4 takeaways from the 2023-24 Syracuse basketball schedule
As part of an ACC Network programming event Tuesday evening (September 26), the league unveiled the conference basketball schedule for 2023-24.
The 20 Syracuse games fills in the remainder of the overall 31 game regular season slate, after the school previously released the non-conference opponents/dates over the summer.
Here are four takeaways from the release of the schedule.
Syracuse opens ACC conference play on the road...again.
When the ACC moved to a 20-game schedule in 2019-20, it added more December games, including the first Saturday of the month the day the conference football championship game is played in Charlotte.
Each year, that same weekend, the Dome hosts multiple New York State high school football championship games which has forced Syracuse to open league play on the road. The scheduling conflict has not affected how the Orange have played, however, winning four times in contrasting fashion.
Here are the results of the first road December conference games since the 20-game schedule was introduced:
• 2019 - at Georgia Tech, W 97-63 • 2020 - at Boston College, W 101-63 • 2021 - at Florida State, W 63-60 • 2022 - at Notre Dame, W 62-61.
This year, add Virginia (December 2) to the list of teams the ‘Cuse will look to defeat right out of the gate on the road in ACC play.
Bringing new meaning to the term “a gauntlet of a schedule.”
Below is the schedule of games (all but two away from the Dome) between November 20-December 17, understanding SU could play Div. II Chaminade November 22. Welcome to the sidelines Adrian Autry!
• Tennessee (November 20)
• Gonzaga or Purdue (November 21)
• Kansas or Marquette or UCLA (November 22)
• LSU (November 28)
• Virginia (December 2)
• Cornell (December 5)
• Georgetown (December 9)
• Oregon (December 17)
One thing is for sure, this year’s team will be seasoned by the New Year and the beginning of all-ACC play, first hosting Pittsburgh (December 30) then a trip to Duke (January 2).
This winter, Tuesdays and Saturdays will be our favorite days of the week.
Goodbye Big Monday.
In what must be a first, all but two of the 20 ‘Cuse ACC games will be played on either a Tuesday evening or a Saturday afternoon/evening.
Of the five Saturday games, circle February 10 when Joe Girard returns to the Dome with the Clemson Tigers. The other Saturday home games are Pittsburgh (December 30), Miami (January 20), North Carolina State (January 27), and Notre Dame (February 24).
The conference did not do Syracuse any favors by scheduling the North Carolina Dome game on a Tuesday (February 13). The other Tuesday games are Florida State (January 23), and Virginia Tech (February 27).
Syracuse has two Wednesday night home games against Boston College (January 10) and Louisville (February 7).
SU also finishes with its final two games on the road, including a return game with Clemson (March 5), but has the final regular season weekend off before the start of the ACC Tournament in Washington, D.C. on March 12.
No doubt changes are coming for the 2024-25 ACC schedule.
With Cal, SMU, and Stanford coming aboard next year, the ACC will boast 18 teams.
To maintain a 20-game league schedule, it figures that each team would play three common opponents twice each season home/away, and the other 14 teams once, alternating home/away, including the new upcoming trips for the Orange to Dallas and the Bay Area.
Who might the 'Cuse draw as common opponents? Seemingly, it would be Boston College and Pittsburgh, joined by Louisville or perhaps Notre Dame.
It also means Duke, and every other league team will only play in the Dome every other season, that is until the inevitable next round of conference realignment takes place.
(We still find it hard to believe that Syracuse will soon be playing two conference games against California schools each season.)
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