Syracuse Athletics: SU basketball and football shocked Clemson twice

In less than a year, Syracuse Basketball and Football defeated two top-seeded Clemson Tigers teams in unprecedented fashion.

Ahead of the 2017-18 season, nearly all Syracuse football supporters were confident that the Orange stood no chance against the reigning champion Clemson Tigers, led by distinguishable head coach Dabo Swinney.

Despite that, “Syracuse’s defense was nothing short of phenomenal for all four quarters, and for the second time in the history, the Orange took down a top-two seed in the country”. All of this happened after Dino Babers won just four games with the Orange in 2016.

The narrative of Syracuse football’s improbable win over then No. 2 ranked Clemson is nearly identical to Syracuse basketball’s improbable win over the No. 18 Tigers this past Saturday in the Carrier Dome.

Ahead of Syracuse’s two matchups with Clemson, Dino Babers and Jim Boeheim‘s coaching abilities were unfairly criticized. Babers and Boeheim have both had illustrious coaching careers and to the dismay of most college sports fans, the two were able to snag victories over two strong Clemson teams.

Thanks to Babers, Syracuse QB Eric Dungey played the game of his life and the Orange, with a far less talented roster, were able to beat the most talented football team in college. Similarly, despite lacking any bench depth whatsoever, Boeheim has still kept a subpar Syracuse basketball team in NCAA Tournament contention, and proved that during Saturday’s win.

Throughout Saturday’s unlikely win over Clemson, Syracuse’ only three consistent scorers, Oshae Brissett, Tyus Battle, and Frank Howard, combined for 45 points and 16 rebounds. During Battle’s 17-point performance, he surpassed 1,000 career points as a member of Syracuse’s basketball program, a feat that many four-star recruits out of high school don’t reach. Boeheim’s ability to craft Battle into an NBA-level scorer has been overlooked these past two years.

Additionally, thanks to phenomenal pre-game insight and strategy from both coaches, Syracuse’ defense was able to limit two offensively gifted Clemson teams, and their offenses were able to do just enough to win the games. In Syracuse football’s win over Clemson, the Orange allowed just 24 points, scored 27 of their own, and shocked the world. On Saturday, the Orange allowed just 52 points and scored 55 of their own to secure the victory in front of a college-most 28,000 fans.

A handful of potential Orange football commits toured the school in late December and ended up watching the Orange pull off one of the biggest upsets college football has ever seen. As a result, Babers has one of the more loaded recruiting classes in a competitive Atlantic Coast Conference, and can very well lead his team to a Bowl Game in the coming years.

Similarly, after losing Assistant Coach Mike Hopkins, many were skeptical about Boeheim and his staff’s ability to ensure that Syracuse basketball had a stable future. However, the Orange have two top-40 recruits for 2018 according to ESPN Basketball Recruiting, one of which includes impending McDonald’s All-American Darius Bazley.

As the Orange prepare for the ACC Tournament, where they face some of the best basketball teams college hoops has to offer, their newfound momentum should allow them to make some noise in the event, and secure a spot in March Madness’ field of 68.

Next: Syracuse Basketball: Top 30 Players in School History

Every time the Orange are counted out, they shock the world. The 2017-18 seasons were supposed to be ones to forget for Syracuse basketball and football fans. However, thanks to two wins over top-seeded Clemson, and still more basketball to be played under Jim Boeheim, both team’s will be will be remembered forever.