Syracuse Men’s Basketball (2-1, 0-0 ACC) returns to the Empire Classic for the first time in four years this Monday. The last time SU was a part of the event, it was known as the 2K Sports Classic. Regardless of name, the Orange have won the tournament twice in four tries. In 2004, The ‘Cuse downed Memphis in the championship of a 16-team event from Madison Square Garden. Five years later, Syracuse squandered North Carolina to cap a 12-team tournament that also ended at MSG.
The 27th annual Empire Classic features a four-team field and takes place across town in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. SU clashes with Richmond (2-2, 0-0 Atlantic 10) at 7:00 p.m. before Temple battles St. John’s at 9:30 p.m. Win or loss, the Orange play either the Owls or the Red Storm Tuesday evening.
The ‘Cuse haven’t squared-off with Richmond in the last 13 seasons. Their first meeting took place in the 1991 NCAA Tournament. The Spiders stunned the Orange, who were a No. 2 seed, 73-69. Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim seemingly hasn’t forgotten this upset. SU has won the last three showdowns with Richmond by an average of almost 12 points.
However, the last contest between these two was a close affair in November 2008. The Orange beat the Spiders 76-71 behind strong performances from Eric Devendorf and Jonny Flynn. The ‘Cuse erased a seven-point deficit at the break thanks in part to 18 second-half points from Devendorf. The junior scored 11 straight to give Syracuse the lead for good just after halftime. Flynn notched a team-high 27 points.
After a loss to Colgate for the second year in a row, SU rebounded with a 76-48 beatdown of Northeastern on Saturday. In the process, Boeheim grabbed the 1,000th win of his coaching career. Technically, the victory marked the second time the 47th-year head man reached the milestone with the Orange. This is because in 2015, Boeheim had over 100 wins vacated by the NCAA. Senior Joe Girard III led the way with a season-high 21 points and five three-pointers. Fellow senior Jesse Edwards also notched a season-best with 19 points of his own. Freshman Judah Mintz continued to impress with an 18-point showing. The point guard has failed to score less than 15 points or shoot under 50% in a game so far in his collegiate career.
Richmond began the campaign 2-0 before a pair of backbreakers against Charleston and Wichita State, losing by a combined five points. The Spiders have a chance to reset in Brooklyn under the leadership of 18th-year head coach Chris Mooney. The winningest coach in program history has guided Richmond to a pair of Atlantic 10 titles and three NCAA Tournaments since 2005. The Spiders came calling after the former Princeton standout led Air Force to its second best record in school history the year prior. With the Tigers, Mooney played under Hall of Fame coach Pete Carril from 1990-94. Richmond had one of its best seasons under the Philadelphia native in 2021-22. The Spiders won the A-10 for the first time since 2011 before upsetting Iowa in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64.
Forward Tyler Burton is back after leading Richmond in scoring last year. The senior has averaged 19 points and 8.5 rebounds through the Spiders’ first four games. The Massachusetts native has stretched the floor with efficiency, knocking down 10 threes off 38.5% shooting from deep. Outside of Burton, though, Richmond has struggled from outside the arc. The Spiders shoot only 30.9% from distance as a team. In particular, redshirt freshman guard Jason Nelson is ice cold. Richmond’s second option has nailed just 2 of 16 three-pointers and went 0-5 from downtown against Wichita State.
Game time between Syracuse and Richmond is at 7:00 p.m. WAER goes live at 6:30 p.m. with McClurg Team Countdown to Tip-off.