Next month, SU Athletics to honor first Syracuse basketball team to make Final Four

Neil Adler

In February, SU Athletics will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Syracuse basketball team to make the Final Four. / Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Next month, SU Athletics will honor the first Syracuse basketball squad to reach the NCAA Tournament's Final Four.

While the Orange is struggling on the court this season, the 'Cuse is one of the all-time winningest programs in the history of college basketball. Syracuse basketball has reached the national semifinals of the Big Dance on six occasions, with five of those journeys coming when the legendary Hall of Famer, Jim Boeheim, was at the team's helm.

However, when the Orange first got to a Final Four, Boeheim was an assistant under head coach Roy Danforth, who led the 'Cuse on a magical run at the NCAA Tournament at the conclusion of the program's 1974-75 season.

Per an announcement from SU Athletics, the 1974-75 'Cuse team will reconvene for a 50th-anniversary celebration of its Final Four run on Saturday, Feb. 8, at the JMA Wireless Dome. On that day, this wonderful squad will get honored at halftime of the Syracuse basketball home game against long-time rival Boston College. SU Athletics noted that the last time this team gathered at the Dome came back in 2016.

The first Final Four for Syracuse basketball arrived 50 years ago.

In 1974-75, the Orange sported an overall record of 23-9. The final Associated Press poll had the 'Cuse, an independent at the time, at No. 6 around the country.

Syracuse basketball began that season at 11-2. Over its next eight games, the Orange went just 3-5, bringing its record to 14-7. Then, the 'Cuse got on a big-time roll, prevailing in its next nine encounters.

That included winning two games in the ECAC playoffs for a regional title that secured an NCAA Tournament berth for Syracuse basketball. In the Big Dance, the Orange first beat La Salle in overtime, followed by a two-point victory over North Carolina and then an overtime triumph against Kansas State to reach the program's first-ever Final Four.

At the 1975 Final Four, held in San Diego, Syracuse basketball lost to Kentucky, and then the 'Cuse fell in the consolation game to Louisville. In that NCAA Tournament, UCLA and its legendary head coach, John Wooden, would defeat Kentucky in the final contest to capture the national championship.

Under Boeheim, Syracuse basketball advanced to the Final Four in 1987, 1996, 2003, 2013 and 2016, claiming the Orange's only national title in 2003.

Neil Adler

Since 2016, Neil has served as a writer with Inside The Loud House, while also taking on the role of editor in 2020. Neil, a graduate of Syracuse University in 2000, primarily covers 'Cuse basketball, football, recruiting, NIL and conference realignment issues. Neil has been an avid Syracuse sports enthusiast dating back to the 1980s. While with Loud House, Neil is regularly heard on the radio in Central New York, while also participating in numerous podcasts related to the 'Cuse. His exclusive reports are often picked up by other media outlets, too. When not writing about Syracuse sports, Neil also co-owns a marketing agency in the Washington, D.C., market. He loves playing hoops and buying basketball cards with his son, spending time with his parents, brother and nephews, and listening to Duran Duran.