Syracuse Basketball: ‘Cuse has played in nine ACC Tournaments. It hasn’t been pretty.

To hear its name called on Selection Sunday for the 2024 Big Dance, Syracuse basketball will have to go on a deep run in the upcoming ACC Tournament in Washington, D.C.

Judging by the Orange’s history in this annual event since moving from the Big East Conference to the Atlantic Coast Conference during the 2013-14 season, that will likely prove a challenging ask.

The ‘Cuse (20-11, 11-9 in the ACC), according to bracketologists, likely has to win the 2024 ACC Tournament, or at least reach the championship game, to get into this spring’s March Madness after a two-year absence from the NCAA Tournament.

Since becoming an ACC member, the Orange has tallied a 5-8 overall mark in the ACC Tournament. It has never won more than one contest in the ACC Tournament in any given season, and it has never reached the semifinals of this event.

Why is that? I wish that I knew.

Syracuse basketball has mightily struggled in the ACC Tournament.

Now, despite a sub-par record in the ACC Tournament, there have been a few bright spots. In 2020, the ‘Cuse thumped North Carolina, but the Orange’s next game was canceled, along with the entire event, because of the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2022, Syracuse basketball crushed Florida State and then played heavily favored and top-seeded Duke extremely tough, despite being without the conference’s leading scorer, shooting guard Buddy Boeheim, as well as center Jesse Edwards and forward Benny Williams.

The ‘Cuse has also experienced heartbreak city in the ACC Tournament a couple of times. Pittsburgh knocked out SU by one point in 2016, although the Orange would soon thereafter journey to the Final Four.

In 2021, the ‘Cuse had No. 1 seed Virginia on the ropes, but the Cavaliers prevailed on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. A similar theme transpired last March, as Wake Forest escaped with a late 3-pointer, in what would ultimately be the last game with Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim serving as the Syracuse basketball head coach.

I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention SU's first ACC Tournament. In that 2013-14 stanza, the 'Cuse would set a program record by winning its first 25 games, earning a No. 1 national ranking. But Syracuse basketball faltered down the stretch, losing to N.C. State by three points as the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament and ultimately bowing out of the NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed in the round of 32 to Dayton.

Fast-forwarding to the present, I don’t think that the Orange is going to cut down the nets at the end of the 2024 ACC Tournament, but hopefully, the ‘Cuse can win a few encounters.

Here are the historical ACC Tournament results for Syracuse basketball:
2023
Lost to Wake Forest, 77-74

2022
Beat Florida State, 96-57
Lost to Duke, 79-88

2021
Beat N.C. State, 89-68
Lost to Virginia, 72-69

2020
Beat North Carolina, 81-53
*Next game vs. Louisville was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic

2019
Beat Pittsburgh, 73-59
Lost to Duke, 84-72

2018
Beat Wake Forest, 73-64
Lost to North Carolina, 78-59

2017
Lost to Miami, 62-57

2016
Lost to Pittsburgh, 72-71

2015
Did not play due to a self-imposed, post-season ban

2014
Lost to N.C. State, 66-63