Syracuse will be one of four college basketball squads featured in the 2021 Jimmy V Men’s Classic at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Dec. 7. The Orange will take on Villanova in the second game of the evening, while Tennessee and Texas Tech open the event at 7:00 p.m. The doubleheader will be televised by ESPN.
Syracuse and the Jimmy V Classic
- Syracuse has appeared in the competition four times — in 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2017.
- The Orange were defeated in their first two opportunities, both times to a nationally-ranked Oklahoma State squad.
- Syracuse defeated Michigan State and Connecticut, respectively, in its two most-recent showings in the Jimmy V Classic.
The Syracuse-Villanova Series
- The Jimmy V Classic pairing will be the 73rd meeting between Syracuse and Villanova.
- The Orange own a 39-33 advantage in the all-time series with the Wildcats.
- The two program’s first met in 1946, a game won by Syracuse, 44-33.
- Villanova captured the most recent meeting, an 82-77, overtime decision in 2014. The Wildcats were ranked seventh at the time.
- Syracuse and Villanova were both members of the BIG EAST Conference. The Wildcats have retained their conference affiliation, while the Orange are now in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
- Syracuse coach JIm Boeheim and Villanova’s Jay Wright have both served terms as assistant coaches on the U.S. Senior Men’s Team. Boeheim went through three full cycles on Mike Krzyzewski’s staff, while Wright is in Japan now on the staff of Gregg Popovich. Boeheim and Wright have each been affiliated with the USA Basketball program for a considerable amount of time.
Syracuse was 18-10 last season and secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The eleventh-seeded Orange upset San Diego St. and West Virginia to advance to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to Final Four-bound Houston.
Villanova was 18-7 a year ago and advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 before losing to eventual national champion Baylor. The Wildcats won the BIG EAST regular-season title with an 11-4 mark.
The Jimmy V Classic, named for former coach and ESPN commentator Jim Valvano, annually raises money and awareness for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. The Jimmy V Men’s Classic, along with the Jimmy V Women’s Classic on Dec. 12, are part of ESPN’s V Week initiative. To date, ESPN has helped raise more the $134 million for the V Foundation.
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