Starting in Vegas, Syracuse basketball has critical stretch coming to show it belongs

To be the best, you have to conquer the best. And Syracuse basketball will play some excellent teams coming up over a vital four-game stretch in which the Orange can show the country that it's a squad worth taking seriously.

The 'Cuse has missed four straight NCAA Tournaments. Adrian Autry, in his third season as the Orange's head coach, has made it clear that the program's overarching goal in the 2025-26 season is to play meaningful games in March.

For Syracuse basketball to hear its name called on Selection Sunday, the team will need to have some quality wins both in its non-conference docket, and during Atlantic Coast Conference competition.

Regarding the Orange's 13-game non-conference schedule, the next four games give the 'Cuse an opportunity to notch marquee triumphs to bolster its post-season resume. It's one thing to beat up on mid-majors. It's another thing to battle opponents that will likely be in the hunt for the 2026 Final Four.

Syracuse basketball can prove it's a legit March Madness team.

Next week, at the NIL-driven Players Era Festival, the Orange will play No. 2 Houston on Monday, No. 24 Kansas on Tuesday and a third foe to be determined on either Wednesday or Thursday. Then, in early December, the next game for the 'Cuse will be at home against No. 20 Tennessee in the ACC/SEC Challenge.

If Syracuse basketball can notch two wins in those four games, that will be massive for the Orange's resume. Another important component, regarding metrics, is for the 'Cuse to be competitive in all four of these non-conference contests, three of which are at a neutral site.

On Friday evening, when I wrote this column, Syracuse basketball stood at No. 1 nationally in points allowed per game, at 53.2. That's highly encouraging, given that a season ago, the 'Cuse gave up nearly 78 points per contest.

We'll see just how good Syracuse basketball is on both ends of the floor against Houston, which on Friday night was No. 2 overall at KenPom. Kansas is No. 30, while Tennessee is No. 13 (the 'Cuse was at No. 55). NCAA NET rankings aren't yet out in the 2025-26 campaign, although all these affairs figure to be quadrant-one chances for the Orange.

Autry said last month: "You got to play these games to win these games. So now we got to go there and we got to compete. We got to play well and we got to win."

It's time for Syracuse basketball to show college basketball that it can hang with - and beat - the big boys.