THE DAILY ORANGE

SYRACUSE AT THE MECCA

Top SU men’s basketball moments at MSG

Syracuse plays in the 2K Classic at Madison Square Garden on Thursday and Friday. The Orange have a storied history in what’s known as the “Mecca” of basketball. The current iteration of MSG, its fourth version, was completed in 1968. Here are four of the Orange’s top moments on that court since then.

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1. 1992 Big East Championship: Syracuse beats Georgetown behind Hopkins

Lawrence Moten, SU’s all-time leading scorer, dropped 15 points in the first half against the Hoyas to send the Orange into the halftime break tied at 29. But Georgetown focused on shutting Moten down in the second half.

That meant Mike Hopkins had to step up. The then-junior guard and future Syracuse associate head coach made 6-of-7 shots that night, including scoring eight points in the second half. Syracuse needed every bit, as SU hung on to win the Big East title, 56-54.



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2. 2006 Big East Tournament: The Gerry McNamara floater

Syracuse entered the 2006 Big East Tournament as the No. 9 seed. In the first round, Gerry McNamara hit a running, one-handed 3-pointer to beat Cincinnati. Against No. 1 UConn in the next round, McNamara hit a deep 3 to send the game to overtime, where the Orange prevailed again.

Against Georgetown in the semifinals, Syracuse trailed by 15 at halftime and McNamara dealt with a groin injury. But he came back to hit five 3s in the second half and assisted on Eric Devendorf’s game-winning layup. The Orange beat Pittsburgh in the Big East finals, and McNamara finished with 65 points across four games, earning the tournament MVP.

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3. March 12, 2009: The six-overtime game

Syracuse played No. 3 Connecticut in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. The Orange hung around, and at the end of regulation, Eric Devendorf hit a shot that would’ve won Syracuse the game. But it sat on his fingers just a split-second too long.

In the first five overtimes, Syracuse never led. At the end of triple overtime, Andy Rautins hit a 3-pointer to tie the game. The Orange had a relatively easy go of it in the sixth overtime, outscoring UConn 17-7 in the final frame. The game began at 9:36 p.m. on March 12 and ended at 1:22 a.m. on March 13.

Alexandra Moreo | Senior Staff Photographer

4. Dec. 6, 2017: Matthew Moyer’s 18 lead Syracuse to win over UConn

In Syracuse’s seven games prior to last season’s meeting with UConn, Matthew Moyer had 17 points. Against the Huskies in MSG, he scored 18. He dunked twice in the first half and hit a 3.

“If I get going like this,” Moyer said after the game, “I’m going to be a problem.”

The big game for Moyer made up for a 1-for-10 night with nine turnovers from Frank Howard. And as Connecticut threatened to close in late, Moyer crashed down the lane and threw down another putback dunk. The 18 points for Moyer were his Syracuse career high. He transferred to Vanderbilt last summer.