Syracuse basketball gets an extra home game with Saint Joseph's after change in plans

What was going to be a neutral site game in Las Vegas in November against the Hawks, has instead turned into the Orange's home game in December, after SJU withdrew from the Player's Era Festival. The home game becomes one of five straight for SU, to be played over a nine day stretch (Dec. 13-22) heading into the Holiday Season.

Dec 28, 2024; Syracuse, New York, USA; Syracuse Orange forward Donnie Freeman (1) passes during the first half against the Bucknell Bison at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Syracuse athletics announced Thursday that the Orange will now host Saint Joseph's on December 11 in the Dome. The rescheduling of the game between the schools, which was originally set for the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas prior to SU's participation in the Player's Era Festival, will now provide the 'Cuse another December tune-up before ACC play gets underway.

Saint Joseph's did not have a lot of sway with a late coaching change

The original game between the teams was to be played November 22 on UNLV's homecourt, two days before Syracuse takes on defending national runners-up Houston in its first Player's Era Festival game November 24 crosstown at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

But there was a clause in Saint Joseph's agreement with the Player's Festival, that if Billy Lange was not the Hawks head coach, the team would not participate. When Lange, about to begin his 7th season on Hawk Hill, changed course on September 10 and accepted the New York Knicks offer to be an assistant coach under Mike Brown, the event replaced Saint Joseph's with hometown UNLV in the 18 team field.

Saint Joseph's misfortune becomes a benefit for Syracuse in this critical season, grabbing an extra home game, although technically there is a tad less value to winning at home as opposed to a neutral court. It also makes for an unusual December schedule this year for Adrian Autry and his players, because there is no early ACC game being played this season with the reduction of league games from 20-to-18.

After Syracuse faces Tennessee for the third-straight year in the ACC-SEC Challenge game in the Dome on December 2, the Orange will have an unusual 11-day break at that point in the season, before meeting Hofstra December 13.

A look at SU's final announced game opponent

A practically mid-September coaching change is almost unheard of in college basketball, but that is exactly what happened with the Hawks program. Lange received an attractive offer from Brown and the Knicks to get back into the NBA after serving as a 76ers assistant between 2013-19.

Fortunately for SJU, and no doubt part of Lange's thinking, former Penn coach Steve Donahue, who is most familiar to SU fans for his time at Cornell in the early 2000s, had been hired on the staff in May after being dismissed by the Quakers after 10 seasons. Donohue's presence brings stability and a vast knowledge of Philly hoops.

Saint Joseph's was 22-13 / 11-7 (A10) last season under Lange, but Donohue has some rebuilding to do with plenty of new faces this season.

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