Syracuse’s first look at the Gerry McNamara era comes Tuesday night, and even if it’s only an exhibition, the matchup carries a little extra juice. The Orange will face UConn at 7 p.m. ET at Mohegan Sun Arena, opening the season against a longtime Big East rival that Syracuse fans know well.
The two programs have met 90 official times since 1950, with Syracuse holding a 53-37 edge. They have not played a real game against each other since 2018, but McNamara said after taking the job that he wanted to reconnect with some of Syracuse’s historic rivals.
UConn is on that list, along with St. John’s, Rutgers and Providence this season.
One of the biggest things to watch is Kiyan Anthony’s physical development. In an era when transfer-heavy rosters are packed with older players, it’s easy to overlook what a freshman can become over time.
Anthony showed flashes in his first year, but there was still obvious room to grow, especially with added strength. By all accounts, he has made major gains in the offseason, and he looked different in person on Monday night when the Syracuse women played the UConn women.
That extra power should help him finish through contact, get to the basket more cleanly and hold up better on the defensive end.
The roster around him is almost completely new, so Tuesday should also offer the first real look at Syracuse’s newcomers. The Orange lost their entire starting lineup from last season and bring back only Anthony and Sadiq White Jr. as meaningful returners. That means the spotlight is on players like Aiden Tobiason, who could change the team’s 3-point shooting, Garwey Dual, who has drawn praise for his defense, Gavin Doty, who is expected to bring both leadership and scoring from his time at Siena in the MAAC, and Luke Wilson, a defensive presence from Appalachian State.
Then there’s the question of the starting five. McNamara appears to have built a roster with plenty of depth and a lot of players who can contribute, but no clear-cut star at the top.
With so many pieces carrying similar weight in the rotation, how he sorts out the minutes is still very much up in the air. Tuesday should give the first clues.
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Syracuse Gets An Early Rivalry Test Fans Have Missed For Years
After years without seeing one another on the floor, Syracuse and UConn are finally set to meet again Tuesday night in an exhibition at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. It is the first matchup between the longtime rivals since 2018, and while it will not count in the all-time series, it still offers a familiar jolt of interest for two fan bases that know the history well.
For both programs, the game is more than a nostalgic nod to an old Big East feel. It gives the coaching staffs a chance to sort through rotations, evaluate new pieces and get a better read on lineups before the regular season begins, all against an opponent that can quickly expose what still needs work. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuses Lone Freshman Could Force His Way Into A Bigger Role
Ryan Moeschs path to Syracuse has already been a little unusual, and that is part of what makes him one of the more interesting pieces on this roster. A four-star prospect from Central New York, he first committed to Siena before following coach Gerry McNamara to Syracuse, a move that gave him a chance to stay close to home while joining a program he grew up around. For Moesch, the chance to wear Syracuse on his chest carries a hometown pride that goes well beyond the usual freshman storyline.
He is expected to open the season as a backup guard, which makes his early role fairly clear even if his long-term one is not. Freshmen do not often arrive with a direct path to meaningful minutes, especially in a rotation where the staff will want reliability from the outset, but Moesch has the kind of local connection and recruiting pedigree that can keep him in the conversation if he proves ready. How much he plays may be decided over time, and that gives Syracuse one of its more intriguing subplots as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuses Early KenPom Outlook Puts Gerry McNamara On The Spot
KenPoms preseason ratings for the 2026-27 college basketball season give Syracuse a modest early lift, slotting the Orange at No. 80 overall after a rough recent stretch. It is an improvement from where the program finished last season, and it comes as the school turns the page from Adrian Autry and hands the job to Gerry McNamara, whose first order of business is to steady a program that still has plenty to prove.
The ACC picture does not make that task any easier, either. Syracuse opens at No. 14 in the conference in KenPoms preseason view, which leaves little margin for error once league play arrives. McNamara inherits a team that at least starts from a better statistical place than a year ago, but the broader question is whether that modest bump translates into something more meaningful by the end of the season. [Read more 🡒]