Syracuse basketball, which got back into the win column last Wednesday night in a double-overtime thriller over California, will host another Atlantic Coast Conference foe from across the country on Saturday afternoon, as SMU and its high-octane offense will arrive on the Hill.
The Orange (14-11 overall, 5-7 in ACC) had gone through a rough 1-6 stretch, but the 'Cuse showed a lot of fight and grit in notching a 107-100 victory against Cal at the Dome, amid a power outage in Central New York. Now, the 'Cuse is set to welcome the Mustangs to town.
Currently, SMU is hovering just inside the top eight of the ACC standings, and the Mustangs are a contender to hear their name called on Selection Sunday for the 2026 NCAA Tournament. At the time of this writing, the Bracket Matrix Web site forecast SMU as a No. 9 seed in the upcoming Big Dance.
How to watch SMU at Syracuse basketball on Saturday.
The Orange and the Mustangs (17-7 overall, 6-5 in ACC) are scheduled to tip off at 2:00 pm EST on Saturday, Feb. 14, with television coverage on The CW Network (Happy Valentine's Day!). In their short all-time series together, Syracuse basketball is 0-2 against SMU, and both setbacks occurred last season.
The Orange fell to the Mustangs in Dallas by two points, 77-75, during the 2024-25 regular season. Then, in the ACC Tournament's second round, from Charlotte, N.C., the No. 14 seed Syracuse basketball lost to No. 6 seed SMU by a final count of 73-53, ending a brutal 14-19 campaign for SU.
Here is the Mustangs' 2025-26 resume to date. They own wins over Tarleton State, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Murray State, Butler, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Arkansas State, Radford, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Central Arkansas, Cal State Fullerton, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Florida State, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame.
On the flip side, SMU has lost to Vanderbilt, LSU, Clemson, Duke, Virginia, Louisville and N.C. State. When I penned this column, Syracuse basketball had an NCAA NET ranking of No. 68. The Mustangs are No. 34, making this a quadrant-two opportunity for the Orange.
SMU is an excellent offensive team, ranking in the top 20 nationally in points per game while checking in at No. 15 via KenPom in adjusted offensive efficiency. That will test a 'Cuse defense that has struggled a lot of late.
The Mustangs score 86.5 points per game and allow 77.5 points. They average 38.0 rebounds, 17.7 assists, 7.5 steals, 3.8 blocks and 11.7 turnovers per contest while making 49.7 percent from the field, 76.2 percent from the free-throw line and 37.9 percent from 3-point range, which is No. 2 in the ACC.
Syracuse basketball, meanwhile, scores 76.4 points per affair and gives up 71.9 points. The Orange averages 35.0 rebounds, 13.2 assists, 6.9 steals, 6.2 blocks and 11.4 turnovers per game while connecting on 47.4 percent from the field, 63.3 percent from the charity stripe and 33.1 percent from long range.