Syracuse Basketball has been invited to the 2024 SEC/ACC Challenge. The Men’s program will take on Tennessee, while the Women’s program will travel to face Texas A&M. In last year’s ACC/SEC Challenge, the Orange Men’s team defeated LSU. Cuse’s Women’s team went up against Alabama for their ACC/SEC matchup and won 79-73.
Syracuse Basketball Invited to 2024 SEC/ACC Challenge
The 2023 Men’s SEC/ACC Challenge lived up to the hype, as teams in both conferences were able to come away with victories and provide some exciting basketball for fans. Syracuse Men’s Basketball did particularly well, crushing their opponent LSU 80-57 in the JMA Wireless Dome. They won’t have the luxury of playing at home in this year’s challenge. Instead, they’ll be heading to Knoxville to see Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Volunteers.
The first encounter between Syracuse and Tennessee took place in the 1972 Volunteer Classic, where Tennessee won 87-83. The Orange also lost their most recent matchup with the Vols. In last season’s Maui Invitational Syracuse fell to Tennessee 73-56, it was a brutal early season matchup for an inexperienced Orange squad. Now, with a revamped roster and Tennessee losing Dalton Knecht, things look different. Syracuse Head Coach Adrian Autry should be more prepared this time around and can throw some different schemes at the Volunteers.
Syracuse Women’s Basketball to face Texas A&M
After winning at home in last year’s ACC/SEC challenge, Syracuse Women’s Basketball will travel to College Park, TX to take on Texas A&M. The two teams first met in the US Virgin Islands for the 2013 Paradise Jam. Orange Fan Favorite and current WNBA player Brittney Sykes was on fire heading into that contest, averaging 20.6 points per game, second in the ACC that season. The team used Syke’s momentum to defeat the Aggies in convincing fashion, 78-63. However, Texas A&M got their revenge at the 2016 Florida Sunshine Classic Finale, handing the higher-ranked Orange a loss, 105-84. In their most recent matchup, Syracuse was again victorious, when they traveled to NYC for the 2018 “Cuse in the City” showcase. Former Pro and Syracuse Women’s Basketball career assists leader, Tiana Mangakahia, led the way for the Orange, scoring a game-high at the time 26 points.
It should be noted that the Syracuse Women’s program has changed drastically since then. Felisha Legette-Jack cleaned up the mess left by former Cuse HC Quentin Hillsman. After a 2nd round appearance in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Coach Jack and crew are ready to get back at it.
A New Look Texas A&M
Texas A&M has a relatively new coach as well, Joni Taylor. After several seasons coaching Georgia, she took the reins at A&M once longtime Head Coach Gary Blair retired. She had a rough 1st season going 9-20 in 2022-23. Then, she and the team bounced back going 19-13 in 2023-24 amid an extremely competitive South Eastern Conference. The team earned an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and while they lost in the 1st round, simply making it that far is an achievement within itself.
Now with Syracuse and Texas A&M looking to establish themselves at the top of their respective conferences, their matchup should draw a lot of attention come December. Perhaps they may even cross paths in the NCAA tournament, as both teams likely have postseason aspirations.
