Syracuse Basketball: 2019-20 season overview of the Orange

Highs and Lows of this year

Perhaps this season’s lowest point came during Syracuse’s inaugural game, as they scored only 34 points at home against Virginia. Adding further salt to the wound, North Carolina freshmen Cole Anthony scored 34 points himself the same day, setting up the Orange as the punchline for a seemingly endless barrage of jokes from their ACC rivals.

Even though Syracuse wasted no time rebounding after the loss, defeating Colgate, Seattle, Cornell, and Bucknell all in blowout style shortly after, the team next dropped four of their following five contests. The Orange’s proceeding losses essentially woke the team up from a brief period in which a tournament run appeared possible, which left fans harboring a truly painful realization, which what was yet another bleak affair.

However, Syracuse began enjoying some happier days once the calendar changed over this season. An overtime victory against 18th ranked Virginia silenced those still snickering over the team’s embarrassingly low offensive output against the Cavaliers from earlier that year. More importantly, the team followed up their upset victory with four straight wins against ACC opponents Boston College, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, and Pittsburgh.

A one point loss to Clemson soon brought the run to an end, but anytime a team catches fire with a hot streak ignited by a major upset victory, fans can hold their heads high.