If the reports are true, Syracuse playing Villanova in a Dome-Philly-NYC trifecta is the best of all worlds. The Juice reported yesterday that SU will have the Wildcats on the Hill this winter, then travel to the Wells Fargo Center next year, while playing at Madison Square Garden in ’15-’16 as part of a double header. This is terrific because it keeps the hated Wildcats on the schedule, helps the RPI, and places Syracuse in Philly (where there’s alumni and SU recruits). Plus it helps the Orange secure another slot at MSG in a few years.
This has been something The Fizz has stumped for ever since the announcement of the ACC defection. In order of significance, Orange Nation will miss A) Big East Tourney B) Big East hoops schedule C) Rutgers football game. And let’s face it, the RU rivalry is really a distant third.
There will never be anything that touches the magic of the Big East tourney inside MSG, but hopefully one day the ACC Championship is held in New York City. While it won’t have the same old school, rough n’ tumble, northeastern feel, at least we could all file into the thumping, beating, basketball heart of the Big Apple and watch games all week.
But the Big East regular season, it’s treacherous, emotional, history-soaked minefield every week can still be saved in some ways. Swapping out DePaul and USF is no problem. Picking up Boston College and Virginia Tech again is cool. Bringing with us Notre Dame and Pitt helps. Adding Duke and UNC is awesome.
But losing UConn, Villanova and Georgetown hurts. Luckily, this problem has a solution. While it won’t be in conference, and there wouldn’t be an in-season home and home, adding these three schools to SU’s non-con is brilliant on all fronts. Syracuse will still regularly recruit in Philly, NYC and D.C., so it’s imperative to stay in those areas at least once a year. The Orange has already signed up to play St. John’s at MSG next season. Keeping those emotional ties are important.
Hopefully, SU and UConn and Georgetown can work out the same type of series. Home/home/neutral. Syracuse would benefit from playing in D.C. at the Verizon Center. There’s plenty of alumni in the Beltway, and Maryland will leave the ACC after this season. The next chapter of the rivalry would garner significant national attention, just like an SU-UConn series would. Play at the Dome, in Hartford, and then a game at MSG. My guess is the Garden would love to have either Syracuse vs. ‘Nova/Georgetown/UConn once a year for a holiday showcase. CBS or ESPN would jump all over that game.
All it takes is some creative efforts, and putting the egos aside. Work together to keep the ties that bound us all together for years. And in doing so, everyone’s a winner. Hopefully this Nova news is the next step.
Posted: D.A.
11 responses to “Syracuse Adding Nova Series Should Be First Step Toward G’Town, UConn Too”
@D.A.;
Adding Villanova to the schedule and playing St Johns in MSG on a rotating bases,then going after the likes of GTown and UCONN only solidifies the strenght of schedule for Syracuse. There isn’t going to be another school in the nation with a strong non-conference schedule like the one Syracuse is putting together.
Just think now,adding Louisville to this equation in 2014 and WOW.
Kentucky won’t have a schedule half as strong as the one Syracuse is putting together.
It’s all about recruiting and playing on the big stage. Cuse won’t have to worry about strength of schedule playing in ACC. Good keep getting better.
I like it! So tired of the crummy Non-Conf. schedule. I think the best non-conf game that I have seen at the dome was MSU and that was a long time ago.
Playing old rivalries appeals to some but not me.We are Out of the Big Least. I don’t like giving these teams a chance to beat us. I prefer the new teams that will BECOME HOT RIVALS FOR US TE FANS TO GET EXCITED ABOUT. EE KNOCKED GEORGETOWN OUT,Why give them and their fan base an opportunity to feel good about beating us. They aren’t going to draw the crowds they used to. Who freaking cares?
I agree with Chris. The Big East and those rivalries are gone. If Georgetown had not vetoed the Penn State application for membership in the early days, The Big East would still be around and viable. We are in the ACC with a lot of potential new rivalries to concentrate on. ACC IS the top basketball conference. SU, Duke, No. Carolina,
Notre Dame, Pitt, Louisville, No Carolina State,
Miami, etc. etc. Who needs to chew yesterdays mashed potatoes.
I’m just glad we are trading in some of the Central Connecticut State and Monmouth games for the likes of St. John’s and Villanova for the non-conference schedule. I certainly would hope we can add Georgetown too because that’s been the best game on the schedule for Syracuse for many many years. I could go either way with adding UConn or not but obviously the more the merrier! Non-conference schedules featuring all those schools would certainly give us a tough all around schedule year in and year out. Next year’s non-con sched is shaping up pretty good so far… Nova in the Dome, St. John’s at the Garden, the Maui Invitational, and whoever we draw in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge (hopefully someone like Indiana or Michigan State). I’m definitely looking forward to a home slate that features games against Villanova, Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State, and depending on our draw perhaps a team like Indiana in the Dome… SWEET!!!
On another note though… can you guys PLEASE stop referring to Rutgers as our football “rival”? WE DO NOT HAVE A RIVALRY WITH THEM… never have never will!!! Don’t make us stoop down to their level. That’s like saying we’re rivals with LeMoyne!
Don’t understand y u guys don’t like it. More killed the BE then just G’town vetoing Penn State and in the end it wasn’t so bad that program is a mess. I can see it now instead of the BE they would have named the conf. Child Touchers and the motto would have been “Hide your wife, Hide your kids”.
@Chris @Fred
Either you guys are trolling or you truly would rather play the Siena’s, Colgate’s, etc. cupcake nonconference scheduling.
Myself, I’d rather continue to get exposure in Philly, DC, NYC by playing down there once a year. It’s not about rivalries anymore, it’s about maintaining a recruiting hold on these cities.
@AlbanyCuse;
some times people just like to spout off and don’t realize what they’re saying.
Look we have St Johns back on the schedule, we’re going to add Villanova and maybe get Georgetown back on too. The real get is when we continue to play UCONN on a regular basis after they become a member of the ACC. Getting these school’s back on the schedule was almost a must for us. Jim Boeheim wasn’t about to lose the NY to DC to Philly recruiting areas that have been crucial to Syracuse’s success.
@Ron
Wow, looks like we’re getting Indiana next year at home too….
Stacked
@AlbanyCuse;
I just read about it,can you believe it,Duke,North Carolina and now Indiana all in the dome this year. WOOOOOOOOOW!!!!!
@Terry;
Now Terry,I don’t want you to get mad,but man with news like this,it’s got to get your spirits up.