SU men’s basketball will host Duke, Virginia in ACC play

SU will host Duke, Virginia in ACC play

Orange start the conference slate on the road against Notre Dame before Carrier Dome opener with Clemson.
Published: September 13, 2018
Men's basketball versus Pitt

The Atlantic Coast Conference announced the conference basketball schedule for the upcoming season Thursday.

Syracuse starts the ACC portion of the schedule on the road in the New Year with a matchup versus Notre Dame on Jan. 5. The first conference game in the Carrier Dome is against Clemson on Jan. 9.

The Orange plays Duke twice in the regular season as Jim Boeheim’s squad travels to Durham on Jan. 14. The game in Syracuse is a Saturday night primetime tip-off on Feb. 23. The Blue Devils eliminated SU from the NCAA Tournament this past season in the Sweet 16. Duke brings in the top 2018 recruiting class, including the likes of 5-star prospects R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish.

In addition to the home-and-home games with Duke, the Orange also plays Boston College, Pittsburgh and Clemson twice this upcoming season.

Syracuse plays Florida State, Georgia Tech, Miami, Virginia, and Louisville only once this season. Those games are inside the Carrier Dome. Syracuse gets it first look at new Louisville head coach, Chris Mack, on Feb. 20, who takes the helm with the Cardinals after a successful run at Xavier.

As for road games, Syracuse travels to North Carolina, North Carolina State, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech this season for the only matchup against those schools.

Overall, SU’s schedule features games against 11 teams that earned an NCAA Tournament berth a season ago.

The Orange’s regular season opener is against Eastern Washington on Nov. 6 in the Carrier Dome. Other notable non-conference matchups include the 2K Classic games in Madison Square Garden. Syracuse takes on UConn on Nov. 15 and either Iowa or Oregon the following day.

On Nov. 28, Syracuse travels to Columbus to take on Ohio State in arguably the biggest non-conference game for the Orange. This Big 10-ACC Challenge matchup features two NCAA Tournament teams. The Buckeyes were a 5-seed in the tourney last year and made it to the Round of 32, while the Orange advanced to the Sweet 16 as an 11-seed.

Syracuse also welcomes longtime rival Georgetown to the Carrier Dome on December 8.

The Orange finished last season 23-14 and return all five starters from last year’s NCAA Tournament lineup.