Syracuse Orange Basketball

The Syracuse Orange has long been considered one of the strongest college men’s basketball teams in the United States, with conference and NCAA postseason March Madness tournament successes that date back to the 1950s. Ranked sixth in the nation in total wins (1,973) and seventh in overall win percentage (.687), the team has made six appearances in the NCAA Final Four, though the Orange spent many decades chasing that first elusive title, with the team losing in the final twice (1987, 1996) before finally claiming an NCAA championship in 2003 in a nail-biting 81-78 final against the Kansas Jayhawks. The Orange were led to glory that year by the unstoppable Carmelo Anthony, who went on to a decorated career in the NBA just as other Orange alumni such as Dave Bing, Rony Seikaly and Derrick Coleman. Due to the heroics he performed in 2003 to bring Syracuse its first-ever title, Anthony is the one player who is still honored the most at Syracuse University. In recent years, the Orange have remained a top team in their competitive conference (the ACC) as well as at a national level, appearing in 16 March Madness tournaments since 2000 from which they have reached the Sweet 16 on 10 occasions, the Elite 8 on 4, and the Final Four on 3 occasions (including their 2003 victory). The past two seasons, however, saw the fortunes of Syracuse dip slightly, as they missed on the March Madness tournament two years in a row. With the recent departure of legendary head coach Jim Boeheim, who led Syracuse Orange basketball through nearly five decades (1976-2023), fans of the team will be looking to the future with excitement and anticipation for what it might bring. 

How can I get cheap tickets to Syracuse Orange games?

The Syracuse Orange basketball team shares a stadium, the JMA Wireless Dome, with their university’s football and lacrosse teams. This multi-sport function means that the stadium’s capacity (33,000) is absolutely huge for a basketball venue (and somewhat small for a football venue). Despite being NCAA Division 1 basketball’s largest venue (by far), JMA Wireless Dome has few problems selling tickets, frequently attracting crowds of over 35,000 fans (including standing room) for particularly appealing games. This creates a pretty incredible atmosphere, though it can make tickets, particularly the best tickets, difficult to find, especially for postseason tournament games, key conference deciders, or rivalry matchups (see below). To search for the cheapest tickets to Syracuse Orange  games, look through the TicketX listings on this page and use our handy TicketX seating chart to compare prices and locations. Tickets can be bought from TicketX with just one click for the lowest commission fees! 

Syracuse Orange Basketball Rivalries

The large number of high powered NCAA basketball teams in both their conference and geographical region has led to the Syracuse Orange developing some long and quite heated rivalries over the years. Without a shadow of a doubt, the Orange’s biggest rivals are the Georgetown Hoyas, against whom they have contested many crucial conference tournament games, with several of their matchups ending in controversy and animosity. This rivalry is now considered one of the most intense in college basketball. The rise of the UConn Huskies has also led to a local rivalry between the two teams, epitomized in a 127-117 tournament win by the Orange in 2009 that went to six overtimes. Syracuse also has rivalries with the Villanova Wildcats and Duke Blue Devils. To date, the Orange have the best of all their rivalry series except with Duke, who lead their all-time encounters at 14-6.

Are Syracuse Orange basketball games exciting?

While the JMA Wireless Dome is located in New York State, the leafy upstate city of Syracuse is a whole other world from the skyscrapers of Manhattan, requiring a four hour drive to get there from the Big Apple. Nonetheless, fans from all over the state are known to make long drives to flock to the JMA Wireless Dome draped in (what else!) orange to cheer on their team and overwhelm visiting teams with the size and passion of the home crowd. Fans are known for raising their arms to make a sea of “Os” during the national anthem to get their Orange players all fired up.