This should be a lot of fun. Syracuse basketball first-year head coach Gerry McNamara and his program will travel to the MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y., this October for an exhibition against McNamara's prior team, Siena.
Per releases from both schools, the Orange will head to the Saints on Sunday, Oct. 18, beginning at 2:00 pm EST at the MVP Arena in Albany. McNamara served as the head coach of the Saints for the past two seasons. In 2025-26, he led Siena to a 23-12 overall record, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference ("MAAC") postseason tournament title and a berth in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
This past spring in the Big Dance, the Saints, as a No. 16 seed, nearly stunned No. 1 seed Duke in the round of 64, despite Siena's roster being significantly depleted. In March, McNamara was hired by SU officials to take over the 'Cuse after Syracuse parted ways with then-head coach Adrian Autry.
🏀 Tipping things off by celebrating the past while offering a first glimpse of the future@Cuse_MBB comes to @TheMVPArena on Sunday, Oct. 18 for a premier exhibition showdown and @MetroConfHoops Championship celebration
— Siena Basketball (@SienaMBB) August 21, 2026
📰 https://t.co/W5RYCTW8TR#MarchOn x #SienaSaints pic.twitter.com/6MeRtpReCn
Several Siena assistant coaches and players have joined McNamara at Syracuse basketball. He is charged with trying to turn SU around, as the Orange has suffered through two straight losing campaigns and hasn't been to the annual NCAA Tournament since 2021.
Syracuse basketball will travel to Siena for an October exhibition.
Before the exhibition on October 18, there will be a pregame ceremony honoring Siena's team from 2025-26 that won the MAAC Tournament championship (the MAAC is now known as the Metro Conference). The celebration will include the unfurling of the title banner and the distribution of championship rings. So, so cool.
Former Marquette assistant coach Nevada Smith has taken the reins at Siena. The Saints' roster for the 2026-27 season features five returnees and 11 newcomers, including three transfers and eight incoming freshmen.
In all-time regular-season games, the Orange is 8-0 against Siena, with the last encounter coming on November 12, 2007.
In 2026-27, Division I men's college basketball teams can compete in up to three exhibitions against other four-year schools. The 'Cuse will play UConn in an exhibition on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.
SU will also face Niagara in an exhibition on Saturday, Oct. 24, at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y. Syracuse basketball will be considered the home team in its exhibition against the Purple Eagles in Buffalo.
Here is the Orange's full 14-game non-conference schedule in 2026-27:
•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 St. John's at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday, Nov. 15
•Syracuse basketball against Cornell at the Dome on Wednesday, Nov. 18
•Syracuse basketball against Lafayette at the Dome on Saturday, Nov. 21
•Syracuse basketball against Albany at the Dome on Wednesday, Nov. 25
•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
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