Syracuse Basketball: More Big East battles are arriving for the Orange

Syracuse basketball may have bolted the Big East Conference for the Atlantic Coast Conference in the 2013-14 campaign, but the Orange continues to pile up encounters versus former Big East rivals.

Word broke on Tuesday that Syracuse basketball will be among the participants in the 2022 Empire Classic, according to a report from CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, who cited several sources in his article.

Rothstein said that the Orange, St. John’s, Temple and a fourth team to be determined later on will suit up in this tournament. While Rothstein notes that the event will occur next November, the tournament’s location, official dates and match-ups are not yet known.

This is an intriguing field so far, as the ‘Cuse, St. John’s and Temple are among the all-time winningest programs in the history of college basketball.

Syracuse basketball will join an entertaining line-up at the 2022 Empire Classic.

For some context, the 2021 Empire Classic featured then-No. 1 Gonzaga beating then-No. 2 UCLA, along with other participants Bellarmine and Central Michigan.

Historically, this tournament has been played at Madison Square Garden in New York City, although the 2021 Empire Classic was in Las Vegas.

Syracuse basketball competed in this event most recently during the 2018-19 stanza, and the Orange fell at Madison Square Garden to both Connecticut and Oregon. That season, the ‘Cuse would lose to Baylor in the NCAA Tournament’s round of 64.

Per orangehoops.org, Syracuse basketball is 51-40 against St. John’s, while the Orange is 16-14 versus Temple. That being said, the ‘Cuse fell in its most recent outing to each opponent.

In December of 2016, the Red Storm, a long-time Big East rival, crushed the Orange on the Hill, 93-60. The ‘Cuse would bow out to Ole Miss in the NIT’s second round at the conclusion of the 2016-17 campaign.

The Owls, currently a member of the American Athletic Conference, upset the highly ranked Orange, 83-79, in December of 2012 in New York City. The following spring, Syracuse basketball as a No. 4 seed would reach the Final Four, losing to fellow No. 4 seed Michigan in the national semifinals.

As we all know, and would rather soon forget, the ‘Cuse last month went 0-2 against two former Big East adversaries. Syracuse basketball fell by 14 points to Villanova in the Big Apple. A few days later, Georgetown knocked off the Orange by four points in our nation’s capital.