Syracuse men's basketball is one of the top-10 teams in the history of Division I hoops in terms of all-time wins. It's a storied program, with one national championship, six appearances in the Final Four and dozens of trips to the annual NCAA Tournament (although a current dry spell that dates back to 2021).
Throughout the Orange's heyday in the Big East Conference, especially in the 1980s, the 'Cuse was an elite college squad that suited up in a top-flight league. By all accounts, in the 80s, Syracuse basketball against nemesis Georgetown was the best rivalry in the sport, save for perhaps Duke versus North Carolina in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Speaking of the ACC, Syracuse basketball moved from the Big East to the Atlantic Coast Conference in the 2013-14 campaign, a decision driven largely by football and television revenue. Candidly, since 2013-14, it's challenging to decipher just who SU's biggest rivalries are in men's basketball.
Sure, since 2013-14, the Orange has played a few thrilling games against Duke, but the Blue Devils and the 'Cuse are not big rivals. The same could be said for virtually all the teams in the ACC, save for possibly Boston College or Pittsburgh.
Here are the rivalry games for Syracuse that the fan base misses the most.
St. John's
All-time series: Syracuse leads, 52-43
Well, Orange fans won't have to wait much longer, as Syracuse basketball and the Red Storm will reportedly battle in the non-conference portion of the upcoming season at Madison Square Garden in New York City. SU facing former assistant Rick Pitino, the current head coach of St. John's, is fun.
UConn
All-time series: Syracuse leads, 53-37
The Huskies are a powerhouse in college basketball these days, winning national titles in 2023 and 2024, while making the championship game of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. It's likely that the Orange and UConn will square off soon in an official game. For now, in 2026-27, they will play in an exhibition on Tuesday, Oct. 13, in Uncasville, Conn.
Villanova
All-time series: Syracuse leads, 39-33
The Orange and the Wildcats haven't competed against each other since 2021-22. Villanova had won national titles under then-head coach Jay Wright in 2016 and 2018, but since he retired, the Wildcats have taken a dip. In 2025-26, Kevin Willard got Villanova back to the NCAA Tournament, halting a three-year drought.
Georgetown
All-time series: Syracuse leads, 53-45
The last time that the Hoyas and SU faced off was in 2024-25, and it may be a while before we see these adversaries go toe-to-toe again. While Syracuse-Georgetown has lost some luster since the Big East's pinnacle, it's still an exciting matchup that, hopefully, will be renewed in the coming years. Head coach Gerry McNamara and SU against the Hoyas at the Garden would be a tantalizing thing.
Butler
All-time series: Syracuse trails, 1-0
The Bulldogs joined the Big East just after the Orange relocated to the ACC. Still, nothing would please me more than to see my alma mater play Butler soon, and dismantle the Bulldogs. SU's 2009-10 group was poised to make the Final Four, and potentially win the national championship, before Butler upset the top-seeded Orange in the Sweet 16. Sigh. We love you, Arinze Onuaku!
Besides the former Big East foes noted above, how about a few other teams that have interesting (or painful) ties to Syracuse in one way or another?
•Ohio State, the 2012 Elite Eight. Yuck. All-time series: Syracuse trails, 3-4
•Kansas, the 2003 national title game. Yay. All-time series: Syracuse trails, 3-4
•Richmond, the 1991 NCAA Tournament's first round. Gross. All-time series: Syracuse leads, 4-1
•Dayton, the 2014 Big Dance's second round. Ugh. All-time series: Tied, 2-2
•Vermont, the 2005 NCAA Tournament's first round. Whatever. All-time series: 1-1
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