Syracuse University graduation is just 46 days away (but who’s counting?). The past four years have seen Orange athletics, more specifically the football and men’s basketball we cover here at the Fizz, experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. As seniors on staff near the end of their career, let’s take a look at five of some of the most memorable games we’ve witnessed over the last four years, for better or for worse.
5. FOOTBALL- CLEMSON 27, SYRACUSE 21
The one that got away. The Orange held an 11-point lead on the Tigers heading into the fourth quarter in Death Valley, but couldn’t hang on. It was a combination of an Elijah Fuentes-Cundiff penalty, Dabo Swinney making a QB change, Will Shipley running all over Tony White’s 3-3-5, and Clemson simply being Clemson. Had Syracuse survived, the final record probably looks significantly better than 7-6, and Dino Babers might still have a job on the hill.
4. BASKETBALL- SYRACUSE 86, NORTH CAROLINA 79
This victory officially felt like the arrival of a new era (see more below). The Orange coming out of seemingly nowhere to upset a seventh-ranked Tar Heels team that had won the first meeting of the season by 36. 36!! Even though it didn’t quite spur SU on to the NCAA Tournament, it marked Adrian Autry’s first signature win as head coach. Amidst all the turmoil that was going on within the program, it truly was a remarkable victory.
3. BASKETBALL- SYRACUSE 75, WEST VIRGINIA 72
Buddy. Boeheim. Little did we know this was the last March Madness win the class of 2024 would see as students. This game had everything. Joe Girard and Buddy Buckets were both white-hot from three, Jim Boeheim’s zone had Bob Huggins’ bunch flustered, unsung heroes Kadary Richmond and Robert Braswell making key plays, a little bit of Cardiac ‘Cuse mixed in, all of it. It was a lesson to those new to Syracuse Basketball what made the program so famed and notorious, especially as a double digit seed in March.
2. FOOTBALL- SYRACUSE 32, PURDUE 29
This game also had everything. Unpredictability, sudden lead changes, offensive explosiveness. The Orange and Boilermakers combined for just 19 points through the first 45 minutes, only to explode for a combined 42 points in the fourth quarter. Heck, we saw Purdue kickoff from it’s own 10-yard line and Syracuse from the PURDUE 35. This was also Oronde Gadsden’s coming out party to one of the most formidable receiving threats the program has seen in recent memory. It was a game so wild it would be very difficult to dream it, and it made SU Football really worth watching for the first time since the class of 2024 got to campus.
1. BASKETBALL- WAKE FOREST 77, SYRACUSE 74
The game itself isn’t what gives this one the edge. Sure it was memorable that Daivien Williamson ended SU’s season at the buzzer, but none of us will ever forget where we were a few hours later when we learned that Jim Boeheim’s Head Coaching career was over. 47 years, 35 NCAA Tournaments, five Final Fours, and the 2003 National Championships. The next few days covering the retirement were surreal, as was covering the program with a new head coach this past season.
It hasn’t been an overly successful four years for Syracuse Athletics, but boy have they been memorable. Here’s to more memories (and hopefully more success) for future classes.
