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It wasn't long ago when Daryl Gross was king of the land athletic director at Syracuse University. One of Gross' contributions to Syracuse was his "New York's College Team" marketing campaign that fueled many other synonymous marketing campaigns to follow suit; a little keeping up with the Joneses, so to speak. Say what you will, the slogan generated a great deal of conversation.
Since Mark Coyle took over as AD, he's been adamant about focusing his attention locally in Syracuse and the surrounding areas in order to improve attendance. While that might be the case, it looks like Syracuse fans who live in or near New York City will still have plenty of opportunities to do so this upcoming season.
In the 2016-2017 Syracuse basketball season, the Orange are guaranteed at least three games in the Big Apple. Jim Boeheim and company will first appear in the city on November 26th against South Carolina. That game will take place in the Barclays center and it will mark the first time Syracuse has ever played in the Brooklyn arena. Just nine days later on December 5th, Syracuse will take on former Big East rival Connecticut in Madison Square Garden. Hey, New York's College Team may have been corny, but at least we're not, you know, the sixth borough.
.@jacobscourant: Big 12, UConn — NYC's "sixth borough" — should have mutual interest https://t.co/dTSrJGLSqV pic.twitter.com/GGwOGYZw03
— Hartford Courant (@hartfordcourant) January 5, 2016
Right...
Moving on. Syracuse will also return to the Barclay's center for the ACC Tournament which will rotate to New York for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Plan accordingly.
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Speaking from my own experience, Syracuse playing in New York City has always been something special. Obviously with the exposure and the chance to play on some big stages, it makes sense to go there every year. Who knows, maybe Syracuse will put together a solid enough resume this season to play in the east region in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Wishful thinking, but the Buffalo Round of 64 and 32 as well as an MSG Sweet 16 and Elite Eight remain a possibility. Dreaming aside, hope to see some of you at the other games in New York this upcoming season.