Does Vegas know something that we don't? Maybe. Maybe not.
Syracuse basketball will welcome non-conference opponent Mercyhurst to the JMA Wireless Dome on Wednesday evening in the first-ever meeting between the two teams. Here's how to watch.
On Tuesday evening, some friends of mine in a Syracuse chat forum noted that the Orange was roughly a 21.5-point betting favorite over the Lakers. By Wednesday afternoon, when I wrote this column, the 'Cuse was anointed a 26.5-point betting favorite against Mercyhurst, according to FanDuel, with the over/under set at 130.5 points.
Now, some fellow Orange fans are speculating that the spread growing could be due to something such as possibly Donnie Freeman, a sophomore power forward, being back in the line-up. Freeman, who had been the team's leading scorer in the early stage of the 2025-26 season, has missed the past six games due to a lower-body injury.
Syracuse basketball power forward Donnie Freeman "is not dressing" today against Hofstra at the Dome, a team spokesperson just told our @DAMNTWIN. Freeman has missed the past five games with a lower-body injury.
— InsideTheLoudHouse (@LoudHouseFS) December 13, 2025
When I wrote this story, there had been no official word from SU Athletics one way or another about Freeman's status against Mercyhurst. I'll check in with a Syracuse basketball spokesperson later on Wednesday to see if Freeman will be playing versus the Lakers.
Syracuse basketball needs to blow out Mercyhurst on Wednesday night.
Following a bad one-point loss to Hofstra at home last Saturday, the Orange sits at 6-4 overall, with three non-conference contests left before the 'Cuse opens Atlantic Coast Conference Competition against Clemson on New Year's Eve at the Dome.
Mercyhurst, a member of the Northeast Conference, is in its second season as a Division I school. The Lakers are 4-7 overall this term and come to the Hill with an NCAA NET ranking of No. 318. This is a quadrant-four game for the Orange.
Not only must Syracuse basketball beat Mercyhurst at home, but the 'Cuse also has to win its final three non-conference encounters by big margins so that its NET rating and other metrics don't slide.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Orange's NET ranking stood at No. 90 overall. The 'Cuse got a boost from Tennessee, which on Tuesday night crushed top-15 Louisville in Knoxville, Tenn. That result boosted the Volunteers' NET rating to No. 22. Since the 'Cuse upset Tennessee earlier this month in the annual ACC/SEC Challenge, that triumph for Syracuse basketball is now a quadrant-one win.