and sat the last five minutes of the game on the bench next to head coach Jim Boeheim with a towel over his legs.

‘If you watched the game, you know why he wasn’t in the game,’ Boeheim said.

Syracuse (23-12) actually shot better than the Aggies, holding a 39.2 percent to 35.7 percent edge. Despite the advantage in the statistics, it was apparent Syracuse lacked the spark to recover from a nine-point halftime deficit.

Unlike the Big East tournament, where SU played inspired, Syracuse didn’t get a shot when it needed one. The Orange last held the lead with 10:36 remaining in the first half. It drew within three of the Aggies (22-8) with 2:41 remaining in the game, but Texas A&M promptly went on a 12-3 run.

‘(McNamara’s absence) didn’t affect the outcome,’ Syracuse center Darryl Watkins said. ‘It was just us, the people on the floor… We were looking for somebody to hit a big shot for us so we could calm down a little bit.’

Junior Terrence Roberts led Syracuse in scoring with 16 points while Acie Law IV led all scorers with 23.

Everything seemed to be overshadowed, though, by SU’s leader sitting on the bench as his college career came to an end. Boeheim called it ‘painful’ to watch McNamara struggle mightily even to reach the rim.

After four years of non-stop wear, McNamara’s gritty style of play finally caught up to him. ‘I don’t know how he did it (in New York),’ Boeheim said. ‘He couldn’t play. It just caught up to him. He couldn’t hit the rim.

‘He’s the heart and soul of this team.’

Published on March 18, 2006 at 12:00 pm