We’re a long way from basketball season, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start to get excited for this new era of Syracuse hoops. With so much young talent on the way and a new format of ACC conference play, this could be a big year for the Orange. How can that come into fruition? SU has to take advantage of its non-conference schedule, which is starting to take shape. With Syracuse deciding not to face Georgetown this year, it means that some other teams will have to take its place, and we now know two of those.
First off, Jon Rothstein reported on Thursday that Syracuse will be hosting Binghamton of the America East. Personally, I love this kind of matchup for SU. Bringing in another Empire State foe always means a fun environment in the Dome, and Binghamton is a program on the rise these past few years. There’s a part of ‘Cuse fans, I’m sure, that see this matchup and get flashbacks to matchups against Colgate and what they’ve done in the Dome, but if the non-con schedule could be anyone, why not bring in a team an hour down I-81 for some New York fun? This definitely feels like a Tuesday night in November with a foot of snow on the ground kind of game, who knows?
Also reported yesterday morning, the Orange are heading down to Philadelphia to face Drexel at the Wells Fargo Center. This will be part of a doubleheader event, also featuring La Salle battling Penn State. These two teams haven’t faced off since 2021, so it should be a fun matchup down in Philly. Also, there’s a huge Orange fanbase down in Pennsylvania, so I’d expect SU fans to show out for this kind of matchup. As a college basketball fan, these types of events are a whole lot of fun to watch and always bring out the best on both sides of the court.
Hopefully, these two matchups translate to two wins for the Orange, especially if it comes down to the bubble for the NCAA Tournament in March. Expect more matchups to come in the coming weeks, but I’d keep an eye out for some stiffer competition to have on the resume.
