On Thursday, we learned that the Syracuse University men's basketball program will be one of 16 collegiate programs to be included in the popular 'NBA 2K26' video game series.

The NBA 2K26 game has already come out, but the college programs will be included in an "add-on experience" update.

Orange football coach Fran Brown even posted about the NBA 2K truck being on campus.

What will the Syracuse add-on entail?

We still aren't exactly sure how the college mode will factor in, but we can make a speculative guess.

It seems unlikely that the NBA game would allow you to play a true college game inside of itself. That likely means you won't be able to do a full-fledged dynasty mode with full recruiting that expands for years. And with only 16 teams included at the start of this project, it really, really doesn't seem likely that there's any kid of meaningful college-specific mode.

What's more likely is that the college programs are part of a "Road to the Show" type mode.

If you remember from the latest version of "MLB The Show," you can create a player and play as them through their journey from high school to college to the minors to the big leagues.

Syracuse will likely serve as a college choice for your create-a-player, and then you can take him from Central New York to superstardom.

What does it actually matter? 

If you're a true video game fan, then it's just fun. But if you're a fan of Syracuse Athletics, every little bit of exposure helps.

If, somewhere out there, there is a 12-year old kid who discovers Syracuse through this game, then that's a good thing. Brand awareness is always a good thing, however you get it. Winning on the court is the top way to get brand awareness, but these secondary methods help as well.

Could a potential recruiting success come out of this video game experience? Yes.

Could potential Syracuse fans come out of this video game experience? Yes.

Therefore, this is a totally worthwhile, no-risk, big-reward development for the Orange.

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