Gerry McNamara is cooking up an old-school former Big East Conference reunion tour in his first season as Syracuse basketball's head coach.
I love it.
On Wednesday, CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein first reported that the Orange and Rutgers are "are working to finalize an agreement to meet next season at the Barclays Center" in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The 'Cuse and the Scarlet Knights are former Big East foes. In the 2013-14 campaign, Syracuse basketball departed the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference, while Rutgers bolted for the Big Ten Conference in 2014–15.
NEWS: Syracuse and Rutgers are working to finalize an agreement to meet next season at the Barclays Center, according to multiple sources.https://t.co/MBuRDDHtRD
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 20, 2026
Rothstein says that an official date for this non-conference encounter between the Orange and the Scarlet Knights is to be determined. In the 2025-26 season, the 'Cuse went 15-17 overall under then-head coach Adrian Autry, while Rutgers sported a 14-20 record.
The last time that these two programs met was in December of 2020, when Rutgers, at home, beat Syracuse basketball, 79-69, in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. In their all-time series together, per SU Athletics, the Orange is 38-10 against the Scarlet Knights.
Syracuse basketball's non-conference docket is shaping up nicely.
McNamara and his staff are compiling an enticing non-conference schedule for the upcoming 2026-27 stanza. SU is expected to have 14 non-conference encounters. Here's what we know so far:
•Syracuse basketball against Rutgers in New York City (Barclays Center)
•Syracuse basketball against Providence in Boston (TD Garden)
•Syracuse basketball against St. John's in New York City (Madison Square Garden)
•Syracuse basketball against Indiana in Indianapolis (Gainbridge Fieldhouse)
•Syracuse basketball against TBD opponent in ACC/SEC Challenge
•Syracuse basketball against Albany at the JMA Wireless Dome (per Rothstein)
•Syracuse basketball against both Colgate and Cornell (presumably, at the JMA Wireless Dome)
This non-conference calendar will feature five games against power conference teams, which is awesome for the Orange's possible post-season resume, assuming the 'Cuse can prevail in some of these affairs. Overall, SU has eight non-conference opponents here, with a half-dozen more to go.
The 'Cuse will square off against several squads, at neutral sites, that are expected to contend for bids to the 2027 NCAA Tournament. It's also great to see Syracuse basketball, under McNamara, play former Big East foes while suiting up in key recruiting hotbeds such as New York City and Boston, which are markets that also possess large contingents of SU fans.
Syracuse basketball is trying to get back to the Big Dance for the first time since 2021. The team is putting together a non-conference docket that can help the Orange get back to March Madness, so long as McNamara's 2026-27 roster is up to the challenge.
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