After an uninspiring home victory over Mercyhurst earlier this week, Syracuse basketball returns to the Hill on Saturday to face Northeastern.
The Orange (7-4 overall) has two non-conference games left before it commences Atlantic Coast Conference competition on New Year's Eve against Clemson at the JMA Wireless Dome. Northeastern (4-5 overall), meanwhile, beat Central Connecticut in its last outing, following two straight setbacks before that win.
Northeastern is a member of the Coastal Athletic Association ("CAA"). The 'Cuse has already faced three other CAA schools during the 2025-26 season. Syracuse basketball defeated Drexel and Monmouth but lost to Hofstra at the Dome on December 13. Northeastern was picked to finish at No. 9 in the CAA, according to that league's preseason poll.
The Orange and the Huskies are scheduled to tip off at 4:00 pm EST on Saturday, Dec. 20, with streaming coverage on the ACC Network Extra. In their all-time series together, per SU Athletics, Syracuse basketball is 9-0 against Northeastern, which is located in Boston.
Syracuse basketball eyes its second consecutive win.
When I wrote this article, FanDuel had the 'Cuse as a 14.5-point betting favorite over the Huskies, with the over/under set at 143.5 points. Let's see if sophomore power forward Donnie Freeman, who has missed the past seven games with a lower-body injury, finally returns to the court.
The Orange is No. 95 in the NCAA NET rankings, while Northeastern is No. 204, making this a quadrant-four contest for Syracuse basketball, and a game that it can ill-afford to lose.
The Huskies average 72.1 points per affair and allow 73.3 points. They average 33.7 rebounds, 13.8 assists, 8.3 steals, 4.0 blocks and 13.6 turnovers per game while making 44.6 percent from the field, 70.6 percent from the free-throw line and 31.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Syracuse basketball scores 72.9 points per contest and gives up 64.7 points. The Orange averages 35.8 rebounds, 13.6 assists, 7.4 steals, 6.5 blocks and 11.2 turnovers per encounter while connecting on 46.3 percent from the field, 58.0 percent from the charity stripe and 30.0 percent from downtown.