Over its history, there have been several times Syracuse was crowned champion of the conference they once called home. The Orange earned 5 Big East championship honors through the historic tournament. Though SU has yet to find the same success in the ACC, there’s still time to make history. This list will navigate through the four greatest games in SU conference tournament history.
#4: Syracuse vs. Georgetown March 15, 2013
Syracuse played in the Big East for 34 seasons, over that time, history was made along with memories that will last a lifetime for the orange faithful, that’s why in 2013 it was so hard to say goodbye. In that last season, SU was playing great basketball. With four future NBA players on the roster, Syracuse soared to 22 wins heading into its final Big East tournament. Seton Hall and Pitt were no problem for mighty Orange, then, however, a familiar foe stood in their way. Georgetown, coming off a similarly great regular season, led by future NBA sharpshooter, Otto Porter, and still coached by the great John Thompson awaited the Orange in the semifinals. Boeheim’s squad did not have great fortune against the Hoyas that regular season, two double-digit losses when they met up in the 2012-13 campaign, the second of which the Orange only mustered 39 points. It was set to be quite the matchup, and even more so due to the historic venue that it all went down. Madison Square Garden, the most famous arena in sports has hosted the Big East tournament since 1983, it’s been the venue of countless memories and the Orange were there to try and create one more.
Quite the stage was set for Syracuse, the final season in a historic conference, against their main rival in the semifinals of the conference tournament, in the most historic venue possible. The stage was set for something incredible, and the game did not disappoint.
SU came out of the gates draining threes, James Southerland and Trevor Cooney off the bench were two of the game’s stars, six shots drilled from distance between them. The Hoyas weren’t going away that easily though, this one was close until the very end. If it wasn’t for a late-game foul called on C.J. Fair it might’ve ended in regulation. The contest reached overtime tied at 51, and C.J. Fair’s emphatic one-hand slam over Otto Porter gave Syracuse the momentum it needed. The Orange held on to win 58-55. Though they went on to lose in the finals to Louisville, that game against Georgetown might as well have been the finals. To beat Georgetown one last time in the Garden in the Big East tournament was already enough of a storybook ending to 34 years of great basketball.
