Syracuse's 2016-2017 non-conference schedule is now set.
When Syracuse basketball scheduled Boston University Thursday, we thought SU probably had one more spot on its non-conference schedule to fill. Just a day later, that spot was filled by Rob Murphy and his Eastern Michigan Eagles.
Syracuse is no stranger to Coach Murphy. Before taking over as head coach of Eastern Michigan in 2011 he was an assistant under Jim Boeheim for seven seasons, where he notably helped develop the forward positions during the tenures of players such as Hakim Warrick and Terrence Roberts.
Since leaving the Orange, Murphy has had immediate and consistent success in the MAC. In his first year the Eagles went 14-18 but won Eastern Michigan its first ever MAC-West title, and Murphy was named MAC Coach of the Year. In the 2013-14 season, Eastern Michigan went 22-15, marking the first time the school had won 20 games since 1998. The Eagles went to the CIT and CBI in 2014 and 2015, which were the school's first postseason tournaments since 1998.
Syracuse will play Eastern Michigan on December 19, which puts a nice buffer in between the two Big East games against Georgetown and St. John's. If this is the final addition to the Orange's non-conference schedule, here's what the first half of the season will look like:
Friday, November 11: Colgate Raiders
Tuesday, November 15: Holy Cross Crusaders
Friday, November 18: Monmouth Hawks
Tuesday, November 22: South Carolina State Bulldogs
Saturday, November 26: South Carolina Gamecocks (at Barclays Center)
Tuesday, November 29: at Wisconsin Badgers
Saturday, December 3: North Florida Ospreys
Monday, December 5: Connecticut Huskies (at Madison Square Garden)
Saturday, December 10: Boston University Terriers
Saturday, December 17: Georgetown Hoyas
Monday, December 19: Eastern Michigan Eagles
Wednesday, December 21: St. John's Red Storm
Tuesday, December 27: Cornell Big Red
