Syracuse basketball looks to get back into the win column on Wednesday night after a tough loss to Hofstra by one point last Saturday on the Hill.
On Wednesday evening, the Orange will host non-conference foe Mercyhurst at the JMA Wireless Dome in the first-ever meeting between the programs. This game is scheduled to tip off at 7:00 pm EST on December 17, with live coverage on the ACC Network Extra.
Last season, Mercyhurst went 15-16 overall in its first term as a Division I school, in the Northeast Conference. The Lakers, located in Erie, Pa., are 4-7 overall to date in the 2025-26 season. They were picked to finish at No. 4 in the Northeast Conference this term, according to the league's preseason Coaches' poll.
Syracuse basketball enters this encounter at 6-4 overall following a 70-69 setback to Hofstra at the Dome over the weekend. It was a damaging result for the Orange's potential postseason resume. The 'Cuse is trying to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.
Syracuse basketball must sweep its next three games.
The Orange has three non-conference games before it begins Atlantic Coast Conference competition at home against Clemson on New Year's Eve. Syracuse basketball has to decisively beat Mercyhurst, Northeastern and Stonehill.
All three of these non-conference opponents are quadrant-four games and won't move the needle for the Orange's resume. At the time of this writing, Syracuse basketball was No. 92 overall in the NCAA NET rankings.
The Lakers have lost five of their last six affairs. They are a sub-par offensive team, averaging just 65.6 points per game while making 44.9 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from beyond the arc and 58.3 percent from the free-throw line.
That doesn't bode well, as the 'Cuse gives up 65.0 points per contest, good for No. 25 nationally. The Orange makes 56.8 percent from the charity stripe, which is dead last in the country, although Mercyhurst isn't much better.
We'll have to see if Syracuse basketball power forward Donnie Freeman is available against the Lakers on Wednesday night. He has missed the past six games due to a lower-body injury.