Rutgers and Syracuse are finally set to meet again, with The Knight Report confirming the non-conference matchup will take place on February 6 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The game had been floated earlier in the off-season, when CBS reporter Jon Rothstein said the two programs were working toward a scheduling agreement. Now it’s official, and it pairs two teams that both had rough stretches last season.
Syracuse finished 15-17 overall and 6-12 in ACC play. The bright spot came against No.
13 Tennessee, when the Orange pulled out a 62-60 win. But the season unraveled late, as Syracuse dropped its final six games and went 2-8 over its last 10.
The Rutgers-Syracuse history gives this one a little extra edge. The schools were longtime Big East rivals, though Syracuse controlled the series when both were in the same league.
Rutgers didn’t beat the Orange until the 10th meeting, and that first win came in 2020, after the Scarlet Knights had already moved to the Big Ten. Even with the teams playing every season from 2003-2004 through 2012-2013, Rutgers never managed a win in that span.
Now the Scarlet Knights head into this matchup with some new momentum pieces of their own. Young standouts Lino Mark and Kaden Powers are continuing to develop, and Rutgers has added transfer portal talent as well. Syracuse, meanwhile, lost its top two scorers to the portal but brought in two four-star transfers in small forward Gavin Doty and guard Carwey Dual.
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