Syracuse basketball will travel to City of Brotherly Love for a non-conference contest

Not too long ago, Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry said that the Orange would not play in New York City this coming season, as it often does, but the 'Cuse had "some plans to play some neutral-site games in areas that are Syracuse friendly."

How about the City of Brotherly Love?

This week, college basketball analyst Rocco Miller reported via his X page that agreements are being finalized for a doubleheader to take place on Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

In these "neutral-site" pairings, La Salle will face Penn State, and Drexel will go toe to toe with Syracuse basketball, Miller writes, citing multiple sources. If I may, both La Salle and Drexel are located in Philadelphia, so neutral-site is a loose term, in my humble opinion.

Regardless, in recent years, the Orange has often played non-conference games in New York City, but I like the move to play in Philadelphia as well, although I'd rather see the 'Cuse suit up against Villanova.

Philly, along with New York City and the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, are key recruiting markets for the Orange staff.

Syracuse basketball will try to slay the Dragons this November.

Drexel is a member of the Coastal Athletic Association ("CAA"). In the 2024-25 season, the Dragons went 18-15 overall and 9-9 in league play. Head coach Zach Spiker is entering his 10th stanza at Drexel's helm, and he took the Dragons to the NCAA Tournament during the 2020-21 campaign.

In their all-time series together, per SU Athletics, the 'Cuse is 4-1 against the Dragons. In their most recent meeting, at the JMA Wireless Dome in November of 2021, Syracuse basketball prevailed by a final count of 75-60.

The Orange will play 13 non-conference games in 2025-26 and 18 contests in its Atlantic Coast Conference slate.

Earlier this week, CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reported on X that Syracuse basketball will host fellow Empire State team Binghamton out of the America East Conference. Miller also reported not too long ago that Northeast Conference member Mercyhurst will head to the Hill to square off with the 'Cuse.

Syracuse basketball will host Tennessee on December 2 in the annual ACC/SEC Challenge. Additionally, the 'Cuse will suit up in the NIL-driven Players Era Festival that will transpire in late November in Las Vegas. The 18-team field for this lucrative event is stacked.

If my math is correct, that's seven games that we currently know about for the Orange's non-conference calendar, although three foes are still to be determined.