This past season, the Syracuse men's basketball team generated nearly all of its tough non-conference games from its trip to the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas around Thanksgiving.

At that event, Syracuse played Houston, Kansas and Iowa State. SU later played Tennessee, who they beat, as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge. The Orange went 1-3 in those four games as they missed the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight year.

Under new head coach Gerry McNamara, the Orange are taking a different approach to the non-conference schedule.

Here's more on what you need to know:

While the Orange are sure to have multiple games against in-state foes in the non-conference, they do seem to be getting away from that a bit. Last season, under Adrian Autry, they played just Binghamton and Hofstra in the non-league schedule. So far, we only know about Syracuse playing UAlbany as an in-state, out of conference matchup in 2026-27. They could still play Colgate and Cornell, as they've done historically, but they are working to challenge themselves.

Instead of loading up the non-league with perceived easy victories, the Orange have opted for bigger programs with more history and more brand recognition.

Thus far, the Orange are slated to play Indiana of the Big Ten, St. John's of the Big East and Providence of the Big East. And according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports on Wednesday, they are also working to finalize a matchup with Rutgers of the Big Ten.

Coached by former Stony Brook head coach Steve Pikiell, the Scarlet Knights went just 14-20 last season, posting a 6-14 league record. They went 15-17 the year before and the year before that.

They last made the postseason in 2022-23, when they participated in the NIT. They made the NCAA Tournament in 2021, which was the first appearance for the school since 1991.

These two teams are both former members of the Big East, so they have a significant history against each other. In 48 total matchups, Syracuse is 38-10 against Rutgers. The Orange are 23-1 at home against them and 15-9 on the road.

The two programs have only met once since Syracuse left the Big East in 2013. SU lost 79-69 in 2020-21.

Getting wins over power conference programs can only be a good thing for the Orange as they work to break the NCAA Tournament drought. This schedule should give McNamara's group multiple chances to get signature wins, especially if some of the opponents improve from a 2025-26.

The Orange have added another player for the 2026-27 roster, inking another international transfer. Our own Tom Goslowski has more on the 7-footer out of Mexico, who will join an increasingly long and athletic group. He also takes a look at where the roster stands.

Remember to join our SYRACUSE on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Orange fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!