Syracuse basketball is a betting favorite against Notre Dame on Saturday night in Central New York.
At the time of this writing, FanDuel had the Orange as a 4.5-point betting favorite, with the over/under set at 143.5 points. The 'Cuse and the Fighting Irish will go toe to toe beginning at 6:00 pm EST on Saturday, Jan. 31, with television coverage on The CW Network.
The Orange (12-9 overall, 3-5 in ACC) is trying to snap a four-game setback streak, with numerous high school football recruits expected at the JMA Wireless Dome for the Notre Dame game as part of a Syracuse football junior day.
It's a little surprising that the 'Cuse is a 4.5-point betting favorite, given Syracuse basketball's recent struggles. Then again, the Fighting Irish (11-10 overall, 2-6 in ACC) isn't having such a great 2025-26 season to date, either.
Key metrics when Syracuse basketball hosts Notre Dame on Saturday evening.
Syracuse basketball
NCAA NET ranking: No. 79 overall
Home record: 9-4
Neutral-site record: 1-3
Road record: 2-2
Quadrant-one record: 1-5
Quadrant-two record: 1-2
Quadrant-three record: 2-2
Quadrant-four record: 8-0
KenPom rating: No. 77 overall
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: No. 92
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: No. 70
Notre Dame
NCAA NET ranking: No. 80 overall
Home record: 8-4
Neutral-site record: 1-2
Road record: 2-4
Quadrant-one record: 1-8
Quadrant-two record: 1-1
Quadrant-three record: 3-0
Quadrant-four record: 6-1
KenPom rating: No. 79 overall
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: No. 89
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: No. 78
It won't be easy, but Orange coaches and players have to block out the noise on Saturday. If some fans boo, the team has to ignore that as best it can. It's important for Syracuse basketball to get off to a good start against Notre Dame, which hopefully will get the crowd energized.
The 'Cuse is having a tough time putting forth strong second-half performances lately. I have a hard time believing that this is due to fatigue, because head coach Adrian Autry is often relying on an eight or nine-man rotation.
The Orange must stick to the basics. Maximum energy and effort. Solid defense. Take care of the ball with precision. Get some easy points out in transition. Don't get dominated on the glass. Have good flow, player movement and ball movement on offense, rather than iso ball nonsense resulting in contested 3-point attempts.
Oh, and make free throws. Go, 'Cuse!