greensboro tar heels.JPG

North Carolina fans during the 2011 ACC men's basketball Championship at the Greensboro Coliseum on March 13, 2011 in Greensboro, NC. Duke defeated North Carolina 75-58.

((Cal Sports Media via AP Images))

Syracuse, N.Y. -- When Daryl Gross talks about Syracuse University's departure from the Big East Conference, his biggest lament is the loss of the league's annual basketball tournament, played each year to enthusiastic Orange crowds in Madison Square Garden.

With SU set on Monday to officially join the Atlantic Coast Conference, Syracuse will play its post-season conference basketball in North Carolina for the next two years. The ACC is committed to holding its annual affair in Greensboro through 2015.

Speculation has swirled since the ACC announced it would add Syracuse, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and eventually Louisville that the ACC would eventually claim New York for its basketball tournament. And in separate conversations, ACC Commissioner John Swofford and Gross made the possibility seem likely.

"We have had talks about that, both internally and externally. And those discussions are ongoing right now," Swofford said. "Our tournament has tremendous history and success here in North Carolina, but we've also moved it around on occasion to various sites. And we've had very positive discussions about the possibilities that could exist in New York looking forward. And we will be continuing those discussions."

"We haven't confirmed anything," Gross said, "but the fact that it's on the table and the fact that we have been able to voice our opinion and that people understand it and believe that New York is very intriguing and important is exciting."

The scene at Madison Square Garden during St. John's University's game with Georgetown, during the first round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden, Tuesday, March 10, 2009 in Manhattan, St. John's bruised its way to its second win against Georgetown in a week, 64-59.

The ACC, historically rooted on Tobacco Road, has staged its basketball tournament in North Carolina in 49 of the last 60 years. It ventured into Washington, D.C., in 2005, played in Tampa in 2007 and in Atlanta in 2009 and 2012.

Should the ACC move north into New York, its options include Madison Square Garden and the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Both facilities are locked into deals with other conferences for the next few years.

The new Big East will play its basketball tournament at the Garden for the next three years. The Atlantic 10 has a deal with the Barclays Center to hold its tournament there for the next four years.

"New York is obviously such a media capital of the world, a great and fertile recruiting ground and a true college basketball mecca," Swofford said. "So I think we would be short-sighted and foolish not to give New York City every consideration as we look toward the future of our tournament."

The ACC's interest in adding Syracuse stemmed, in part, from Gross' ability to sell the Orange as New York City's college team. Swofford acknowledged SU's push into the city as a contributing factor for inviting the Orange to the ACC.

Swofford was in the Bronx last Tuesday when the ACC announced a 6-year deal with the Pinstripe Bowl. The games will be played in Yankee Stadium. Swofford said it "was really neat" to see the Syracuse University sign at the stadium, a sight that thrills him every time he watches a Yankees game on TV.

"I don't know that anybody owns New York City, per se, in college athletics, but without question, it's hard for anybody else to say they're stronger than Syracuse in New York. And that's important to the institution and important to the Atlantic Coast Conference," Swofford said. "I think with our new footprint, certainly New York becomes a very prominent and important part of our league and its future."