While Syracuse fans are anxiously awaiting the start of a new era in Syracuse football, the schedule for the forty-first year of the Jim Boehiem era is taking shape. The most recent announcement gave a date to the latest chapter of the Syracuse-St. John’s rivalry, which will play out at the Carrier Dome on December 21st.
Last season, the game against St. John’s was probably the lowest point in the Syracuse season and it highlighted a tough stretch of games for interim head coach Mike Hopkins. The Orange fell to the Johnnies at the Garden 84-72. After that game, St. John’s lost 20 of their last 21 games, including a double digit loss to Incarnate Word and an embarrassing 41 point loss to Creighton.
The rivalry will return to the Dome this year and, like several big games in recent years, will be played while the Syracuse University students are on their winter break. With that said, Syracuse still should pack the Dome, like they did against UNC this past season, despite that game being while the students were away.
This match-up is just the most recent game to be given a date in what should be a somewhat challenging non-conference schedule for the Orange. In addition to this rivalry game, the Orange will play Georgetown at the Dome on December 17th, after losing to the Hoyas last season, and will face UConn at Madison Square Garden on an undisclosed date.
In addition to these games, Syracuse will play Wisconsin for the second straight year in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge on November 29th and will host Monmouth, a team who many feel should have gotten into the NCAA tournament over Syracuse, on November 18th.
It is hard to predict just how good this year’s Syracuse team will be as the Orange are losing their top three scorers from last season but are adding both youth and experience with the additions of Tyus Battle, Jon Gillon and potentially Andrew White III. Whoever is in Syracuse’s starting five, they will have a tough non-conference schedule that will be highlighted, yet again, by clashes with former Big East foes.
