Yesterday, Syracuse basketball third-year head coach Adrian Autry went on Cuse Sports Talk’s “Orange Nation” show with Paulie Scibilla and Tim Leonard. They talked about a variety of things including SU’s schedule for next year.
“Adrian Autry says
@Cuse_MBB will not play in New York City this year, but they do have “some plans to play some neutral-site games in areas that are Syracuse-friendly.”
Last season, the Orange played in the Legends Classic in Brooklyn. SU went 0-2 against Texas and Texas Tech. Carmelo Anthony sat courtside with his son Kiyan soon after his commitment to the ‘Cuse. It was a cool moment, and a lot of SU fans were in attendance. Both games were essentially home games for Syracuse, which was nice in the Barclays Center. However, as Autry said, next season they won’t be playing in NYC, but he did give some hints.
First off, Autry said that they are “some plans to play some” which implies that there could be multiple neutral site games for Syracuse next season. The first obvious choice seems to be Washington, DC. It is one of the largest hubs for SU graduates in the country, and that fan base is frustrated with the ending of the annual Syracuse-Georgetown game. Those fans are used to seeing their team in person at home every other year, I’d imagine they get a game.
Some other locations include ones around Central New York. In past years, the Orange have hosted a preseason event in Rochester. I wouldn’t be surprised if SU plays a game in Rochester or another Upstate city. KeyBank Center in Buffalo or MVP Arena in Albany could be a great option. These games would be a big bonus for the large amount of fans in the area, which can help boost big donations.
