Indiana gets another early-season test Monday night, and this one comes with a little history attached. The Hoosiers will meet Syracuse at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis at 6:30 p.m. Eastern, with Indiana entering at 2-0 and the Orange also unbeaten at 2-0.
FS1 will carry the game with Connor Onion on play-by-play and Bill Raftery as analyst. Fans can also listen on the IU Radio Network with Don Fischer, Errek Suhr and John Herrick, or stream it on FOX Sports. Indiana is listed as about a 4.5-point favorite, and KenPom projects a 76-71 Hoosiers win.
The matchup also brings back a familiar name on the Syracuse sideline. Gerry McNamara is in his first season as head coach of the Orange after spending the last two seasons at Siena, where Indiana beat his team 81-60 on Dec. 22, 2025, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. McNamara was part of Syracuse’s 2003 national championship team and still owns school records for 3-pointers in a season with 107, 3-pointers in a career with 400 and career minutes played with 4,799.
McNamara brought several familiar faces with him from Siena. Gavin Doty, Francis Folefac and Tasman Goodrick all made the move, and both Folefac and Doty gave Indiana problems in that earlier meeting.
Folefac scored 19 points against the Hoosiers, while Doty added 16. Siena went on to make the 2026 NCAA Tournament and came close to upsetting No. 1 seed Duke.
Indiana’s history with Syracuse has been rough for a long time. The Hoosiers won the first meeting, the 1987 National Championship Game, 74-73 on Keith Smart’s baseline jumper in the closing seconds to secure the program’s fifth national title.
Since then, though, Syracuse has taken the last six meetings, including a 112-110 double-overtime classic at the Carrier Dome on Nov. 30, 2021.
Trayce Jackson-Davis put up 31 points and 16 rebounds in that loss.
Syracuse comes in having handled its first two games with ease. The Orange have outscored opponents by 69 points through two contests and have already put together a pair of big runs, an 18-0 stretch against New Haven and a 12-0 burst against Central Connecticut State.
Doty has been steady early, scoring in double figures in both games with 14 and 18 points. Sadiq White Jr. has made his presence felt on the glass, grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds in each of the first two outings. Kiyan Anthony, a former Indiana recruiting target, is averaging 15.5 points per game, and starting guard Garwey Dual is an Indiana native who attended Carmel H.S.
One other wrinkle: even though McNamara played for Jim Boeheim at Syracuse, he is not using the zone as the team’s base defense.
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