# 2015–16 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team

The 2015–16 Syracuse Orange men's basketball team represented Syracuse University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Orange were led by 40th-year head coach Jim Boeheim and played its home games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. They were third year members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Orange finished the season 23–14, 9–9 in ACC play to finish in a tie for 9th place. They lost to Pittsburgh in the second round of the ACC tournament. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a #10 seed where they defeated Dayton, Middle Tennessee, Gonzaga, and Virginia to reach the Final Four for the sixth time in school history. At the Final Four, the Orange lost to North Carolina.

## Previous season

The Orange finished the 2014–15 season with a record of 18–13, 9–9 to finish in 8th place in ACC play. Syracuse did not participate in the postseason due to a self-imposed 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.

## Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| B. J. Johnson | 2 | F | 6'6" | 175 | Sophomore | Ardmore, PA | Transferred to La Salle |
| Carter Sanderson | 3 | G | 6'2" | 185 | Senior | Nashville, TN | Graduated |
| Ron Patterson | 4 | G | 6'2" | 200 | Freshman | Broad Ripple, IN | Transferred to IUPUI |
| Chris McCullough | 5 | F | 6'10" | 220 | Freshman | Bronx, NY | Entered 2015 NBA draft |
| Rakeem Christmas | 25 | F | 6'9" | 242 | Senior | Philadelphia, PA | Graduated/2015 NBA draft |
| Albert Nassar | 33 | F | 6'6" | 195 | Senior | Stuart, FL | Graduate transfer to Nova Southeastern |

## Recruits

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| 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 ||||||
| 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 ||||||
| Franklin Howard SG | Suitland, MD | 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: 81 ||||||
| 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. ||||||

## Schedule

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Nov 2, 2015* 7:00 pm, TWCS | | Le Moyne | W 97–58 | | 21 – Gbinije | 10 – Roberson | 5 – Cooney | Carrier Dome (8,168) Syracuse, NY |
| Nov 8, 2015* 2:00 pm, TWCS | | Florida Southern | W 96–54 | | 18 – Richardson | 7 – Coleman | 5 – Gbinjie | Carrier Dome (7,760) Syracuse, NY |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| Nov 13, 2015* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Lehigh | W 57–47 | 1–0 | 16 – Gbinije | 11 – Lydon | 3 – Cooney | Carrier Dome (21,286) Syracuse, NY |
| Nov 17, 2015* 7:00 pm, RSN | | St. Bonaventure | W 79–66 | 2–0 | 23 – Gbinije | 12 – Roberson | 6 – Gbinije | Carrier Dome (21,379) Syracuse, NY |
| Nov 21, 2015* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Elon Battle 4 Atlantis Opening Round | W 66–55 | 3–0 | 20 – Roberson | 16 – Roberson | 4 – Cooney | Carrier Dome (16,529) Syracuse, NY |
| Nov 25, 2015* 2:30 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. Charlotte Battle 4 Atlantis Quarterfinals | W 83–70 | 4–0 | 26 – Gbinije | 11 – Roberson | 5 – Cooney | Imperial Arena (1,744) Nassau, BS |
| Nov 26, 2015* 3:30 pm, ESPN | | vs. No. 18 UConn Battle 4 Atlantis Semifinals/Rivalry | W 79–76 | 5–0 | 17 – Tied | 12 – Lydon | 7 – Gbinije | Imperial Arena (3,009) Nassau, BS |
| Nov 27, 2015* 3:00 pm, ESPN | | vs. No. 25 Texas A&M Battle 4 Atlantis Championship | W 74–67 | 6–0 | 20 – Gbinije | 8 – Lydon | 5 – Cooney | Imperial Arena (2,309) Nassau, BS |
| Dec 2, 2015* 7:15 pm, ESPN2 | No. 14 | Wisconsin ACC–Big Ten Challenge | L 58–66 $^{OT}$ | 6–1 | 19 – Gbinije | 7 – Richardson | 5 – Gbinije | Carrier Dome (22,360) Syracuse, NY |
| Dec 5, 2015* 1:07 pm, FOX | No. 14 | at Georgetown | L 72–79 | 6–2 | 23 – Gbinije | 8 – Roberson | 5 – Gbinije | Verizon Center (18,231) Washington, D.C. |
| Dec 8, 2015* 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | Colgate | W 78–51 | 7–2 | 17 – Tied | 7 – Roberson | 6 – Gbinije | Carrier Dome (21,201) Syracuse, NY |
| Dec 13, 2015* 12:00 pm, FS1 | | at St. John's | L 72–84 | 7–3 | 21 – Gbinije | 10 – Lydon | 5 – Cooney | Madison Square Garden (13,473) New York City, NY |
| Dec 19, 2015* 12:00 pm, RSN | | Cornell | W 67–46 | 8–3 | 15 – Roberson | 12 – Roberson | 8 – Gbinije | Carrier Dome (18,295) Syracuse, NY |
| Dec 22, 2015* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Montana State | W 82–60 | 9–3 | 17 – Gbinije | 7 – Lydon | 5 – Gbinije | Carrier Dome (17,202) Syracuse, NY |
| Dec 27, 2015* 2:00 pm, ESPNU | | Texas Southern | W 80–67 | 10–3 | 15 – Gbinije | 7 – Gbinije | 4 – Gbinije | Carrier Dome (21,601) Syracuse, NY |
| ACC regular season |||||||||
| Dec 30, 2015 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Pittsburgh | L 61–72 | 10–4 (0–1) | 15 – Tied | 7 – Roberson | 7 – Gbinije | Peterson Events Center (10,429) Pittsburgh, PA |
| Jan 2, 2016 2:30 pm, ACCN | | at No. 13 Miami (FL) | L 51–64 | 10–5 (0–2) | 20 – Richardson | 11 – Roberson | 4 – Gbinije | Bank United Center (7,972) Coral Gables, FL |
| Jan 5, 2016 8:00 pm, ACCN | | Clemson | L 73–74 $^{OT}$ | 10–6 (0–3) | 22 – Gbinije | 9 – Richardson | 5 – Cooney | Carrier Dome (16,305) Syracuse, NY |
| Jan 9, 2016 8:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 6 North Carolina | L 73–84 | 10–7 (0–4) | 27 – Cooney | 7 – Tied | 5 – Richardson | Carrier Dome (26,811) Syracuse, NY |
| Jan 13, 2016 7:00 pm, RSN | | Boston College | W 62–44 | 11–7 (1–4) | 15 – Richardson | 12 – Roberson | 3 – Tied | Carrier Dome (16,701) Syracuse, NY |
| Jan 16, 2016 12:00 pm, ACCN | | at Wake Forest | W 83–55 | 12–7 (2–4) | 25 – Cooney | 13 – Roberson | 3 – Cooney | LJVM Coliseum (11,592) Winston-Salem, NC |
| Jan 18, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 20 Duke | W 64–62 | 13–7 (3–4) | 14 – 4 Tied | 20 – Roberson | 9 – Gbinije | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Jan 23, 2016 12:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 13 Virginia | L 65–73 | 13–8 (3–5) | 24 – Gbinije | 7 – Roberson | 3 – Gbinije | John Paul Jones Arena (13,305) Charlottesville, VA |
| Jan 28, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | No. 25 Notre Dame | W 81–66 | 14–8 (4–5) | 22 – Cooney | 9 – Roberson | 5 – Gbinije | Carrier Dome (22,861) Syracuse, NY |
| Jan 30, 2016 12:00 pm, ESPNU | | Georgia Tech | W 60–57 | 15–8 (5–5) | 16 – Gbinije | 8 – Roberson | 3 – Gbinije | Carrier Dome (25,235) Syracuse, NY |
| Feb 2, 2016 8:00 pm, ACCN | | Virginia Tech | W 68–60 $^{OT}$ | 16–8 (6–5) | 17 – Gbinije | 15 – Roberson | 4 – Richardson | Carrier Dome (21,409) Syracuse, NY |
| Feb 11, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN | | Florida State | W 85–72 | 17–8 (7–5) | 22 – Gbinije | 10 – Lydon | 5 – Richardson | Carrier Dome (22,056) Syracuse, NY |
| Feb 14, 2016 1:00 pm, ACCN | | at Boston College | W 75–61 | 18–8 (8–5) | 20 – Lydon | 6 – Roberson | 5 – Richardson | Conte Forum (8,606) Chestnut Hill, MA |
| Feb 17, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 18 Louisville | L 58–72 | 18–9 (8–6) | 19 – Cooney | 7 – Tied | 6 – Howard | KFC Yum! Center (21,654) Louisville, KY |
| Feb 20, 2016 2:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Pittsburgh | L 52–66 | 18–10 (8–7) | 21 – Lydon | 8 – Coleman | 5 – Richardson | Carrier Dome (28,696) Syracuse, NY |
| Feb 27, 2016 2:00 pm, ACCN | | NC State | W 75–66 | 19–10 (9–7) | 34 – Gbinije | 7 – Coleman | 7 – Richardson | Carrier Dome (27,141) Syracuse, NY |
| Feb 29, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 8 North Carolina | L 70–75 | 19–11 (9–8) | 17 – Gbinije | 11 – Roberson | 7 – Gbinije | Dean Smith Center (20,714) Chapel Hill, NC |
| Mar 5, 2016 2:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Florida State | L 73–78 | 19–12 (9–9) | 21 – Gbinije | 5 – Tied | 5 – Gbinije | Donald L. Tucker Civic Center (7,769) Tallahassee, FL |
| ACC Tournament |||||||||
| Mar 9, 2016 12:00 pm, ESPN/ACCN | (9) | vs. (8) Pittsburgh Second round | L 71–72 | 19–13 | 24 – Gbinije | 11 – Coleman | 5 – Howard | Verizon Center (18,561) Washington, D.C. |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| Mar 18, 2016* 12:15 pm, CBS | (10 MW) | vs. (7 MW) Dayton First Round | W 70–51 | 20–13 | 21 – Richardson | 18 – Roberson | 4 – Gbinije | Scottrade Center (14,250) St. Louis, MO |
| Mar 20, 2016* 6:15 pm, TNT | (10 MW) | vs. (15 MW) Middle Tennessee Second Round | W 75–50 | 21–13 | 23 – Gbinije | 9 – Roberson | 4 – Cooney | Scottrade Center (15,169) St. Louis, MO |
| Mar 25, 2016* 9:40 pm, CBS | (10 MW) | vs. (11 MW) Gonzaga Sweet Sixteen | W 63–60 | 22–13 | 20 – Gbinije | 12 – Roberson | 3 – Gbinije, Howard | United Center (21,490) Chicago, IL |
| Mar 27, 2016* 6:09 pm, TBS | (10 MW) | vs. (1 MW) No. 4 Virginia Elite Eight | W 68–62 | 23–13 | 23 – Richardson | 8 – Roberson | 6 – Gbinije | United Center (20,155) Chicago, IL |
| Apr 2, 2016* 8:49 pm, TBS | (10 MW) | vs. (1 E) No. 3 North Carolina Final Four | L 66–83 | 23–14 | 22 – Cooney | 9 – Roberson | 2 – Gbinije | NRG Stadium (75,505) Houston,TX |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest Region. 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 | NR | NR | NR | 14 | RV | RV | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | RV | NR | NR | NR | NR | N/A |
| Coaches | NR | NR | NR | 19 | RV | RV | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | RV | NR | NR | NR | NR | 10 |

## 2016–17 Recruiting

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Matthew Moyer SF | Columbus, OH | South Kent School | 6 ft 7.5 in (2.02 m) | 202.5 lb (91.9 kg) | Aug 8, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 84 ||||||
| Tyus Battle SG | Edison, NJ | St. Joseph High School | 6 ft 5.5 in (1.97 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Jul 13, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 88 ||||||
| 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: "2016 Syracuse Signees". Rivals.com. "2016 Syracuse Signees". Scout.com. "2016 Syracuse Signees". ESPN.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. ||||||