The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball program will play the Providence Friars this upcoming season, according to multiple reports. Syracuse and Providence will meet in Boston at the TD Garden for a neutral site non-conference game. A date and time is yet to be determined.
Jon Rothstein of CBS first reported the matchup. Mike Waters of Syracuse.com confirmed that report.
Both programs will be led by new head coaches in 2026-27. Syracuse will be led by Gerry McNamara, who is finalizing a deal to become
the program’s ninth head coach. After leading Siena to the NCAA Tournament this season McNamara returns to Syracuse to lead his alma mater. Providence will be led by Bryan Hodgson, who took the job after leading South Florida to the NCAA Tournament in his first year as the Bulls’ head coach. Both Hodgson and McNamara were candidates for the Syracuse job.
Syracuse hasn’t played Providence since the Orange departed from the Big East following the 2012-13 season. The two programs have met 58 times with the Orange decidedly owning the series edge 48-10, including 11 of the last 12 meetings.
Syracuse is also expected to play in the Players Era tournament in Las Vegas this season where participating teams are awarded $1 million dollars toward its preferred collective. The winning team receives an additional $1 million prize. The tournament takes place in late November.
