Syracuse Basketball: Orange has big-time battle in ACC-Big Ten Challenge

Syracuse basketball will travel to Illinois a few days after the Thanksgiving holiday in late November for this season’s ACC-Big Ten Challenge, and this intriguing non-conference clash will feature two teams with lots of Orange in their respective fan bases.

On paper, I believe that this game will prove the most challenging among the 11 non-conference contests that the ‘Cuse will compete in during the 2022-23 campaign.

The Syracuse basketball Twitter account said earlier this week that the Orange will head to the Fighting Illini on Tuesday, Nov. 29, with the tip-off scheduled for 7 pm or 7:30 pm EST. ESPN or ESPN2 will televise this fourth-ever meeting between the two Orange-clad schools.

Over the past two stanzas, head coach Brad Underwood has guided Illinois to stellar performances in the rugged Big Ten Conference. In super early prognostications from national pundits prior to 2022-23 commencing, the Fighting Illini looks to be a top-25 squad that will contend for a top-four seed in the 2023 Big Dance.

Syracuse basketball will have a huge challenge trying to knock off Illinois on the road.

All-time, the Orange is 1-2 versus Illinois, per SU Athletics. In the most recent encounter, at the Dome in December of 1995, Syracuse basketball prevailed by a final count of 75-64.

However, in the Elite Eight of the 1989 NCAA Tournament, No. 1 seed Illinois defeated the second-seeded Orange, 89-86, to advance to the Final Four and break the collective heart of ‘Cuse Nation.

During the 2021-22 season, the Fighting Illini finished in a tie for first place within the Big Ten standings. Last year, Illinois went 23-10 overall, earning a No. 4 seed in March Madness. The Fighting Illini would fall in the round of 32 to No. 5 seed Houston.

A campaign earlier, in 2020-21, Illinois was one of the top squads across the country. The Fighting Illini was second in the Big Ten race and landed a No. 1 seed in the 2021 Big Dance.

Illinois got upset by No. 8 seed Loyola-Chicago in the round of 32. Syracuse basketball, by the way, was in the same Midwest Region in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

The Orange, whose roster that term included Illinois transfer and New York native Alan Griffin, would journey to the Sweet 16 before losing to eventual Final Four participant Houston.

Underwood, in 2022-23, has a vastly remade roster, much like Syracuse basketball does.

Departed from the Fighting Illini are big man Kofi Cockburn, who was an All-American in his Illinois tenure as well as a former ‘Cuse recruiting target in the 2019 cycle, and several other key contributors from 2021-22.

But the Fighting Illini appears to have reloaded ahead of the upcoming stanza. The team’s current roster includes wing Matthew Mayer, who transferred in from Baylor and won a national championship with the Bears in 2021.

Other Illinois players are 2022 four-star forward Ty Rodgers, who had received a scholarship offer from Syracuse basketball and was in regular communication with the ‘Cuse for a period of time, and 2022 four-star point guard Skyy Clark, who had received interest from the Orange after he de-committed from Kentucky this past March but ultimately chose the Fighting Illini.

The Fighting Illini’s 2022-23 roster has a bunch of new faces and includes numerous underclassmen, but clearly, Illinois has tons of talent.

When college basketball insider Andy Katz recently disclosed his latest preseason power rankings on NCAA.com, he placed Illinois at No. 14 nationally.

The ‘Cuse will have to put forth a high-quality performance to conquer the Fighting Illini away from Central New York, and a win in this match-up would be huge for the Orange’s resume.

A victory versus Illinois would also get Syracuse basketball to .500 in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference from the Big East Conference in 2013-14.

To date in this annual event, the ‘Cuse has triumphs over Indiana twice, Ohio State and Maryland, with setbacks to Wisconsin twice, Iowa, Rutgers and Michigan.