Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim says opening season with conference games a 'money grab'
Syracuse kicked off its season against defending national champion Virginia and legendary coach Jim Boeheim was not happy about it.
The Atlantic Coast Conference will play 20 league games for the first time this season, and the start of the campaign featured seven ACC vs. ACC matchups in the first two days — many broadcast on the brand new ACC Network, including the Orange's Wednesday game against the Cavaliers.
Following that contest, which Syracuse lost 48-34 in what reporter Brent Axe said was the lowest-scoring game for the Orange since 1948, Boeheim did not hide his displeasure about opening with a league contest against one of the ACC's elite squads.
"You never want to play the elite games early. That's stupid, it's just a money grab," Boeheim said.
"They got scheduled games for TV, for the TV contracts so you got to play games early and then somebody had the brilliant idea of opening up the first game with a league game.
"I just don't think it's good. I don't think it's smart. You want to build up to the league — the league's the most important thing so why would you play the first game of the year in the league? Makes no sense to me, but that's just what happens when you go to 20 games and somebody wants you to play early."
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While the game was a historic loss for the 74-year-old Boeheim, who has coached Syracuse since 1976 and has made five Final Fours and won a championship in 2003, he claimed his stance on early-season league vs. league play would be the same if his team had knocked off Tony Bennett's squad.
On the Cavaliers' side, they became the first defending champs to play a pure road opener since John Wooden's UCLA did it over 50 years ago, in 1967-68. Under Bennett, Virginia has never lost its first ACC game of the year.
While Virginia won its first championship, the Orange lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament last season.
Contributing: Associated Press