To support student journalism and the content you love, become a member of The Daily Orange today.

Syracuse University students will finish up finals and leave for winter break this week. But football, men’s and women’s basketball and ice hockey will continue to compete before school resumes in January. The football team will play in its first bowl game since 2018 and both basketball programs have several conference games. SU ice hockey has about a month-long hiatus before it returns to ice on Jan. 10.

Here’s a list of 10 sporting events to catch over winter break before students return to school:

Football vs Minnesota (Dec. 29th, 2022), Pinstripe Bowl

It’s the Orange’s first bowl game since 2018, when they went 10-2 and beat West Virginia 34-18 in the Camping World Bowl. This time, Syracuse will play in Yankee Stadium at the Pinstripe Bowl, where it has played twice before, taking down Kansas State 36-34 and West Virginia 38-14. Minnesota and SU last met in the 2013 Texas Bowl, where the Orange won 21-17 behind Terrel Hunt and Jerome Smith combining for 31 carries and 158 rushing yards.

Men’s basketball vs Notre Dame (Jan. 14, 2023)

These two teams met earlier this season in South Bend, Indiana, when Judah Mintz made a layup with 14 seconds left to give Syracuse the 62-61 win. The Atlantic Coast Conference rematch will take place in the JMA Wireless Dome. Syracuse leads the all-time series 32-22, winning three of the last four matchups against the Irish, though two of those games were decided by one basket. Joe Girard III had 20 points and broke his dry spell against the Irish in early December. The Orange saw success from inside the arc, shooting 62.5%, but struggled from deep, shooting 16.7%.

Women’s basketball vs NC State (Jan. 1, 2023)

NC State, the reigning ACC champs, currently rank No. 8 in the AP poll, with a major win over then-No. 10 ranked Iowa. NC State will bring the No. 14 ranked offense and Syracuse will have to watch out for Diamond Johnson, who averages 13.9 points per game. The Syracuse defense ranks 46th.

Ice hockey vs Colgate (Jan. 10, 2023)

The only game for the ice hockey team over the break will take place on Jan. 10 at Tennity Ice Pavilion. The Orange look to avenge their first loss of the season to Colgate, falling 3-0 in Hamilton. They were outshot 35-13, but now look to upset the No. 4 ranked Raiders. Syracuse (7-13-1, 4-2 College Hockey America) currently ranks No. 32, but are currently in second place in the conference, trailing Penn State.

Men’s basketball @ Virginia (Jan. 7, 2023)

The No. 3 Cavaliers provide a wide variety of challenges for the Orange, who have rattled off three-straight wins following the loss to 16th ranked Illinois and defeated former Big East Rival Georgetown 83-64 on Saturday.

Men’s basketball vs Pittsburgh (Dec. 20, 2022)

This game will kick off conference play for the Orange, where SU’s remaining opponents for the season are all ACC teams. Last season, Pitt and SU split the season series. The ACC is tough once again, featuring a dominant No. 3 ranked UVA team, No. 15 Duke and very good Miami and Virginia Tech teams. Pitt (7-4) has won six of its last seven games, only falling to Vanderbilt by a point.

Men’s basketball vs Virginia Tech (Jan. 11, 2023)

Virginia Tech, the defending ACC champion, is off to a hot start, winning 10 of its first 11 games. Charleston upset the Hokies 77-75 to hand them their only loss. Since then, the Hokies have won five straight, most notably a win over preseason No. 1 and now unranked UNC. Syracuse leads the series 11-6, but the Orange are 8-2 at home all-time versus the Hokies.

Women’s basketball vs Wake Forest (Dec. 18, 2022)

Wake Forest currently stands at 7-3 (0-1 ACC), having played one conference game so far, a 20-point loss in Charlottesville to undefeated 11-0 (1-0 ACC) Virginia. WFU ranks 5th in defense but 14th in offense within the conference, so the Orange shouldn’t have much trouble defending the rim. A season ago, Syracuse fell on the road to the Demon Deacons, but avenged that loss a month later in the Dome.

Women’s basketball @ Boston College (Jan. 12, 2023)

Boston College (8-4, 0-1 ACC) looks to provide a tough challenge for Syracuse in Chestnut Hill. The Orange were swept by the Eagles last season, 95-71 and 91-75. But with the addition of Dyaisha Fair and other transfers, SU has the opportunity to defeat the Eagles for the first time since Mar. 4, 2021, where the Orange won 67-61.

Women’s basketball vs Notre Dame (Jan. 15, 2023)

Notre Dame (8-1, 0-0 ACC) is inside the top five this season, holding a 26.8 point average margin of victory, per Her Hoop Stats. Syracuse will have to contain Olivia Miles, who averages 16.0 points per game in 26.7 minutes played per game. Offensively, SU should get the ball to Fair, who is averaging 18.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

Published on December 12, 2022 at 11:51 pm