Cornell vs. Syracuse Basketball: Why Cornell Will Pull Off A Season-Opening Upset

With a 37-game winning streak over the Cornell Big Red basketball team, many college basketball fans can anticipate that the Syracuse Orange basketball team will dominate in their season opener on November 10^th, 2017. Syracuse is ready to unleash against Cornell for an exciting introduction to college basketball, but I am probably one of the only students on campus rooting for Cornell to pull off the upset.

For those of you who do not know, I went to Cornell University for my undergraduate education. Although the rigorous four years on the hill and its hardships will not be forgotten, I will always remember the great parts of my Cornell journey. Yes, I do feel as though I have a ball on both ends of the court, as I want to root for Syracuse to start 1-0, but wouldn’t it be amazing to finally see a mind-blowing game to kick off the season?

Okay, you probably don’t agree with my bias, but hear me out. As you may know, Jim Boeheim’s son Jimmy Boeheim is a freshmen forward at Cornell this year, and it’s likely he will get a chance to play against his father’s team. The Boeheim family will be tuning in for the Father vs. Son showdown (conveniently right before Thanksgiving too, good job NCAA), and I’m sure they will never stop talking about it. Don’t you think the Boeheim’s have seen enough Jim Boeheim success? Maybe it’s time for Jimmy Boeheim to make a huge statement in a new league of basketball.

Either way, it’s not likely the Big Red will overcome Syracuse, as a 91-31 all-time record means Cornell is simply outmatched, historically speaking. But don’t you remember a recent game that everyone wrote off as an automatic loss? That’s right, the Syracuse vs. Clemson football game back on October 13^th, 2017! The Orange pulled off an insane 27-24 victory against the No.2 college football team in the nation, so excuse me for having some hope for my alma mater!

Not to jinx anything, but Cornell Football has had a wonderful season, pulling off upsets left and right when they defeated Harvard 17-14 on Oct. 7^th and Princeton 29-28 October 28^th , for a tie for 1^st place in the Ivy League, so hopefully some of this good aura will be passed onto the court.  If we’re following this trend of unexpected wins at colleges I’ve been fortunate enough to attend, I anticipate a huge win for Cornell.

I can’t say it will be an easy one for Brian Earl and the Big Red squad. The last time the Red has come close to not losing to the Orange was back in 2005, when Cornell lost 67-62. Otherwise, Syracuse has dominated each match up by at least 12 points since, give or take.

Either way, it’s cool to have a stake in both teams, as my budding interest in Syracuse sports will likely increase during the basketball season. It’s arguably my favorite sport to watch, and my two favorite schools facing off in both their season openers is pretty neat. Be sure to tune into 17^th Take to hear more about this game and other sports stories you never asked for.

Tobenna Attah

Transmedia Entrepreneur

Tobe V. Attah is a multimedia entrepreneur with a mission to innovate in today’s new media landscape while making a meaningful impact in the world. He founded Doodle the News in October 2017, a mutliplatform hub for people to have their voices heard and help them become more civic minded through bite-sized journalism.
He has been published across a wide variety of media outlets, including Sports Illustrated, the Cornell Daily Sun, SportTechie, Clutchpoints, Cavs Nation, the Cornell Chronicle, and many more.
Tobe has a plethora of hobbies, including writing, athletics, drawing, acting, and collaborating with others about ideas and startups working in the multimedia space.