# 2014–15 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team

The 2014–15 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team represented Syracuse University during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Orange were led by thirty-ninth-year head coach Jim Boeheim and played their home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. They were second-year members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
The Orange did not participate in the 2014–2015 postseason. The team self-imposed a postseason ban as a response to an ongoing NCAA investigation into potential past infractions by the team. Syracuse University initiated the case, which includes academics, when it self-reported potential athletic department violations to the NCAA in 2007. School officials said that none of the conduct occurred after 2012, and no current student-athlete is involved. The ban included the NCAA tournament, ACC tournament and NIT.

## Preseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Jerami Grant | 3 | F | 6'8" | 203 | Sophomore | Hyattsville, Maryland | 2014 NBA draft 2nd round pick by Philadelphia 76ers |
| C. J. Fair | 5 | F | 6'8" | 215 | Senior | Baltimore, MD | Graduated / Undrafted in 2014 NBA draft |
| Tyler Ennis | 11 | G | 6'2" | 180 | Freshman | Brampton, Ontario | 2014 NBA draft 1st round pick by Phoenix Suns |
| Baye Moussa Keita | 12 | C | 6'10" | 215 | Senior | Saint-Louis, Senegal | Graduated |
| Russ DeRemer | 23 | G | 6'5" | 203 | Senior | Wrentham, MA | Graduated |
| Nolan Hart | 4 | G | 5'10" | 152 | Senior | Albany, NY | Graduated |

### Recruits

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Chris McCullough PF | Bronx, NY | Brewster Academy | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Nov 5, 2012 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Kaleb Joseph PG | Nashua, NH | Cushing Academy | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Aug 17, 2013 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #10 ESPN: #12 ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2014 Syracuse Signees". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 18, 2013. "2014 Syracuse Signees". Scout.com. Retrieved October 18, 2013. "2014 Syracuse Signees". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 18, 2013. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved October 18, 2013. "2014 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 18, 2013. ||||||

### Preseason outlook
## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Nov 2* 1:00 pm, TWCSC | No. 23 | Carleton | W 76-68 | | 19 – Joseph | 6 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Carrier Dome (7,812) Syracuse, NY |
| Nov 10* 7:00 pm, TWCSC | No. 23 | Adrian | W 84–35 | | 13 – McCullough | 16 – McCullough | 6 – Gbinije | Carrier Dome (7,680) Syracuse, NY |
| Regular season |||||||||
| Nov 14* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | No. 23 | Kennesaw State 2K Sports Classic | W 89–42 | 1–0 | 21 – Christmas | 11 – McCullough | 6 – Joseph | Carrier Dome (22,833) Syracuse, NY |
| Nov 16* 4:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 23 | Hampton 2K Sports Classic | W 65-47 | 2-0 | 15 – Christmas | 16 – Christmas | 5 – Joseph | Carrier Dome (22,848) Syracuse, NY |
| Nov 20* 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 23 | vs. California 2K Sports Classic semifinals | L 59–73 | 2–1 | 13 – Joseph, Gbinije | 8 – Johnson | 3 – Joseph | Madison Square Garden (11,541) New York City, NY |
| Nov 21* 5:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 23 | vs. Iowa 2K Sports Classic third-place game | W 66–63 | 3–1 | 20 – McCullough | 9 – McCullough | 8 – Joseph | Madison Square Garden (11,255) New York City, NY |
| Nov 25* 7:00 pm, RSN | | Loyola (MD) | W 70–37 | 4–1 | 18 – Christmas | 9 – Christmas | 7 – Joseph | Carrier Dome (17,691) Syracuse, NY |
| Nov 28* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Holy Cross | W 72–48 | 5–1 | 25 – Christmas | 13 – McCullough | 6 – Joseph | Carrier Dome (19,167) Syracuse, NY |
| Dec 2* 7:30 pm, ESPN | | at No. 17 Michigan ACC–Big Ten Challenge | L 65–68 | 5–2 | 18 – Irvin | 12 – McCullough | 6 – LeVert | Crisler Center (12,707) Ann Arbor, MI |
| Dec 6* 5:15 pm, ESPN2 | | St. John's | L 57–69 | 5–3 | 24 – Harrison | 16 – Obekpa | 5 – Tied | Carrier Dome (24,884) Syracuse, NY |
| Dec 14* 4:00 pm, ESPNU | | Louisiana Tech | W 71–69 | 6–3 | 25 – Cooney | 17 – Roberson | 4 – Joseph | Carrier Dome (19,156) Syracuse, NY |
| Dec 20* 1:00 pm, FOX | | at No. 7 Villanova | L 77–82 $^{OT}$ | 6–4 | 18 – Tied | 8 – Christmas | 10 – Joseph | Wells Fargo Center (18,369) Philadelphia, PA |
| Dec 22* 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | Colgate | W 78–43 | 7–4 | 20 – Cooney | 11 – Christmas | 4 – Tied | Carrier Dome (18,905) Syracuse, NY |
| Dec 28* 2:00 pm, ESPNU | | Long Beach State | W 85–67 | 8–4 | 24 – Tied | 10 – Christmas | 8 – Gbinije | Carrier Dome (22,508) Syracuse, NY |
| Dec 31* 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | Cornell | W 61–44 | 9–4 | 19 – Christmas | 9 – Christmas | 4 – Cooney | Carrier Dome (19,288) Syracuse, NY |
| ACC regular season |||||||||
| Jan 3 12:00 pm, RSN | | at Virginia Tech | W 68–66 | 10–4 (1–0) | 18 – Cooney | 17 – Roberson | 3 – 4 Tied | Cassell Coliseum (6,838) Blacksburg, VA |
| Jan 7 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Georgia Tech | W 46–45 | 11–4 (2–0) | 18 – Christmas | 10 – Gbinije | 5 – Joseph | Hank McCamish Pavilion (7,831) Atlanta, GA |
| Jan 11 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | Florida State | W 70–57 | 12–4 (3–0) | 28 – Cooney | 11 – Christmas | 7 – Joseph | Carrier Dome (24,257) Syracuse, NY |
| Jan 13 8:00 pm, ACCN | | Wake Forest | W 86–83 $^{OT}$ | 13–4 (4–0) | 35 – Christmas | 11 – Gbinije | 7 – Gbinije | Carrier Dome (23,367) Syracuse, NY |
| Jan 17 4:00 pm, ACCN | | at Clemson | L 53–66 | 13–5 (4–1) | 21 – Christmas | 13 – Roberson | 2 – 3 Tied | Littlejohn Coliseum (10,000) Clemson, SC |
| Jan 20 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | Boston College | W 69–61 | 14–5 (5–1) | 17 – Gbinije | 8 – Gbinije | 7 – Joseph | Carrier Dome (23,781) Syracuse, NY |
| Jan 24 4:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Miami (FL) | L 62–66 | 14–6 (5–2) | 23 – Christmas | 15 – Jekiri | 8 – Rodriguez | Carrier Dome (30,677) Syracuse, NY |
| Jan 26 7:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 13 North Carolina | L 83–93 | 14–7 (5–3) | 28 – Cooney | 12 – Christmas | 5 – Roberson | Dean Smith Center (19,856) Chapel Hill, NC |
| Feb 3 9:00 pm, ESPNU | | Virginia Tech | W 72–70 | 15–7 (6–3) | 19 – Bibbs | 12 – Christmas | 7 – Gbinije | Carrier Dome (22,928) Syracuse, NY |
| Feb 7 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Pittsburgh | L 77–83 | 15–8 (6–4) | 23 – Tied | 12 – Christmas | 5 – Cooney | Peterson Events Center (12,508) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Feb 11 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Boston College | W 70–56 | 16–8 (7–4) | 21 – Gbinije | 10 – Christmas | 4 – Gbinije, Joseph | Conte Forum (5,476) Chestnut Hill, MA |
| Feb 14 6:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 4 Duke | L 72–80 | 16–9 (7–5) | 27 – Gbinije | 10 – Roberson | 5 – Christmas | Carrier Dome (35,446) Syracuse, NY |
| Feb 18 7:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 12 Louisville | W 69–59 | 17–9 (8–5) | 29 – Christmas | 9 – Roberson | 6 – Gbinije | Carrier Dome (26,160) Syracuse, NY |
| Feb 21 12:00 pm, ACCN | | Pittsburgh | L 61–65 | 17–10 (8–6) | 20 – Christmas | 12 – Christmas | 6 – Gbinije | Carrier Dome (30,144) Syracuse, NY |
| Feb 24 8:00 pm, ACCN | | at No. 9 Notre Dame | W 65–60 | 18–10 (9–6) | 19 – Johnson | 12 – Christmas | 3 – Roberson | Purcell Pavilion (9,149) South Bend, IN |
| Feb 28 7:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 4 Duke | L 54–73 | 18–11 (9–7) | 16 – Roberson | 9 – Roberson | 4 – Patterson | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Mar 2 7:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 2 Virginia | L 47–59 | 18–12 (9–8) | 14 – Cooney | 6 – Gbinije | 3 – Tied | Carrier Dome (25,338) Syracuse, NY |
| Mar 7 12:00 pm, CBS | | at NC State | L 57–71 | 18–13 (9–9) | 16 – Roberson | 12 – Christmas | 5 – Gbinije | PNC Arena (18,659) Raleigh, NC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movement Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. (RV) Received votes but unranked. (NR) Not ranked. :
| Poll | Pre | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | Wk 17 | Wk 18 | Wk 19 | Final |
| AP | 23 | 23 | RV | RV | | | | | | RV | | | | | | | | | | N/A |
| Coaches | 24 | 24 | RV | RV | | | | | | RV | | | | | | | | | | |

## 2015–16 Recruiting

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Moustapha Diagne C | Dakar, Senegal | Pope John XXIII High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | May 31, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 89 ||||||
| Franklin Howard SG | Fairfax, VA | Paul VI High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Apr 14, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Tyler Lydon PF | Pine Plains, NY | Brewster Academy | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 181 lb (82 kg) | Oct 17, 2013 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 83 ||||||
| Malachi Richardson SG | Hamilton, NJ | Trenton Catholic Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Dec 13, 2013 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 95 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2015 Syracuse Signees". Rivals.com. "2015 Syracuse Signees". Scout.com. "2015 Syracuse Signees". ESPN.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||