Syracuse basketball will host Maryland in 2017 ACC/Big Ten Challenge

When the Syracuse Orange arrived in the ACC, we were sort of glad to be united with our once could-be rival, the Maryland Terrapins. That was more for football, granted, but there was upside to the basketball side of things as well.

Then the Terps left for the Big Ten, forever doomed to have Rutgers as its main rival. Still, Maryland gets a taste of its former life in the ACC every year, in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

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As confirmed on Thursday morning, Syracuse will host Maryland as part of this year’s event. Per the tweet above, time and date have yet to be confirmed on the matchup.

SU and the Terps last played in 2014, a 57-55 road victory for the Orange that had some controversy toward the end. Syracuse is 3-5 all-time against the Terrapins, having won three straight (with all three coming since 2004).

While you already know that Syracuse missed the NCAA Tournament last year, Maryland did not. UM went 24-9 last year and finished tied for second in the Big Ten. They were upset by Xavier in the first round of the NCAAs, however.

The Terrapins will be starting over a bit this coming season, after a successful three-year run of tourney trips. Melo Trimble departs, however Justin Jackson, Anthony Cowan, Kevin Huerter and Michal Cekovsky (among others) remain. Still, Trimble accounted for nearly 17 points per game in 2016-17.

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Syracuse will be looking to reverse its luck in the annual, ESPN-backed challenge between the two conferences. Since they started participated in 2013, SU is just 1-3, with three straight defeats now since beating Indiana in their first go-around.

Maryland makes for the eighth non-conference opponent on this year’s schedule, and the fourth from a major conference. Syracuse visits Georgetown in December, while also playing Kansas in Miami and Connecticut down at Madison Square Garden. It was reported last week that the Orange will host St. Bonaventure in late December. There are still five games to schedule to complete the 2017-18 regular season schedule.

Happy? Sad? Deposit all of your “Maryland’s trash” takes below.