Syracuse basketball plays its third and final exhibition on Saturday afternoon. The Orange will face fellow Empire State team Niagara at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y.
The exhibition is scheduled to tip off at 3:00 pm EST on October 24. Against the Purple Eagles on Saturday, the Orange will host Niagara and serve as the home team, even though the game is being played in Buffalo. In October 2025, the 'Cuse also hosted Buffalo in an exhibition at the KeyBank Center.
Saturday's exhibition won't be on regular television. Fans can check it out on cuse.com, similar to the Orange's previous two exhibitions earlier this month. In SU's first exhibition, the 'Cuse hung tough with Big East Conference powerhouse UConn in the first half before falling 72-52 at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.
Last Sunday, the Orange trailed Metro Conference member Siena by one point at the half but managed to escape with an 81-76 victory over the Saints at the MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y. SU first-year head coach Gerry McNamara was not pleased with his team's performance against Siena.
During that exhibition, McNamara, several of his assistants and three 'Cuse players battled their former team. Siena's 2025-26 squad, which, under McNamara, won its postseason conference tournament and reached the NCAA Tournament, was honored this past Sunday.
Syracuse basketball will play Niagara in an exhibition on Saturday afternoon.
Central New York native Greg Paulus is the head coach of the Purple Eagles. He played college basketball at Duke and was also Syracuse football's quarterback for one campaign as a graduate student.
Both Niagara and Syracuse basketball struggled last season. The Purple Eagles went 8-22 overall. The Orange sported a 15-17 record, the team's second consecutive losing campaign. In official games, the 'Cuse is 56-28 against Niagara. Syracuse basketball has won 11 straight in the series.
A couple of things I'll be monitoring in Saturday's game (and yes, I know it's an exhibition). One is rebounding. The Orange were out-rebounded by Siena last weekend, 43-37. Another facet is the relative health of the Syracuse basketball 2026-27 roster.
Senior power forward Tasman Goodrick didn't play against the Saints. He only played in nine games for Siena last season due to knee injuries. McNamara is being cautious with him and other SU players who are nursing minor injuries.
Senior point guard Garwey Dual, who has returned after injuring his collarbone over the summer, played 12 minutes against the Saints. Sophomore guard Kiyan Anthony only saw eight minutes on the court last Sunday due to tendinitis in his knee.
Junior guard Aiden Tobiason, who is expected to be a key contributor for the Orange in 2026-27, didn't suit up against Siena after suffering an injury in the loss to Connecticut. McNamara has said that Tobiason could be out for a few weeks. That's something to monitor.
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