Syracuse’s non-conference picture keeps filling in, and the latest piece is a home date with Central Connecticut State.
The Orange will host the Blue Devils on Nov. 5 inside the JMA Wireless Dome, another step in the process of locking down first-year coach Gerry McNamara’s 2026-27 schedule. It’s not as eye-catching as the recently announced matchups with Indiana and Providence, but it does give Syracuse another confirmed game as the calendar takes shape.
Central Connecticut State finished last season 18-12 overall and 12-6 in Northeast Conference play. Syracuse, meanwhile, went 15-17 and missed the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight year, which led to the firing of Adrian Autry and McNamara’s promotion.
The meeting will be only the second between the programs on the hardwood. Their last matchup came on New Year’s Eve in 2012, when Syracuse rolled to a 96-62 win.
With this announcement, the Orange now have several non-conference games on the books. Syracuse will open at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis against Indiana on Nov. 9, then face Oklahoma on Dec. 1 as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge.
The Orange also are set to play Providence in Boston at TD Garden on Dec. 19.
One more matchup remains unresolved: Syracuse and St. John’s have been discussed for a game at Madison Square Garden, but the date and time have not been finalized. Syracuse also knows its ACC opponents and where those games will be played, though the league dates and times are still to come.
In Other News...
National Verdict Raises Big Syracuse Question About Gerry McNamara's Roster
The early national read on Gerry McNamaras roster work is encouraging enough to matter, even if it stops short of a full endorsement. The Athletics latest grading of high-major coaching hires gave Syracuse a B- for its transfer portal haul, with the broader construction of the 2026-27 roster earning a B+ thanks in part to the size and positional shape McNamara has assembled. It is the kind of roster that suggests the Orange can at least choose their defensive identity rather than be forced into one, which is notable given the lingering conversation around how much zone this group might actually play.
Still, the same evaluation leaves the more important Syracuse question hanging in the air: whether the pieces fit cleanly enough on the other end to make the roster more than just intriguing on paper. The Athletic pointed to concerns about ball-handling, shooting and overall cohesion, even as the Orange added Siena transfer Gavin Doty as their only top-100 portal addition in the grading. For a program trying to reset under McNamara, the size is a start, but the real test will be whether that structure translates into a lineup that makes sense once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse May Have Found Its Most Intriguing Rebuild Piece Yet
Syracuses push to rebuild after a 3-9 season is already leaning heavily on the transfer portal, and one of the more interesting additions is a receiver who arrives with both pedigree and room to grow. The Orange need help across the offense, and the timing makes the wideout room especially worth watching as departures open snaps and the staff looks for players who can help change the shape of the attack in 2026.
The appeal here is not just the name on the roster, but the possibility that Syracuse may have landed someone who still has plenty of runway left. He comes in with three years of eligibility remaining and a background that once made him one of the more highly regarded receivers in his class, which gives the Orange a developmental piece as much as an immediate one. With so much unsettled around the offense, his chance to carve out a role could become one of the more revealing storylines of the offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Gerry McNamara Is Already Testing Syracuse In Elite Recruiting Battles
Syracuses staff is wasting no time under Gerry McNamara, getting active in the earliest stages of the recruiting calendar and reaching out to a wave of high school prospects in the 2028 class. Since June 15, the Orange have initiated contact and extended scholarship offers to multiple young players, including several high-end names that already signal how aggressively the program wants to compete for top talent before those battles really take shape.
The list also stretches beyond 2028, with Syracuse already making at least one offer in the 2029 class as well. For a program trying to keep pace in elite recruiting circles, that kind of early positioning matters, even if the full board is still taking shape and the next big question is which of those early targets will become real Orange priorities down the line. [Read more 🡒]