The Syracuse Orange men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball program of Syracuse University. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Big East Conference.
Syracuse first fielded a basketball team in 1899 and enjoyed early success, being recognized as national champions in 1918, 1926, and 2003. The 1926 squad was coached by legendary coach Lew Andreas and featured Basketball Hall of Famer Vic Hanson.
The school made National Invitation Tournament ("NIT") appearances in 1946 and 1950 and made its first NCAA Basketball Tournament appearance in 1957.
The modern era of Syracuse basketball began with the arrival of future Hall of Famer Dave Bing. As a sophomore in 1964, Bing led the team to an NIT appearance and as a senior in 1966, he led the team to its second NCAA Tournament appearance, where it reached the regional final. Bing's backcourt partner on these teams was future Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim.
Syracuse remained competitive after Bing's departure, with NIT appearances in 1967, 1971 and 1972. Under coach Roy Danforth, in 1973, the team began a string of consecutive NCAA appearances highlighted by a Final Four appearance in 1975. The 1975 squad featured guards Jim Lee and Rudy Hackett and was affectionately known as "Roy's Runts."
Following the 1976 season, Danforth was hired away by Tulane University and the University turned to young assistant Jim Boeheim to assume the helm. Boeheim extended the string of NCAA appearances to nine, with bids in each of his first four seasons, a period in which his teams won 100 games. These teams featured star forward Louis Orr and center Roosevelt Bouie and were sometimes referred to as the "Louie and Bouie Show."
Syracuse was a founding member of the Big East Conference in 1979, along with Georgetown University, St. John's University and Providence College. Syracuse and Georgetown were each ranked in the top ten in 1980, and a new and major rivalry blossomed when Georgetown snapped the Orangemen's 57 game home winning streak in the final men's basketball game played at Manley Field House. Over the next ten seasons, these two schools met eight times in the Big East Tournament, four times in the finals, and met numerous times on national television during the regular season.
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