Syracuse is only sure to lose one player from the 2014-15 team, but it’s a big one. All-ACC First Team selection Rakeem Christmas is taking his team-high 17.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game to the NBA.
But amidst all the dismay and disarray, having the ability to have a contending team and have a shot to compete in the postseason is a light at the end of the tunnel, something to look forward to.
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.