Syracuse Basketball: Orange kicks off 2019-20 with tough Virginia tilt

The Syracuse basketball squad will commence its 2019-20 campaign at home versus mighty Virginia, the defending national champions.

After months of anticipation, the Syracuse basketball team’s 2019-20 term is finally upon us. The Orange will welcome Atlantic Coast Conference heavyweight Virginia to the Carrier Dome on Wednesday evening, as head coach Jim Boeheim enters his 44th stanza at the helm of the ‘Cuse.

As we’ve noted on many occasions in recent weeks, expectations are mild for Syracuse in 2019-20, with the bulk of the sport’s pundits viewing the unranked Orange as a fringe NCAA Tournament crew, and likely to hover near the middle of the pack in the ACC.

The ‘Cuse returns just one starter from last year, redshirt junior forward Elijah Hughes. The roster is deep but, simultaneously, young – with no seniors in the line-up.

A sizable rotation, at least for now, coupled with a multitude of threats from beyond the arc has Syracuse fans excited that this version of the Orange will execute an up-tempo style of play, produce buckets in droves, and put forth a potent offense that the ‘Cuse hasn’t witnessed for a handful of seasons.

On the flip side, though, there are question marks, especially as it pertains to the point-guard and center positions. Furthermore, Boeheim has gone on record in saying that his boys could experience some growing pains in the vaunted 2-3 zone.

Syracuse, which went 2-0 during its exhibition calendar, including a 77-58 throttling of Canadian juggernaut Carleton University in Central New York on Oct. 29, begins 2019-20 with a league encounter against the No. 11 Cavaliers, due to the ACC bumping up its number of conference contests from 18 to 20. This affair, slated for 9:00 p.m. and airing on the ACC Network, is a daunting one for the Orange.

Head coach Tony Bennett guided Virginia on a magical journey this past spring. The Cavaliers, who in 2018 suffered a historic upset as the inaugural No. 1 seed to fall to a No. 16 seed in March Madness, bounced back in the subsequent campaign to claim the ultimate prize. It took several nail-biting conquests for Virginia to capture the 2019 Big Dance, and the resiliency of Bennett, his staff and their players is unbelievably admirable.

Typically, the ‘Cuse is the favorite in its season-openers, but not in this go-round. ESPN’s Basketball Power Index projects that Syracuse possesses only a 36.4 percent chance to prevail.

All-time, the ‘Cuse is a mere 5-7 versus the Cavaliers, according to orangehoops.org, although that count does feature a ridiculous second-half rally in the Elite Eight of the 2016 NCAA tourney, a success which propelled Syracuse to the Final Four. That stunning result seems like ages ago, and the Orange will get tested from the onset in its duel with Virginia, a group that saw a bevy of talent flee to the pros after the 2018-19 term but will yet again display a ferocious and stingy defense.

Right away, the ‘Cuse has an opportunity to establish an extremely positive tone for the present stanza. A seismic showdown on the Hill awaits. Undoubtedly, the Dome crowd will prove boisterous. Let’s see how this year’s Syracuse hoops outfit reacts to the moment.