Syracuse’s men’s and women’s basketball teams participated in their annual Orange Madness event to unofficially kickoff the season on Friday night. Here are some of the highs and lows from the event.

Most encouraging sight — DaJuan Coleman and Brittney Sykes playing basketball

Both players have been full-go in practice so far, but this was the first time fans were able to see them play since their respective injuries. Coleman hasn’t played a game since Jan. 7, 2014, and missed all of last season rehabbing from knee surgery. With the graduation of Rakeem Christmas, he’ll be relied on heavily at the center position.

Sykes missed the first half of last season after suffering a torn ACL and meniscus in the Orange’s NCAA tournament game against Chattanooga on March 22, 2014. She returned for three games before suffering another ACL injury on Jan. 4. In 2013-14, she led SU with 16.6 points per game.

Best walk-out song — Tyler Lydon, Brantley Gilbert’s “Small Town Throwdown”

The 6-foot-8 freshman forward changed up the pace with country music. The song foreshadowed his participation in the dunk contest and introduced him to the Orange fans.

Best dunk — Tie between Lydon and Doyin Akintobi-Adeyeye

Akintobi-Adeyeye beat out Lydon and Trevor Cooney in the two-round competition with a traditional windmill slam and a 360-degree spinning dunk. Neither was that eye-popping but his execution was significantly better than Cooney’s or Lydon’s.

Lydon’s second-round attempt featured someone in the crowd throwing the ball onto the court, letting it bounce once and Lydon then snatching it out of the air and attempting a throw down. The only problem was that on four attempts, Lydon wasn’t able to convert even just once. Regardless, it was by far the most creative of the contest.

Most awkward moment — NF’s performance

The Christian rapper sang a couple songs early on during the event, but the crowd wasn’t quite into it. It was the first time Orange Madness included a musical performance since 2012, and few fans seemed to be following along.

Best dance — Syracuse women’s basketball team

After the women’s team played in its 10-minute scrimmage, players gathered near midcourt and performed a choreographed dance. The organization of the routine among the entire team made it stand out much more than any individual players’ dance when they came out of the tunnel and were introduced to the crowd one by one. They danced to a mix of songs including “Crank That,” “Stanky Leg,” “Hit The Quan” and “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae).”

Published on October 16, 2015 at 10:26 pm

Contact Paul: pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds