For a program as decorated and with as much history as Syracuse basketball, rivalries are bound to be created. While there hasn’t been a clear-cut one on the gridiron in a near-century-long history, there’s one on the hardwood that stands out to SU fans: Georgetown.
The two programs have had so many iconic moments with one another, dating back to their time together in the Big East. Since Syracuse’s departure to the ACC in 2013, the two have continued to schedule one another annually, dating back to 2015 and recently celebrating the 100th ever matchup between the schools this past December. However, it appears that this chapter may be coming to a close. Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reported today that there are no current plans for Syracuse and Georgetown to square off in 2025-26.
Obviously a lot of older Syracuse basketball fans are not going to be happy about this news. Despite both programs really struggling to stay afloat as of late, the matchups between SU and Georgetown always draw big crowds to the Dome and carry that big game feel. But on the other hand, don’t you think that this rivalry has felt dead since the two split off from each other in the Big East?
It seems like this matchup needs a spark of some sort to continue as a rivalry. The only way to do that, though, is to continue to play annually, which is why this decision not to play one another seems kind of bizarre. It would be speculation to wonder why, but Georgetown did just agree to play UNC in a home-and-home series for 2025 and 2026, so that makes me think this was a SU decision. The Orange broke off its “rivalries” with teams like St. John’s and UConn, so who knows if this is a ploy or just a one-off? Either way, not having Georgetown on the schedule makes the non-conference schedule that much more of a mystery, and we can only hope a formidable opponent takes their place.
