Syracuse basketball will play five power-conference teams in its 14-game non-conference docket. That first test comes on Monday evening when the Orange travels to Indianapolis to battle the Indiana Hoosiers.
In the early stages of the 2026-27 campaign, the 'Cuse and first-year head coach Gerry McNamara are 2-0 overall. The Orange has wins at home against New Haven and then against Central Connecticut State. In that latter game, Syracuse basketball played much better with a consistent effort in each half and on both ends of the floor.
No disrespect to either New Haven or Central Connecticut State, but Indiana is on a much different level in the men's college basketball landscape. The Hoosiers, a member of the loaded Big Ten Conference, are thought by national and league observers to be a program that will contend for a bid to the 2027 NCAA Tournament.
The Big Ten doesn't have an official preseason poll, but various forecasts have Indiana projected to finish in the top half of the conference standings in 2026-27. In the preseason Associated Press top-25 poll, the Hoosiers received eight votes.
Syracuse basketball has its toughest challenge so far this season in Indianapolis.
The Orange and the Hoosiers are scheduled to tip off on November 9 at 6:30 pm EST at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. FS1 will provide television coverage. In their all-time series together, the 'Cuse is 6-1 against Indiana, but SU's one loss was a heartbreaker.
In the 1987 national championship game in New Orleans, Syracuse basketball and legendary head coach Jim Boeheim lost to the Hoosiers, 74-73. However, the Orange has swept the rest of its games against Indiana.
Most recently, at the Dome in November 2021, Syracuse basketball won a thrilling 112-110, double-overtime contest with the Hoosiers in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
Last season, the Orange went 15-17 overall. SU officials parted ways with third-year head coach Adrian Autry and hired McNamara, another former 'Cuse standout guard. Indiana, meanwhile, went 18-14 overall in 2025-26.
Hoosiers head coach Darian DeVries is in his second campaign leading Indiana. Before that, he was the head coach at West Virginia and Drake. So far in 2026-27, the Hoosiers are 2-0 overall. They have defeated Eastern Illinois, 91-57, and Bellarmine, 92-69, with both games coming at home.
Indiana's 2026-27 roster includes some familiar faces. They include:
•Senior guard Markus Burton, who previously played at Notre Dame
•Senior guard Bryce Lindsay, who transferred in from Villanova and was a former SU recruit
•Junior guard Darren Harris, a transfer from Duke
•Freshman guard Prince-Alexander Moody, who held a scholarship offer from the Orange
•Freshman forward Vaughn Karvala, who held an SU offer and visited Syracuse basketball
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