(SU ATHLETICS ) - For the 11th time in school history, Syracuse will take on a club ranked first in the Associated Press Poll when the #6 Orange (16-1, 4-0) play at #1 Louisville (16-1, 4-0) on Saturday, January 19.
Syracuse has won two of its last four matchups with the nation's top-ranked club but is 3-7 overall against the best team in the county. Each of the last four pairings against the number one squad has been an encounter with Connecticut. The stretch with the Huskies began in 1999 when #16 Syracuse defeated Connecticut, 59-42. The two conference rivals squared off twice in 2006 while the Huskies held the top spot in the poll. Connecticut won at home, 73-50, but the Orange earned a measure of revenge by winning in the BIG EAST Tournament, 86-84 in overtime. In 2009, Connecticut claimed a 63-49 decision while ranked in the top spot.
The first time the Orange faced the top-rated club was in the 1950 NIT. The unranked Orange lost to Bradley, 78-66.
It wasn't until 33 years later that SU matched up with the number-one team again. This time, Syracuse was defeated by North Carolina and Michael Jordan, 87-64.
Syracuse's first victory against the Associated Press' number one program came on January 28, 1985, when #11 SU beat Georgetown in the Carrier Dome, 65-63. A little less than a month later, on February 23, the Orange, ranked seventh, was not as fortunate and lost to #1 St. John's, 88-83. A pairing with #1 Georgetown in the 1985 BIG EAST Tournament resulted in a Hoya triumph, 74-65.
The Orange also faced a top-rated squad in the 1995-96 season. 13 Syracuse lost to 1 Massachusets, 65-47.
