Syracuse Basketball: In adding LSU, Canisius, non-conference looks done

The Syracuse basketball non-conference schedule during the 2023-24 campaign seems to be wrapped up, at least unofficially anyway.

Not too long ago, SU Athletics said that the Orange will host Canisius, which is located in nearby Buffalo, on Wednesday, Nov. 8. And earlier this week, we got word that the ‘Cuse would welcome LSU to Central New York on Tuesday, Nov. 28, as part of the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge.

By my count, nine of the Orange’s 11 non-conference contests in 2023-24 have been officially announced. My assumption is that Syracuse basketball will also travel to Georgetown and play regular foe Cornell at the JMA Wireless Dome, and I’ve seen media reports echoing this.

That would give the ‘Cuse its full 11-game non-conference docket in the upcoming season, and on paper, this calendar appears to be a challenging one.

Syracuse basketball will face a tough non-conference slate in 2023-24.

Excluding a road game versus the Hoyas and a home affair against Cornell, here are the nine officially announced non-conference encounters for the Orange in the upcoming season:

•New Hampshire at the Dome on Monday, Nov. 6

•Canisius at the Dome on Wednesday, Nov. 8

•Colgate at the Dome on Tuesday, Nov. 14

•Three TBD opponents at the 2023 Maui Jim Maui Invitational in Maui, Hawaii, from Monday, Nov. 20, until Wednesday, Nov. 22 (the eight-team field consists of the Orange, Gonzaga, Kansas, Marquette, Purdue, Tennessee, UCLA and Chaminade)

•LSU at the Dome on Tuesday, Nov. 28 (ACC/SEC Challenge)

•Oregon in Sioux Falls, S.D., on Sunday, Dec. 17

•Niagara at the Dome on Thursday, Dec. 21

Given that Syracuse basketball will play neutral-site games in Maui and against Oregon, along with at Georgetown, the ‘Cuse getting LSU on the Hill was favorable for the Orange.

Syracuse basketball and the Tigers out of the Southeastern Conference have only met once before, when the ‘Cuse beat LSU at the Dome, 76-64, in February of 1985. A season ago, when Syracuse basketball went 17-15 overall, the Tigers sported a 14-19 mark under first-year head coach Matt McMahon.

According to SU Athletics, the Orange holds an all-time lead of 46-24 over Canisius, which is a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (“MAAC”). These two teams haven’t met since December of 2012, when Syracuse basketball knocked off the Golden Griffins at home, 85-61.

The ‘Cuse has won 21 match-ups in a row versus Canisius, in a series that dates back to 1945. We’ll of course monitor when official announcements are assumably disclosed on the Orange’s expected games with Georgetown and Cornell.

In the meantime, I think that the ‘Cuse will have ample opportunities to pick up some strong victories during the non-conference portion of its 2023-24 season, the first campaign with Adrian Autry at the helm as the Syracuse basketball head coach.