Syracuse basketball: a once popular college hoops video game appears to be making a return

Dreams don’t always come true, but let’s hope this one does.

Whether you’re a part of Syracuse Orange nation or not, this news is something plenty of college basketball fans are rooting for: a college basketball video game might soon be a reality.

And hey, maybe two?

This week, EA Sports dropped the tease-iest of all teases:

The cryptic social media post on X currently has over 32.5 million views, and for good reason.

Thanks to some reporting from Chris Vannini of The Athletic and Matt Brown of Extra Points, we are getting some new details to prove this is more than just a teaser. Among them, this new college basketball game would include over 700 teams, both men’s and women’s, and provides users with similar game modes in CFB.

Reporting suggests the targeted release year is set for 2028.

EA Sports last released a college basketball video game over 15 years ago. That was multiple PlayStation and Xbox consoles ago. Some of you most definitely owned the 2004 version of the game with Syracuse legend Carmelo Anthony as the cover athlete.

Of course, the timing comes at an interesting point for EA Sports, who is coming off a pretty successful revival of its college football video game franchise in College Football 25. The next version of the game, College Football 26, will be available just days from now.

If the dream does come true, there would certainly be plenty of fun for Syracuse fans. That could be starting up a brand new career in Road to Glory, navigating recruitment and the transfer portal in Dynasty mode or playing with your favorite Orange legends in Ultimate Team. (Writer’s note: a dream wish some of us at NunesMagician are absolutely keeping our fingers crossed for: classic teams).

For sports fans who are also gamers, you know 2K Sports currently sits at the top of the throne for basketball games with its current franchise, NBA2K. But, would pressure from EA Sports lead to not just a game from them, but also one from 2K?

This statement Vannini got from 2K Sports means things could get very interesting:

“2K is the undisputed home of basketball gaming. We have a strong history with college hoops and are exploring exciting new ways to bring athletes and schools to life. Class is in session.”

Less is more, but sometimes, more is more, and you won’t hear many college hoops fans complaining about not one, but two college basketball video games if that’s how it plays out.