Syracuse Basketball: Best Non-Conference Matchups

Year two of Adrian Autry coaching Syracuse basketball will bet met with higher expectations. That starts with tackling a tough schedule in November and December.

While Syracuse basketball might not have a loaded non-conference slate featuring the Kentucky’s and Kansas’s of the world, the Orange do have a tough opening two months before ACC play.

SU’s non-conference schedule starts on Nov. 4 against cross-town rival Le Moyne. That starts a string of three straight mid-major opponents before the real fun begins in the Legends Classic.

Games against Cornell, Albany, and Bucknell should help ‘Cuse find team chemistry and confidence, but the rest of the out-of-conference slate is going to take every ounce of effort.

Key Games:

Colgate

Tuesday, Nov. 12 at JMA Wireless Dome

If you’re not a college basketball junkie, you probably think, “Colgate?” “Who cares about the toothpaste school?”

In case you’ve missed the last decade of college basketball, the Raiders have made the NCAA Tournament five of the last six years. They play Syracuse pretty much every season and for the most part, ‘Cuse has pretty much dominated the series.

Until lately.

The Raiders pulled off a remarkable upset in 2021, knocking off the Orange, 100-85. Then they went for the encore, winning 80-68 at the dome the next year. THEN, if that wasn’t enough, Colgate only fell by four points in 2023.

Matt Langel has built a winning program in Hamilton, NY, and they especially don’t fear their Central New York rivals.

Texas

Thursday, Nov. 21 at Barclays Center

Syracuse basketball fans should know their history with the Longhorns. Carmelo Anthony led the Orange past the Longhorns in the 2003 Final Four, en route to their first and only national championship.

This year, it’s a November matchup in Brooklyn, but the stakes are still high. The Longhorns have one of the most talented rosters in the SEC, featuring former Creighton and Kansas State star Arthur Kaluma and Arkansas transfer Tramon Mark.

Syracuse will have their hands full with Texas on day one of the Legends Classic, but it should be an awesome game to watch for the SU alumni down in the NYC area.

St. Joe’s OR Texas Tech

Friday, Nov. 22 at Barclays Center

While it seems like Syracuse and Texas could be the championship matchup, don’t discount what St. Joe’s and Texas Tech have this season. The Hawks are a top 100 team in our CBB Rank countdown and have a scoring superstar in Erik Reynolds II. Don’t think for a second that the Atlantic 10 team won’t look to take down a few power conference squads on this stage.

Meanwhile, Texas Tech went into the transfer portal and left with star sophomore JT Toppin, as well as some other notable players like Federiko Federiko and Elijah Hawkins. It’s a Red Raiders team coming off a 23-win season that earned them a 6-seed in March Madness.

Both games would test Syracuse’s ability against quality teams, and especially their endurance of back-to-back game nights.

Tennessee

Tuesday, Dec. 3 at Thompson Boling Arena

For a second straight year, Syracuse and Tennessee will play in basketball (a preview of what to expect when the two schools meet in Atlanta in college football in 2025).

Of course, the Orange are more of a basketball school, although the Vols have been the better team over the last handful of years. They settled that discussion in Maui, winning 73-56 – although the game was much closer throughout.

There’s no Dalton Knecht to worry about this year, but Tennessee returns Zakai Zeigler and Jahmai Maschak and brings in Darlinstone Dubar, Chaz Lanier, and Felix Okpara. This game is also at UT, so SU certainly has their work cut out for them in the ACC-SEC Challenge.

Georgetown

Saturday, Dec. 14 at JMA Wireless Dome

No matter how bad either team is, this game will always be great, especially for the college basketball historians out there.

As we get further and further away from the original Big East, Syracuse and Georgetown remind us once a year how great the good ‘ole days used to be.

Lately, the Hoyas have been far from competitive, but they’re hoping that starts to change in year two of Ed Cooley. Last year, Syracuse basketball handed GTown a 12-point loss but this year, an improved Hoyas roster could make it a much closer game.

Maryland

Saturday, Dec. 21 at Barclays Center

The final big non-conference game for Syracuse hoops is back in Brooklyn against a former ACC team. Kevin Willard and Maryland pose a serious challenge, as the Terps have 5-star big man Derik Queen. Belmont transfer Ja’Kobi Gillespie and returning forward Julian Reese have Maryland looking like a very solid Big Ten team.

Syracuse will have the final chance to pick up a quality non-conference win to boost its NCAA Tournament resume. And a few months from now, that could be very important.

Looking Ahead

Syracuse basketball starts its season with an exhibition game against Clarion on Oct. 26 and another versus Slippery Rock on Oct. 30. Stay tuned for other updates on basketball events.