Speaking earlier this week on SiriusXM, new Syracuse men's basketball coach Gerry McNamara said that he's been in touch with University of Connecticut coach Dan Hurley about possibly re-igniting the Syracuse-UConn rivalry.

"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."

The two longtime Big East rivals have met 90 times since 1956, with the Orange holding a 53-37 advantage over the Huskies. They haven't played since 2018 when UConn won 83-76.

A potential matchup between the two programs would be a nice bit of nostalgia for longtime Big East fans and would follow up matchups with St. John's and Providence that are happening this season. However, the reality of the situation is this: Syracuse is not good enough to play UConn right now.

We said it, and it's true. Syracuse is not good enough to play UConn right now, and a matchup with the Huskies is something that McNamara and his program will have to earn.

The Orange have not been to the NCAA Tournament in five years and are coming off a losing season (15-17). Connecticut has built its entire non-conference schedule for 2026-27 around the idea of earning marquee wins that can lead to a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, which means an easier path to the national championship game. The Huskies have been to the title game in three of the last four years already, and this upcoming season's non-conference schedule includes the likes of Duke, Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Kansas, Virginia and Ohio State.

Arizona, Illinois, Duke and Michigan were all Elite 8 teams this past season, with Arizona, Illinois and Michigan all Final Four teams as well.

Syracuse has a lot of work to do to get back on that level (and UConn's future schedule), but McNamara seems prepared for it after a solid two-year run at Siena.

--Syracuse and Providence officially announced their matchup on Tuesday. The Friars and Orange will take the floor at the TD Garden, the home of the NBA's Boston Celtics, on Dec. 19. That should be right before the start of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) season, which began on Dec. 31 in 2025.

The matchup will be a part of an event dubbed as the "Hall of Fame Series." The event is partnering with the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame to showcase a day of college basketball action. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is located in Springfield, Mass., less than 100 miles away from the TD Garden.

UConn and Michigan will play the other game in the series. That will be a national title game rematch.

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