Gerry McNamara has interest in playing Syracuse but let's save that for another time

Syracuse basketball legend Gerry McNamara, who had a tremendous career on the Hill and helped the program win its only national title in 2003, did a terrific job in his debut stint as the head coach of Siena a year ago.

To put it in perspective, the Saints went 4-28 overall and 3-17 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference ("MAAC") competition in 2023-24. GMac, in 2024-25, led Siena to a 10-win improvement, as the Saints a stanza ago sported a 14-18 overall mark and a 9-11 record in MAAC play.

Earlier this week, top writer Mark Singelais of the Times Union asked GMac if there's a chance that Siena could face his alma mater, Syracuse, in the 2025-26 non-conference docket. McNamara's response: "That'd be nice, wouldn't it? We'll see, we'll see. We'll see if they'll play. We'll see."

On the face of it, what a beautiful, fun story it would prove if McNamara and Siena headed to the JMA Wireless Dome later this year to take on the Orange. However, I'm going to opine in this column as to why I don't want this match-up in 2025-26.

Here's why I don't want Siena to play Syracuse basketball in the upcoming campaign.

The Orange, as we all know, has missed the Big Dance on four straight occasions. In 2024-25, the 'Cuse suffered through its worst season in decades, and head coach Adrian Autry, in my humble opinion, has to get the Orange back to March Madness in 2025-26, or I think SU Athletics might fire him.

Okay. Here's the context. For Syracuse basketball to return to the NCAA Tournament in the spring of 2026, obviously, it has to win games. A lot of them. But the team also has to defeat high-quality foes to bolster its NCAA NET ranking.

Earlier this spring, Atlantic Coast Conference officials decided to increase the number of non-conference contests for its members, from 11 to 13, while decreasing league affairs from 20 to 18. Why do this? ACC officials want their conference schools to have the ability to schedule more marquee non-conference games.

I mean not a single iota of disrespect here to GMac and his program, but the Orange playing Siena would not be a marquee non-conference encounter for the 'Cuse. For example, in 2024-25, Siena had an NCAA NET ranking of No. 259, while Syracuse basketball checked in at No. 133.

If the Saints, in 2025-26, have a similar NET, such a game would be a quadrant-four affair for the Orange. Thus, assuming the 'Cuse prevails, it does nothing for its post-season resume. And if somehow Siena shocked Syracuse basketball, that would be devastating to the Orange's NET ranking.

Now, to be fair, with a 13-game non-conference slate, the 'Cuse will have some "softer" contests included. Also, while the ACC wasn't good a stanza ago, with only four members making the Big Dance (Duke did go to the Four Four), there is some chatter that the league will be better in 2025-26.

Hall of Famer and former long-time Syracuse basketball head coach Jim Boeheim said as much earlier this week. If the ACC is improved, that could help the Orange's resume, assuming it doesn't stink in league play.

SU Athletics has yet to release the team's full non-conference schedule. Per various media reports of late, Syracuse basketball will square off against Drexel in Philadelphia, host Binghamton, Mercyhurst and Tennessee (ACC/SEC Challenge), and get three games in the NIL-driven Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.

So Siena could, theoretically, slot in as one of the six remaining non-conference opponents for the Orange. And it would be awesome. I'd just rather save it until the 2026-27 season, when, hopefully, the 'Cuse will have snapped its four-year absence from March Madness.