Syracuse basketball has success vs. ACC-Big Ten Challenge foe, except…

I was hoping for Purdue or Michigan State, but instead Syracuse basketball will host Indiana in the upcoming season’s ACC-Big Ten Challenge, according to announcements from SU Athletics and the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Hoosiers, a well-known brand in college basketball, do have a history with the Orange, even in their short historical series together.

All-time, Syracuse basketball is 5-1 against Indiana, but the only loss really stung, as the ‘Cuse fell in a heart-breaking manner to the Hoosiers in the championship game of the 1987 NCAA Tournament.

Since that devastating setback, Syracuse basketball has won five contests in a row versus Indiana, which is coming off a sub-par 2020-21 stanza.

In the 2021 ACC-Big Ten Challenge, the Orange will welcome the Hoosiers to the Hill on Tuesday, Nov. 30, according to a press release posted to cuse.com.

Syracuse basketball and Indiana have battled a handful of times in the past.

In the 2013 Big Dance, the No. 4 seed Orange totally clamped down in its 2-3 zone to upset No. 1 seed Indiana in the Sweet 16. That season, Syracuse basketball would go on to the Final Four.

Later on that year, after the ‘Cuse moved from the Big East Conference to the ACC, Syracuse basketball squared off with those same Hoosiers inside the Carrier Dome in the Orange’s first ACC-Big Ten Challenge battle.

The Orange would take care of Indiana, 69-52, in a game that took place on Dec. 3, 2013. Despite that outcome, Syracuse basketball has somewhat struggled overall in the annual ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

The ‘Cuse sports a 3-5 record in this event. The Orange has prevailed against Indiana, Ohio State and Maryland. Conversely, Syracuse basketball has fallen to Michigan, Wisconsin twice, Iowa and, most recently, on the road to Rutgers.

As we recently detailed, the Orange’s non-conference docket during the 2021-22 campaign is becoming more and more clear, and it’s also a challenging slate.

Besides the Hoosiers, Syracuse basketball will host Drexel, Lafayette and Lehigh. The ‘Cuse is reportedly going to play Villanova in the 2021 Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Syracuse basketball is anticipated to suit up versus another former Big East Conference foe, Georgetown, in our nation’s capital.

Additionally, the Orange should have three contests in the 2021 Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis, whose field includes Arizona State, Auburn, Loyola Chicago, Michigan State, Connecticut, VCU and Baylor, the 2021 NCAA champion.

Finally, media reports have indicated that the ‘Cuse is likely to compete against fellow Empire State teams Colgate and Cornell.