Syracuse basketball adds two New York foes, non-conference firming up

Syracuse basketball has its ACC schedule in place, plus some of its non-conference slate.

Syracuse basketball is about two weeks away from commencing its shortened 2020-21 campaign amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, and the Orange’s non-conference docket is inching toward completion.

The ‘Cuse athletics department has announced that Syracuse basketball will host fellow New York state team Buffalo on Dec. 19 from the Carrier Dome, the first meeting between the two squads since the Bulls knocked off the Orange roughly two years ago.

Separately, Donna Ditota of Syracuse.com reports that the ‘Cuse expects to play another school in relatively close proximity, Binghamton, on the Hill. An official announcement from Syracuse University hasn’t happened yet, and a date for this match-up versus the Bearcats isn’t publicly known.

Already this week, the Orange has found out its 20-game Atlantic Coast Conference schedule, and now we await the ‘Cuse non-conference calendar, which will feature up to seven contests.

Besides Binghamton and Buffalo, the Orange will suit up against Bryant on Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving, in what is assumed the Syracuse basketball 2020-21 season opener.

The ‘Cuse will make a trip to Rutgers on Dec. 8 as part of the 2020 ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

The Orange and former Big East Conference rival Georgetown are also reportedly exploring an encounter on the Hill sometime in January of 2021.

If all of these duels move forward, then Syracuse basketball would have two more non-conference affairs left to fill up its entire 2020-21 schedule.

Syracuse basketball owns historical success over Empire State teams Binghamton and Buffalo.

Per orangehoops.org, the Orange is 5-0 all-time in its short series with Binghamton. In their most recent bout, the ‘Cuse defeated the Bearcats at home by a count of 93-65 on Dec. 7, 2013.

That amounted to Syracuse basketball’s first stanza in the ACC, a term when the Orange raced to a 25–0 start and ended up losing in the 2014 NCAA Tournament’s round of 32 to Dayton.

As it pertains to Buffalo, the ‘Cuse is 28-6 overall against the Bulls. However, Buffalo snapped an 18-game victory streak for the Orange in this series on Dec. 18, 2018, when the Bulls bested Syracuse basketball inside the Dome, 71-59.

Given the pandemic, it’s logical for the ‘Cuse to have non-conference contests in 2020-21 versus squads that are also located in New York or in other nearby states.