Syracuse basketball essentially 'completes' its 2026-27 non-conference schedule

The Orange will face Albany in the Dome November 25, the 14th and final non-ACC game to be officialized or reported by multiple outlets.

Dec 17, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; General view of the JMA Wireless Dome prior to the game between the Mercyhurst Lakers and the Syracuse Orange. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The upcoming college basketball season introduces the (maximum) 32-game regular season for the majority of power conference members and beyond, although some smaller Div. I programs will play just 29 games.

Syracuse, in addition to the contracted ACC-SEC Challenge contest (at Oklahoma), needed to schedule three exhibition contests (one more than last season) plus 13 other non-league games in Gerry McNamara's initial season.

The final piece of 14 total making up the still-to-be-completed non-conference puzzle was announced Wednesday, with Albany headed into the Dome for an early-season meeting on Wednesday, November 25.

An intentional "New York State of Mind" to the non-conference portion of the ledger

Billy Joel's classic ballad by the same name has been used as a production element during Syracuse athletics sports broadcasts for nearly as long as its date of first release - May 19, 1976.

With that in mind, and understanding McNamara and his staff's desire to balance strength of schedule and a chance at some marquee victories to bolster its eventual NCAA Tournament resume, the games against teams meant to help the won/loss record versus the games that are more "risk/reward" have a definite New York theme.

Including exhibition game opponents Niagara and Siena (two games still not finalized), Syracuse will face eight New York schools among those 17 total contests, and of the other nine games, six of the opponents reside in border states to New York.

That is just as much part of the staff's thinking as it is to schedule games versus a St. John's on its homecourt and an Indiana just an hour's drive from its campus, as it is to keep the opposition local.

The one negative with the home portion of the schedule is there are no "marquee" names coming into the Dome to drive extra excitement (such as a good SEC opponent) before the ACC schedule tips-off around New Year's Day.

In addition, there is currently a 12-day gap between the Indiana and Lafayette games (November 9-21), that could change depending on the NBA schedule when released next week, affecting the St. John's and Rutgers games at New York's two NBA arenas

Updated 2026-27 Syracuse Non-Conference Schedule (*not finalized-home games all CAPS)

October 13 - Connecticut (Uncasville, Conn.) (exhibition)

October 24 - Niagara (Buffalo)* (exhibition)

October - at Siena* (exhibition)

November 2 - NEW HAVEN

November 5 - CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE

November 9 - Indiana (Indianapolis)

November 21 - LAFAYETTE

November 25 - ALBANY

December 1 - at Oklahoma (ACC-SEC Challenge)

December 8 - COLGATE

December 12 - MERCYHURST

December 16 - CANISIUS

December 19 - Providence (Boston)

December 22 - BINGHAMTON

CORNELL*

at St. John's*

Rutgers (Brooklyn, N.Y.)*

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