Much like a jobber in pro wrestling 'Cuse did what they had to do to sell the match for the audience before losing. It was fun to watch them stay close, take a lead, and do, well, those plucky things that plucky teams do.
In the end, the loss ensures 'Cuse has a losing record and no post season invites. And having to choose between 'Cuse losing and sitting the post season out or have 'Cuse win, have a chance for an NIT and only causing dook to drop from a 2 seed to a 3 seed, I had to see 'Cuse lose.