Syracuse men’s basketball: A look back at the Orange’s ACC/Big 10 Challenge history

Nov 29, 2022 - 4:00 PM

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Tonight will be the final Syracuse Orange appearance in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge.

With the Big 10’s move away from ESPN, the television network will end this series and begin an ACC/SEC challenge next season. This means the Orange head into tonight’s game with Illinois with an all-time record of 4-5 and will look to try and finish at .500. Syracuse has been 3-2 at home and 1-3 on the road in the Challenge.

Let’s look back at the Syracuse history:

2013- Syracuse beats Indiana 69-52 in the Carrier Dome. Seems unfair that after the Orange dismantled them in DC the previous spring to sent Tom Crean to the Dome, but it’s Tom Crean so do you really feel bad for him?

2014- The Orange fall 69-65 at Michigan in another rematch from an earlier Final Four game. Just don’t ask Jim Boeheim about his record vs. John Beilin.

2015- Syracuse drops one at home to Wisconsin 66-58 in overtime. After following up this game with a loss against Georgetown things looked bleak in the 315....somehow fortunes turned when the calendar turned to March 2016

2016- In a bit of uninspiring scheduling, Syracuse is sent to Wisconsin where they get beat 77-60 and Jim Boeheim declares cheese curd chicken parm to be the absolute worst.

2017- The Orange get former ACC Maryland and hold for a 72-70 win on a night they shot 3-18 from 3. Thankfully Syracuse didn’t let former recruit Kevin Huerter get a win at the Dome because it would be embarrassing to lose a home game to an Upstate NY recruit that you asked to go to a prep school for a year.

2018- Back on the road at Ohio State and the Orange pull off the 72-62 upset as Tyus Battle drops 20 points and several mean mugs on the Buckeyes

Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

2019- Iowa comes into the Dome and wins a 68-54 battle of the Father-Son combos. It turns out that three McCaffreys are better than two Boeheims. Notice Iowa didn’t want to face all three Boeheims last season, cowards.

2020- Syracuse loses on the road at Rutgers 79-69 in a gane where Buddy Boeheim did not play. Yes, this loss gets an asterisk for that reason.

2021- The Orange watch a 16-point halftime lead evaporate in the Dome but they find a way to win a 2-OT 112-110 Thriller vs Indiana. The Boeheim Brothers combine for 53 points in the win as Buddy goes the full 50 causing the NY State Labor Department to issue a warning to Syracuse for violating the weeknight minutes restriction on unpaid workers.

What were your favorite ACC/Big Ten moments? Will you miss seeing the Orange play Wisconsin and Indiana? Are you disappointed we didn’t get a Syracuse-Minnesota or Syracuse- Northwestern battle?