How has Syracuse fared visiting North Carolina schools since joining the ACC?

You certainly remember more articles like this back before I had a kid, right? I’d come up with random discussion points around storylines you didn’t care about. They’d almost always be negative about the Syracuse Orange. You’d hate me for it. Rinse, repeat.

Well, since I’ll be on the road at SU’s Thursday nighter vs. NC State this week, figured I’d make up for it here.

How has Syracuse football and men’s basketball fared on the road vs. North Carolina schools since joining the ACC?

Now I’m specifically talking about true road games at Duke, NC State, North Carolina and Wake Forest, so no ACC Tournament losses to bring up snidely. As some may have noticed, SU men’s basketball won’t be playing in North Carolina during the regular season — quite the feat in league history. However, the Orange football team will be in the state twice this year. The first is Thursday night’s game at NC State, hence why we’re bringing this up now.

Syracuse football has only played in North Carolina six times since 2013 (the year they joined the ACC), going 3-3 in those contests.

2013: W, 24-10 at NC State

2014: W, 30-7 at Wake Forest

2015: L, 42-29 at NC State

2016: L, 28-9 at Wake Forest

2017: L, 33-25 at NC State

2018: W, 41-24 at Wake Forest

If you’re counting at home, that’s 2-1 at Wake and 1-2 at NC State. I’ve personally been to two of these (the ‘14 Wake game and the ‘15 State game), which is not necessarily something I’m proud of. The 2014 game is arguably the worst football game I’ve ever attended. In 2015, what transpired made firing Scott Shafer the following day a bit easier.

Unrelated to my attendance, 2013 was SU’s first win ever vs. State.

Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

For men’s basketball, we’ll just present things by team instead. But going in, know that the Orange are 6-10 at those schools since 2013.

at Duke: 2-3

The weirdest of these series, obviously. Syracuse should’ve won the 2014 game at Cameron Indoor if not for... well, you know. They’d get revenge in a similarly weird game in 2016 (a 64-62 Orange victory), then pick up a 95-91 upset over the top-ranked Blue Devils earlier this year.

at NC State: 1-2

We’ve played the fewest game in Raleigh (three). All were annoying, though the win was incredibly memorable — John Gillon’s 43-point outburst to power a 100-93 overtime triumph in 2017. Kevin Keatts is the only Pack coach that Syracuse has faced but not beaten home or away. Look for that note in a “fun” fact during hoops season.

at North Carolina: 0-4

This is the part where you try to forget that SU’s lost eight straight to the Heels regardless of location, and then I remind you that the Orange have never won in Chapel Hill (0-5 all-time). The most recent game at the Dean Dome was the most frustrating — last year’s 93-85 loss that ‘Cuse had in their grasp.

at Wake Forest: 3-1

The lone loss (a 73-67 upset in 2018) is also the only time Wake’s beaten Syracuse at all. None of the other games were really all that close or entertaining, though 2014 got a little interesting before the Orange won by 10.

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So the Orange are 9-13 at the North Carolina schools so far, and Thursday gives them a shot at win No. 10. SU’s gone winless in the state just one year in this stretch (2015, which was a rough one all around). They already have two wins at North Carolina schools this calendar year — Duke and UNC. Wake Forest.