The Orange will take on New Haven at the JMA Wireless Dome.
After going 15-17 in 2025-26 and firing previous head coach Adrian Autry, the Syracuse University men's basketball team is ready to get going this season under first year head coach Gerry McNamara.
McNamara comes to Syracuse after spending two seasons at Siena, where he rebuilt the Saints into an NCAA Tournament team in 2025-26. His team earned a No. 16 seed, nearly beating No. 1 Duke in the first round.
He was hired in March and there is already a renewed sense of optimism around the program. While we've learned about some of the matchups that McNamara's team will face already throughout the offseason, we learned the official date and opponent of his first test on Thursday.
As revealed by the program's "X" account, Syracuse will open up the season on Nov. 2 at the JMA Wireless Dome against New Haven.
About New Haven
A member of the NEC, New Haven is coming off a 14-17 campaign in which it went 9-9 in league play.
The Chargers were 5-11 on the road, which will bode well for the Orange, and they played a challenging non-conference schedule, so there is some level of preparedness for this game on their end.
They played No. 4 UConn in the opener last season, falling 79-55, and were blown out 87-43 by Penn State. They played an ACC opponent in Boston College, losing 67-63, and were beaten 96-53 by Vanderbilt of the SEC.
About the Orange
In addition to a new head coach, the Orange have several new players in via the transfer portal, including former Siena players Gavin Doty, Tasman Goodrick and Francis Folefac.
Doty appears to be the early leader of the team, while Kiyan Anthony and Sadiq White provide lots of upside and athleticism as returners.
In addition to playing New Haven, we also know that Syracuse is playing the likes of Central Connecticut State, Indiana, Providence, St. John's and Oklahoma.
The ACC matchups have also been revealed, though no dates have been attached.
Also in the news for Syracuse
--Speaking of Anthony, he revealed earlier this week why he didn't transfer from the program after the season.
--The SU football team will kick off its season on Sept. 5 against New Hampshire. With top recruit Calvin Russell expected to be sidelined for most or all of the season with an Achilles injury, we took a look at who the most intriguing transfer portal player on the roster is, at least in our estimation.
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