Syracuse Basketball: How to watch Orange play Greg Paulus-led Niagara at Dome

Syracuse basketball, which has won three straight and five of its last six games, will wrap up its 2023-24 non-conference docket on Thursday evening when the Orange hosts fellow Empire State team Niagara.

This past Sunday, in South Dakota, the ‘Cuse (8-3) notched a solid non-conference victory on a neutral floor. Syracuse basketball put the clamps down on the defensive end, and the Orange defeated Pac-12 Conference school Oregon by 20 points.

Now the ‘Cuse is set to play Niagara (3-6) out of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, a program that is located in the Buffalo, N.Y., region.

The Purple Eagles, winners of two contests in a row, are led by head coach Greg Paulus, a Central New York native who played one season as a graduate student at quarterback for Syracuse football.

How to watch Syracuse basketball battle Niagara on the Hill.

The Orange and the Purple Eagles will face off on Thursday, Dec. 21, beginning at 5 pm. Coverage will be available on the ACC Network Extra as well as on fuboTV.

To make matters more fun, Syracuse football will play in its bowl game later on Thursday night, as the Orange looks to close out its 2023 season at 7-6 overall.

In their all-time series together, per SU Athletics, Syracuse basketball is 55-28 against Niagara, and the ‘Cuse has captured 10 straight successes in this series.

Assuming that the Orange can get past the Purple Eagles, that would give the ‘Cuse a more than credible 9-2 record during its relatively challenging non-conference calendar.

Here is Niagara’s resume so far in 2023-24. It has wins versus Saint Francis (Pa.), Buffalo State and NJIT, while the Purple Eagles have fallen to Notre Dame, Bucknell, Hawaii, Saint Peter’s, Quinnipiac and St. Bonaventure.

When I wrote this article on Tuesday, KenPom had Niagara at No. 326 overall, as compared to No. 81 nationally for the Orange. In the NCAA’s NET rankings, the Purple Eagles were No. 334, while Syracuse basketball arrived at No. 75.

Niagara averages 74.0 points per game but allows a sub-par 75.8 points. The Purple Eagles average 27.7 rebounds and commit 11.0 turnovers per contest, while connecting on 48.0 percent from the field, 75.3 percent from the free-throw line and 37.6 percent from beyond the arc.

On the flip side, the Orange scores 77.7 points per game and gives up 70.1 points. Syracuse basketball grabs 38.0 boards per meeting and commits 12.7 miscues. So far this season, the ‘Cuse is hitting on 45.2 percent from the field, 72.5 percent from the charity stripe and 33.3 percent from 3-point land.

After the Orange (hopefully) beats Niagara to culminate non-conference play, the ‘Cuse will get into the meat of its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule.

First up, after some time off during winter break, Syracuse basketball will host Pittsburgh. This league clash is set to tip off at noon on Saturday, Dec. 30, with television coverage on The CW Network.