Syracuse University Men's Basketball at the Carrier Dome
The Syracuse Orange (known colloquially as the Orangemen, their former official team name) is one of the most respected men's college basketball programs in the country. Since 1976, the squad has been coached by Jim Boeheim, a beloved figure who's also an alum of the university. The Orange have won three overall National Championships (including one NCAA Tournament title, in 2003), and have appeared in the NCAA Final Four five additional times. Syracuse also boasts some of the most dedicated fans in college basketball, as the team regularly sets attendance records at their home games, which are played at the 34,616-capacity Carrier Dome.
Syracuse University Men's Basketball History
Syracuse fielded its first basketball team in 1900, and the team achieved its first winning record three years later, when John A.R. Scott started coaching the squad. The Orange were independent for decades, although when the Big East Conference coalesced in 1979, Syracuse came on board as a founding member. The team won 10 regular-season Big East titles and was a part of the conference until it joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013. Until the 1980-81 season, the Orange played their home games at Manley Field House, and then moved over to the Carrier Dome.
Syracuse has produced two Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers: early star Vic Hanson, a multiple-threat athlete who's also in the College Football Hall of Fame, and guard Dave Bing. In the '80s, Syracuse boasted a crop of phenoms including Rony Seikaly, Pearl Washington, Sherman Douglas and Derrick Coleman. In 2002, future pro star Carmelo Anthony also played his freshman year at Syracuse before leaving for the NBA draft.
Syracuse's biggest rival is the Georgetown Hoyas. While the two teams have been squaring off since the 1930s, their rivalry was cemented after the legendary February 12, 1980, contest that doubled as the last regular-season game at the Manley Field House. The Hoyas sank two free throws with five seconds left to secure a 52-50 win over No. 2-ranked Syracuse and snap the Orangemen's 57-game home winning streak. In a postgame press conference, Georgetown coach John Thompson Jr. uttered the phrase "The Manley Field House is officially closed." Syracuse also has rivalries with the UConn Huskies — in the 2009 Big East Tournament quarterfinal game, the two went into six overtimes before Syracuse triumphed, 127-117 — as well as a newer rivalry with Duke.
