Gerry McNamara already has matchups with Providence and St. John's that are set, but could he add another former rival to the mix?
The Syracuse University men's basketball team is set to play multiple former Big East rivals in its non-conference schedule in 2026-27.
Under first-year head coach Gerry McNamara, the Orange are going to do battle with both Providence at St. John's, the latter of which should serve as a nice barometer for where SU is at in McNamara's first year. St. John's won the Big East title in 2025-26.
And while longtime fans of the Big East will be excited at the nostalgia of playing old conference rivals, they might not be the only ones that Syracuse plays in the future.
Speaking on Mad Dog Radio on SiriusXM on Monday, McNamara said that he's spoken to UConn head coach Dan Hurley about trying to resurrect the SU-UConn rivalry. Nothing is evident for this year, but perhaps we could see the series again down the road.
The two programs last met in 2018-19.
What McNamara said
1) He said that he talked to Hurley this summer and that he has a lot of respect for UConn as a program. He said that UConn is one of the best teams in the country, and that Hurley is one of the best coaches in the country, and that he wants to challenge himself and his program.
"We want to be on that stage. I want to play against the best teams and coach against the best coaches. Rick Pitino is elite. Danny Hurley is elite. I want to be among the elite. The way you do that is you continue to challenge your program and put yourself on that stage."
2) He said that as a player, he despised UConn because they were difficult to play against and difficult to beat, but he reiterated there's a clear respect there.
The reality of the situation
As much as McNamara wants to play UConn, and as much as fans would want to see it, the fact remains: Syracuse is not good enough yet for UConn to play.
UConn has gone out and built, maybe the most difficult non-conference schedule in college basketball history. It's designed to help give them the best opportunity to earn a high seed in the NCAA Tournament, and the best opportunity to be prepared to go through a championship gauntlet in March.
Syracuse, who finished 15-17 last season, will presumably have to prove its capable of playing on that level before earning a shot at UConn again. The Huskies are set to play the likes of Duke, Illinois, Michigan, Virginia and Ohio State.
Siena Saints head coach Gerry McNamara claps Thursday, March 19, 2026, during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament first round game against the Duke Blue Devils at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesAbout the SU schedule
In addition to Providence and St. John's, we know that Syracuse is also going to play Indiana next season, giving them at least three Power Four non-conference games. The full schedule will be released this summer.
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