College basketball is back!
Tonight it’s an old Big East rivalry renewed as the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team heads to Connecticut to take on UConn.
Syracuse fans can get their first look of the 2026-27 Orange as two storied programs compete in an early-season exhibition. After two summer sessions and fall practices, this Syracuse squad is ready to compete against another team. The Orange get a chance to do that against a program that has played in three of the last four National Championship games.
Syracuse head coach Gerry McNamara, who played in the Syracuse-UConn rivalry at its peak during the 2000s, described UConn as “no ordinary opponent” for an exhibition.
“We get to challenge (ourselves) against one of the best programs in the country. That will be kind of the next step for us,” McNamara said. “(We’ll) play UConn and get a chance to see where we’re at against the best of the best. As we move the program forward I think this will be a great measuring tool for us of where we are and what we can work on and how we can move forward.”
Syracuse and UConn have history together as two charter members of the Big East Conference. The Orange left the Big East for the ACC in 2013 while UConn briefly left the conference that same year for the AAC before rejoining the Big East in 2020.
The two teams have clashed for historic games with eight meetings during the Big East Tournament from the years 2001-2012, including the 6OT epic in the 2009 Big East Tournament in which Syracuse outlasted UConn 127-117.
McNamara took down then-No. 1 UConn at the 2006 Big East Tournament quarterfinals which included a clutch three just before time expired in regulation to send the game into extra time. Syracuse won in overtime, all but securing an NCAA Tournament bid before the Orange went on to take the Big East Tournament crown.
UConn returned the favor years later, taking down Syracuse in overtime in the 2011 Big East Tournament semifinals en route to the program’s third National Championship. The two Hall of Fame coaches in Jim Boeheim and Jim Calhoun were an even split 27-27 against each other over the course of their careers. There were seemingly boundless bouts of really good basketball.
The two programs have met just four times since departing the Big East with the series split 2-2. UConn has been arguably the best program in college basketball this century. Dan Hurley has taken the program back to win two National Championships.
“What Danny’s done is incredible,” McNamara said. “I think it’s going to be a great measuring stick and a great opportunity for our guys to go against one of the best programs in the country.”
Hurley talked Monday about brining the Syracuse-UConn rivalry back for an annual non-conference game at Madison Square Garden.
Syracuse will look to use this game as a litmus test to see which lineups work and to deploy its bench but guys still want to execute and compete — not unusual for how college coaches and college teams use these exhibition games. Don’t expect to see Syracuse pull out all the stops.
“Just see what we need to improve on,” Gavin Doty said of Syracuse’s approach against UConn. “Obviously we’re going down there to win. It’s another basketball game. I don’t care if it doesn’t count for our schedule or not, we’re going down there to win a basketball game.”
With 15 scholarship players Syracuse could go deep into its bench for this one.
“For us we’ve got a lot of guys,” McNamara said. “For me these exhibition games have to be giving these guys an opportunity to showcase themselves. I’m not saying we’re going to sacrifice result. I’m not saying that because when we’re under the whistle I’m going to do what and I’m going to try to coach to win but I think it’s important over these first three exhibition games that we get these guys on the court, different lineups and see how they look together.”
Syracuse players with nagging injuries might not play as much as they normally would, McNamara said, giving depth guys more of an opportunity. We don’t have to read too much into playing time for this exhibition.
“We’re probably going to play 13 or 14 guys throughout that scrimmage just to see where we’re at,” Kiyan Anthony said. “We’re not looking at it like a win-or-go-home type of situation but we are trying to win. This first scrimmage will show us where we’re at and what we have to keep working on or if we’re in the right spot. I think we can go out and compete with UConn really well.”
Early season indications out of Syracuse have 6-foot-5 point guard Garwey Dual as the team’s top defender. Dual, who missed two months in the summer due to a broken collarbone, is back healthy and expected to play against UConn (McNamara confirmed Friday).
Big East Preseason Player of the Year Silas Demary Jr. is expected to play for UConn after dealing with an illness in recent weeks, per Sam Federman. Huskies star guard Braylon Mullins will not play tonight.
Syracuse and UConn tip at 7 p.m. from Mohegan Sun Arena. Fans can stream the game on cuse.com.