Syracuse Orange: A Legacy in the NCAA Tournament
Syracuse University, home of the Syracuse Orange, boasts a rich athletic history across various NCAA Division I sports. As a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), the Orange have made their mark in football, basketball, lacrosse, and more. While the university sponsors 20 varsity teams, with the JMA Wireless Dome serving as the home for the men's basketball, football, wrestling, men's lacrosse, and women's basketball teams, this article will focus on the Syracuse Orange men's basketball program and its storied NCAA Tournament history.
A Foundation of Excellence
Basketball at Syracuse began in February 1898, with Athletic Director John A. R. Scott serving as the first coach. The university fielded its first varsity basketball team in 1916-17. Early on, the program rose to national prominence, with the Helms Athletic Foundation recognizing them as national champions for 1918 (under Coach Edmund Dollard) and 1926. The Syracuse Orange men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball program of Syracuse University, classified in the NCAA's Division I, competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The program made National Invitation Tournament appearances in 1946 and 1950, won the 1951 National Campus Tournament, and made its first NCAA men's basketball tournament appearance in 1957.
The Modern Era Begins
The modern era of Syracuse basketball is often traced to the arrival of Dave Bing. After Bing's departure, Syracuse remained competitive, with NIT appearances in 1967, 1971, and 1972. In 1973, under coach Roy Danforth, the team began a string of consecutive NCAA appearances, highlighted by a Final Four appearance in 1975. Following the 1976 season, Danforth's departure led to the hiring of Jim Boeheim, a native of Lyons, New York. Boeheim extended the string of NCAA appearances to nine, with bids in each of his first four seasons, during which his teams won 100 games.
Big East Dominance
Syracuse was a founding member of the Big East Conference in 1979, along with UConn, Georgetown University, St. John's University, and Providence College. Syracuse won the Big East tournament in 1981 but was passed over by the NCAA Tournament. The arrival of Pearl Washington, a playground phenomenon from Brooklyn, brought Syracuse basketball to national prominence and helped usher the Big East into the national spotlight in the mid-1980s.
In the Carrier Dome's first three years, Syracuse's highest attendance mark was a mere 20,401 in the 1982-83. In 1983, Pearl's freshman year, Syracuse's attendance increased to 22,380 per game. As a sophomore, Syracuse led the nation in attendance for the first time in school history. Syracuse would be the NCAA's attendance leader for the next ten years. By the time Washington was a junior, Syracuse's average attendance had jumped to 26,225.
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Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim once said: "He's the only guy who could just overnight fill the place like that. He had an unbelievable effect on our program. Everybody says that Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin made the Big East, but I think Pearl made the league. They were the best players, but Pearl was the player that people turned out to see and turned on their TVs to watch. We had the highest-rated games every year that Pearl was here. He was a guy who everybody wanted to see play."
Tournament Appearances and Successes
Led by guard Lawrence Moten and forward John Wallace, the school returned to the NCAAs in 1994 and 1995. The 1997 squad won 19 games but was bypassed by the NCAA tournament and appeared in the NIT. The 1998, 1999, and 2000 squads featuring guard Jason Hart and center Etan Thomas all earned NCAA bids. In 2000, the university also named its All-Century Team, recognizing its greatest players of the 20th century and the school's first 100 years of basketball. The team made a fourth consecutive NCAA appearance in 2001, but returned to the NIT in 2002, despite having a 20-win season.
The 2003 National Championship
Although unranked in the preseason polls for the 2002-03 season, led by freshmen Carmelo Anthony, Gerry McNamara and sophomore Hakim Warrick, the Orangemen won their first NCAA tournament championship with an 81-78 defeat of the University of Kansas in the final.
Later Tournament Runs
In the 2008-09 season Syracuse was led by sophomore guard Jonny Flynn. The team returned key players like Eric Devendorf, Andy Rautins, Rick Jackson, Arinze Onuaku and Paul Harris. Syracuse gained a tremendous amount of media attention following a 127-117 upset of UConn in six overtimes during the early morning hours of March 13, 2009 "the Game that wouldn't end" to advance to the semifinals of the Big East Conference tournament. This game solidified their seeding in the 2009 NCAA tournament. This game was the second longest of any game in NCAA History and only the fourth to make it into six overtimes. However, they lost in the Big East Final. Syracuse received a 3 seed and beat Stephen F. Austin 59-44 in the first round. Syracuse stamped its ticket to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2004, defeating sixth seed Arizona State 78-67. However, the season ended with a loss to No.
At the start of the 2009-10 season, having lost three key players (Devendorf, Flynn, Harris) from the previous season, the Orange was not considered a top contender, unranked in the preseason AP Poll. An early exhibition game loss to local Le Moyne College, a Division II school, did little to improve the outlook. However, led by its starters, returning seniors Andy Rautins and Arinze Onuaku, junior Rick Jackson, a relatively unknown transfer from Iowa State University, forward Wes Johnson, freshman point guard Brandon Triche, plus standout reserve players, sophomores Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine, the team began to deliver, winning its first 13 regular season games. By the second week of rankings, the Orange had climbed into the top ten, staying in the top five continuously from week 9. Syracuse reached a number one ranking two weeks before the season ended, finishing the season in fourth place with its best-ever regular season win-loss performance, at 28-3. It finished on top of the Big East for the regular season, losing in the Big East tournament's quarter finals.
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Senior Big East Defensive player of the Year Rick Jackson and Juniors Kris Joseph and Scoop Jardine led the 2010-2011 Orange. Syracuse started strong by winning their first 18 contests before losing in Pittsburgh. That loss started a slide for the Orange, who lost six of their next eight games. The Orange regained their momentum by beating the West Virginia Mountaineers to start a six-game winning streak before losing in overtime to the Connecticut Huskies in the semi-finals of the Big East tournament. With a record of 28-7, the Orange garnered a #3 seed in the East Region of the NCAA tournament. The Orange easily handled Indiana State 77-60 in their first game. The Orange faced Marquette in the second round when one of the tournament's more controversial moments occurred.
Transition to the ACC and Continued Tournament Bids
2012-13 was the school's last season in the Big East Conference. Led by sophomore point guard Michael Carter-Williams and Junior forward C.J. On July 1, 2013, Syracuse, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh joined the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). In its first season in the conference, Syracuse started 25-0 before losing six of its last nine games. The team featured two Second Team All Americans, point guard Tyler Ennis and forward C.J. The following season Syracuse started ranked 19th in the AP Poll, but failed to make the NCAA tournament. In the 2017-18 season Syracuse would return to the NCAA tournament despite going 8-10 in conference play. In the tournament Syracuse upset 3-seeded Michigan State before losing to Duke in the Sweet 16. The next year saw the Orange make back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances for the first time since the 2013-14 season. They lost to Baylor in the opening round. On January 14, 2019, Syracuse upset Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium, marking the first time that the Blue Devils had lost to an unranked team at home as the AP ranked number one team. They would lose to Baylor in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Syracuse started the 2019-20 season slow, losing 48-34 to Virginia, the lowest amount ever scored by a team in Boeheim's career. SU would win its final game of the season in the ACC tournament beating North Carolina 81-53 and defeating the Tar Heels for the first time since 2014. This would be the last game played due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Facilities and Rivalries
Syracuse home games in the early years were played at Archbold Gymnasium, an on-campus gym that is still used for various university activities. In 1962, home games moved to the newly constructed Manley Field House which finally gave the team a powerful home court advantage. On February 13, 1980, the Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team upset #2 ranked Syracuse 52-50 in the final planned, regular season game at Manley Field House, where the Orange boasted a 57-game home winning streak. The Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center is the home of Syracuse basketball. The Carrier Dome is the largest arena in NCAA DI basketball with a maximum capacity of 35,642. Syracuse's home court total attendance has led the nation 28 times, and its per-game average attendance has been ranked first 17 times since the opening of the Carrier Dome in 1980.
Syracuse and Georgetown rivalry - Syracuse's biggest rival is Georgetown. The two schools have been playing each other since 1930, but their rivalry was solidified in the 1980s as the respective programs were the leading powers during the infancy of the newly formed Big East conference. On February 13, 1980, the Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team upset #2 ranked Syracuse 52-50 in the final planned, regular season game at Manley Field House, where the Orange boasted a 57-game home winning streak.
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