Syracuse basketball scored a huge upset of the defending national champions, Virginia, on the road. Hopefully, this result invigorates the Orange.
Perhaps Syracuse basketball should suit up away from the Hill for the remainder of its Atlantic Coast Conference calendar during the 2019-20 campaign.
This remark is made a bit tongue-in-cheek, but consider that the Orange, after winning in overtime at No. 18 Virginia on Saturday afternoon, is 2-0 in league play outside of Central New York, while the ‘Cuse is 0-3 when hosting its foes.
Strange, for sure.
Why this slightly small pattern has transpired to date is unclear. Ultimately, the explanation doesn’t matter all that much. Syracuse (9-7, 2-3), desperate for a signature success, entered this match-up versus the Cavaliers (11-4, 3-2) with a bunch of things working against it.
For one, the defending national champs blasted the Orange, 48-34, inside the Carrier Dome last November in the season opener for both crews. Furthermore, the ‘Cuse had dropped its two most-recent affairs, each at home to Virginia Tech and Notre Dame, by a combined five points.
The writing proved on the wall for a frustrated and likely discouraged Syracuse group to lose in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday. But the Orange did what the Orange appears destined to do in 2019-20. Surprise us all, whether good or bad.
This go-round, the happy side conquered. The ‘Cuse performed admirably in the first half and clung to a four-point advantage. Then, Syracuse managed a mere 19 points after intermission but got the game into an extra session.
This, by the way, occurred despite an Orange roster plagued by significant foul trouble. No worries. All the ‘Cuse did, in the additional five minutes, is generate 20 points on offense and register a 63-55 triumph.
So now Syracuse possesses a pair of ACC road victories, one of which is versus a top-25 unit that also happens to have captured the whole darn thing a stanza ago. Even more importantly, the Orange showed an ability to achieve in a tightly fought tilt.
For the bulk of 2019-20, the ‘Cuse either smoked its opponent, or Syracuse itself got crushed. Then, over the past week, the Orange had realistic chances to beat the Hokies and the Fighting Irish, but the ‘Cuse couldn’t seal the deal.
The present term is quickly slipping away, the bevy of Syracuse fanatics, myself included, thought, particularly with the Orange preparing to face mighty Virginia next.
Boy, did we get it wrong.
The ‘Cuse ignored its recent woes and its last contest versus the Cavaliers. Syracuse shocked the crowd at John Paul Jones Arena, finally finished off a conference adversary down the stretch, displayed a ton of grit, and boosted its confidence moving forward.
By no means does the Orange arrive in the March Madness conversation solely by besting UVA. However, this is undeniably an encouraging piece of a larger puzzle that the ‘Cuse continues to sort out.
The key, at this juncture, is for Syracuse to build upon this terrific feat by holding serve at the Dome this coming Wednesday night against Boston College. The Orange has momentum. Let’s keep it going.