With No. 11 Syracuse (22-13, 8-10 Atlantic Coast) set to face No. 3 Michigan State (30-4, 16-2 Big Ten) on Sunday at 2:40 p.m., check if you remember some SU men’s basketball history.

Do you remember the last time Syracuse played Michigan State?

The most recent meeting between the two teams came on Dec. 7, 2010, in the Jimmy V Classic. No. 8 Syracuse beat No. 7 Michigan State, 72-58, at Madison Square Garden behind 19 points from Scoop Jardine, while Rick Jackson and Kris Joseph chipped in 17 and 14 points, respectively. Durrell Summers was the Spartans’ top scorer with 18 points. Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green came off the bench, recording six points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

The Orange’s win brought it to 9-0 on the season. Syracuse reached 18-0 before suffering six losses in eight games. SU ended the season 26-7 and was given the 3-seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament. After a 77-60 win over No. 14 Indiana State in the Round of 64, Syracuse was upset by No. 11 Marquette, 66-62.

Do you remember the last time Syracuse played Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament?

In the 2000 NCAA Tournament, No. 1 Michigan State downed No. 4 Syracuse, 75-58, in the Round of 16 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The Orange boasted a 10-point halftime lead, but were blown out, 51-24, in the second half. Now-SU assistant coach Allen Griffin scored 14 points off the bench and was one of two Orange players to reach double figures, along with Jason Hart.

All five Spartans starters scored at least 10 points, including Morris Peterson, who led all scorers with 21 points. Michigan State went on the win the National Championship, beating No. 5 Florida in the final, 89-76.

Do you remember the last time Syracuse played in a Round of 32 game?

Two years ago, No. 10 Syracuse dispatched No. 15 Middle Tennessee State, 75-50, in the Round of 32 of the 2016 NCAA Tournament. SU would have faced No. 2 Michigan State in that game if not for the Blue Raiders’ monumental 90-81 first round upset. MTSU’s win over the Spartans was the eighth time a 15-seed defeated a 2-seed in NCAA Tournament history.

The Orange then defeated No. 11 Gonzaga and No. 1 Virginia en route to the Final Four, where SU fell to No. 1 North Carolina, 83-66.

Do you remember the last time Syracuse played against a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament?

Syracuse’s last meeting with a 3-seed in the NCAA Tournament came five years ago, when it faced No. 3 Marquette in the Elite Eight in the East Region. The fourth-seeded Orange eliminated the Golden Eagles, 55-39, to advance to the Final Four. James Southerland (16 points) and C.J. Fair (13 points) paced SU’s offense, while a dominant defensive performance held Marquette to 12-of-53 (.226) shooting.

In the Final Four, Syracuse lost to No. 4 Michigan, 61-56. Fair’s 22 point-performance wasn’t enough, as the Wolverines used 21 bench points to advance to the National Championship game. Brandon Triche and Michael Carter-Williams, SU’s starting backcourt, each fouled out.

Do you remember the last time Syracuse played against a coach with at least 500 wins in the NCAA Tournament? (Michigan State’s Tom Izzo has 574 wins)

In the 2016 NCAA Tournament, No. 10 Syracuse fell to No. 1 North Carolina, 83-66, in the Final Four in Houston, Texas. The Roy Williams-led Tarheels used a 35-of-65 (.538) shooting night to top the Orange. Trevor Cooney led all scorers with 22 points, but UNC’s balanced offense that saw three players (Brice Johnson, Justin Jackson, Kennedy Meeks) score 15 points or more was too much for SU.

Syracuse faced No. 11 Gonzaga two rounds prior, whose head coach Mark Few had tallied 466 wins in his coaching career at the time. Few has since eclipsed the 500-win mark, and now sits at 534.

Published on March 17, 2018 at 8:52 pm

Contact David: ddschnei@syr.edu