Syracuse basketball will battle former Big East rival at the Barclays Center - in February

Syracuse basketball and former Big East Conference rival Rutgers are headed to the Big Apple for a non-conference encounter in the 2026-27 season that will take place next year.

The Orange and the Scarlet Knights will face off on Saturday, Feb. 6, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., two sources confirmed to Inside the Loud House on Wednesday. Syracuse.com first reported the date of this matchup on Wednesday, after Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports noted this past May that the two teams were working on an agreement to square off in New York City.

When Inside the Loud House asked an Atlantic Coast Conference spokesperson about this game on Wednesday, the spokesperson declined to comment.

SU's first-year head coach, Gerry McNamara, has said that he wants to play former Big East rivals, although Rutgers is now in the Big Ten Conference. In 2026-27, the Orange will play former Big East rivals Providence and St. John's, although the contest against the Red Storm hasn't been officially announced.

Last season, the 'Cuse went 15-17 overall, while Rutgers was even worse, going just 14-20. In their all-time series together, per SU Athletics, Syracuse basketball is 38-10 against the Scarlet Knights. The programs last met in December 2020, when Rutgers beat the Orange at home, 79-69, as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, an event that's no longer in existence.

Typically, non-conference games occur in the early stages of a regular season, but we are seeing more out-of-conference affairs take place after the calendar year turns over. In 2026-27, the 'Cuse is expected to have 14 non-conference games and 18 ACC contests.

Here's the full Syracuse basketball non-conference docket for the upcoming campaign.

•Syracuse basketball against New Haven at the Dome on Monday, Nov. 2
•Syracuse basketball against Central Connecticut State at the Dome on Thursday, Nov. 5.
•Syracuse basketball against Indiana at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Monday, Nov. 9
•Syracuse basketball against Cornell at the Dome on Wednesday, Nov. 18
•Syracuse basketball against Lafayette at the Dome on Saturday, Nov. 21
•Syracuse basketball at Oklahoma on Tuesday, Dec. 1 (annual ACC/SEC Challenge)
•Syracuse basketball against Colgate at the Dome on Tuesday, Dec. 8
•Syracuse basketball against Mercyhurst at the Dome on Saturday, Dec. 12
•Syracuse basketball against Canisius at the Dome on Wednesday, Dec. 16
•Syracuse basketball against Providence at the TD Garden in Boston on Saturday, Dec. 19
•Syracuse basketball against Binghamton at the Dome on Tuesday, Dec. 22
•Syracuse basketball against Rutgers at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Saturday, Feb. 6
•Syracuse basketball against St. John's at Madison Square Garden in New York City (date TBD)
•Syracuse basketball against Albany at the Dome (date TBD)

Speaking of former Big East adversaries, Gerry McNamara and the Orange will battle the Dan Hurley-led UConn Huskies in an exhibition on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.

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