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Stepansky: Brown built SU's standard. Friday made a mockery of it.

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All that was on Fran Brown’s mind was winning a national championship. That’s what the then-first-year head coach said after taking down then-No. 8 Miami en route to a 10-win season in 2024.

In fact, it wasn’t good enough. He soaked in the field storm but quickly noted that it wasn’t his first time. He’s a winner, he boasted. And when asked if it’s what he envisioned for Syracuse while at the helm, Brown reached for an even higher standard.