Coach Gerry McNamara discussed his thoughts on the arena and the program's future in a recent podcast appearance.
Could the Syracuse men's basketball be returning to Madison Square Garden in 2026-27? No matchup has been announced yet but head coach Gerry McNamara recently spoke with CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein about a potential return.
McNamara was asked by Rothstein if one of the potential non-conference games he is waiting on contracts for could be at Madison Square Garden. McNamara said “That’s fair. I’d say that’s fair. I’ve flat-out said I want to be in the Garden. Yeah, that’s fair to say.’
McNamara indicated that the program is looking to fill 1-2 additional non-conference games on its upcoming schedule. We already know that the Orange will play Providence and Indiana in non-league games next season, and we know that the program is not returning to the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. Syracuse was 0-3 in that event last season.
Syracuse's history playing in Madison Square Garden
A trip to Madison Square Garden was a yearly tradition for some Orange fans from 1983-2013. The Garden hosted the annual Big East Conference championship tournament each March.
The Orange left the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) entering the 2013-14 season. Syracuse has played non-conference tilts in Madison Square Garden since leaving the Big East, with the most recent matchup in 2021 - a loss to Villanova.
Gerry McNamara's history with Madison Square Garden
The current head coach of the Orange has a connected history with Madison Square Garden as a player.
In 2006, McNamara helped lead Syracuse to a conference tournament championship. The Orange entered the tournament as a nine seed and won four games in four consecutive days to clinch an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The McNamara-led Orange became the first team in Big East tournament history to win four games in four days, and still remain as the lowest seed ever to win the Big East Tournament. (UConn matched the feat in 2011.)
McNamara's performances and Jim Boeheim's postgame press conference comments are still remembered fondly by Orange fans 20 years later.
What fans could expect
In December 2015, I covered the Syracuse vs. St. John's matchup at Madison Square Garden. That game is most notable for then-Orange head coach Jim Boeheim's absence. Boeheim was suspended nine games in 2015 for NCAA violations. Mike Hopkins served as the team's head coach in that nine-game stretch.
The crowd's allegiance during that winter weekend non-conference matchup was split between St. John's fans and Syracuse fans. If the Orange do face off, potentially against the Red Storm this season, I would expect the energy to exceed what I felt nearly a decade ago.
A battle between two of New York's most popular college programs would be a likely sell-out crowd and a high energy game in December before both schools enter conference play.
St. John's won the Big East title in 2025-26 and have Rick Pitino on the sideline, which would only heighten a potential matchup.
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