One day after the NCAA blasted the Orange basketball program with one of the strongest penalties in intercollegiate athletics history, the Wolfpack routed SU, 71-57, in the regular season finale between the two teams.
A huge run from the end of the first half into the early second half turned an eight point deficit into a 17 point North Carolina State lead. Syracuse would never recover from there.
The self-imposed, 2014-15 finale against the Wolfpack marks the earliest a Syracuse basketball season has ended since the 1969-70 team went 12-12 and finished on March 2 of that year.
Michael Gbinije has evolved into an all-purpose player who is simply one of the best in the ACC and should be named to one of the all-conference teams.
Unless a new-look Orange squad next season mirrors the 2011-12 Elite Eight team’s 34 win campaign, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim will have to be on the bench for his 41st season in 2016-17 to hit the 1K mark.