Former Syracuse University basketball star Gerry McNamara still hasn't gotten over one of the most painful losses in the last 20 years of program history.

McNamara, who is now the head coach at Siena University in Albany, has his team at 9-2 through 11 games. They'll take on Vermont of the America East Conference on Wednesday night and in advance of the contest, McNamara was asked about the 2005 NCAA Tournament.

Syracuse had won the national championship in 2002-03 with McNamara and Carmelo Anthony as freshmen, but McNamara stayed in school even after Anthony went to the NBA. That 2004-05 season was his junior year and the Orange earned a No. 4 seed in the tournament. The Catamounts were seeded 13th and pulled off the upset in Worcester, Mass., winning 60-57 in overtime.

TJ Sorrentine, Catamount guard, hit one of the iconic shots of the tournament, prompting an incredible call from broadcaster Gus Johnson: "Sorrentine, hit that one from the parking lot!"

Speaking with the media on Monday, McNamara talked about the game, saying he remembered Sorrentine's deep three. 

"It's the one game of my entire college career that probably haunts me the most in terms of we had a really good team, I thought we were Final Four good, I had been around it, I understood it. We had just come off winning the Big East tournament and just laid an egg - and they played really well."

But in addition to that, McNamara said a painful part of that contest was that he realized he'd never play with the likes of Hakim Warrick, Craig Forth and Josh Pace again. All three were seniors.

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It was a low-scoring affair, and McNamara did not play particularly well, going 4-for-18 from the floor and scoring 11 points. Warrick scored 21, but they were the only Orange players in double-figures.

The better that Siena plays? The more you will hear SU fans clamor for McNamara to return as head coach. Adrian Autry does not have the full support of the fanbase, and that's very evident online. The Orange are 6-4 and just lost to mid-major Hofstra on Saturday night at the JMA Wireless Dome.

McNamara was a former assistant with the Orange before taking the Siena job.

Syracuse will take on Mercyhurst on Wednesday night at the JMA Wireless Dome. Our own Tom Goslowski will be covering the game and you can find him on social media @TomGozz.

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