With Syracuse’s (10-5, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) 64-51 loss to No. 13 Miami (12-1, 1-0), the Orange is 0-2 to start conference play for the first time in 17 seasons. SU had the same record in Big East play after losses to West Virginia and Seton Hall in the 1998-99 season.

Syracuse’s conference record is the same as then, but here are 10 things that were different on Dec. 12, 1998.

1. The average age of Syracuse’s current starting lineup was less than 5 years old. Michael Gbinije, Trevor Cooney and Dajuan Coleman were each 6 years old, while Tyler Roberson was 4 and Malachi Richardson was 2.

2. The average price of gas was about 95 cents per gallon according to eia.gov. Today it’s over two dollars per gallon.

3. Carmelo Anthony was a freshman at Towson Catholic (Maryland) High School, his first of two high schools.

4. The top song on Billboard’s Top 100 was “I’m Your Angel” by R. Kelly and Celine Dion.

5. The No. 44 was still being worn by a Syracuse football player. Rob Konrad’s 1998-99 season is the last time an SU football player has donned the number.

6. SU’s top scorer in its second conference loss of the 1998-99 season was Ryan Blackwell, the current head coach at nearby Liverpool High School.

7. Current SU assistant coach Adrian Autry was in the midst of a season that earned him All-German Imports First Team honors for his play with SSV Ulm 1846.

8. Billy Joel had played just three of a now record-breaking seven shows in the Carrier Dome.

9. Syracuse football was preparing for the Orange Bowl, which it eventually lost to then-No. 7 Florida on Jan. 2, 1999.

10. Men’s basketball director of athletic communications Pete Moore was in his first year working at Syracuse

Published on January 2, 2016 at 4:23 pm

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