The full Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team’s schedule for the 2025-26 season is now complete. Just over a month from now, the Orange will kick off a new season in what is a pivotal year for the program.
With the slate for the upcoming year finalized, we sent out the TNIAAM bat signal to see how the staff feel about Syracuse’s schedule, including our “marquee game of the year” candidates and the key stretches the program will face.
General thoughts on the current structure of the ACC schedule?
Kevin:
I’m not a fan of teams in a conference not playing everyone. I get that the ACC wants UNC/Duke to play twice, but does Syracuse really need two against Pitt? No, they don’t. This is the problem with bloated conferences- you get a bunch of games fans don’t really care about and lose some of the ones which have some meaning.
Augie: The ACC as a whole is such an interesting conference logistically in its current state ranging from coast to coast. It is especially interesting in the sense that they like to have their midweek games fall on either Tuesday or Wednesday and for Syracuse this season, that game could take place anywhere from Louisville, Kentucky to Atlanta, Georgia. Because of these logistics, I feel that the conference is doing the best it can to try and keep the travel to a minimum because they realize it takes a toll on the players and their life outside of basketball.
Dom: The bottom-line for fans – they will know how good (or not good) this year’s team is from the moment the ACC slate of the schedule begins. The first four: home versus Clemson, road versus Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh, then home again for Florida State. Clemson is the only one mentioned in ESPN’s latest bracketology, and the Tigers are a “Next Four Out” team. If Syracuse is worse than 2-2 in that stretch, it’s a bad sign of things to come. On the flip side, as I’ll get to shortly, those last five conference games are *crucial.
Szuba: The unfettered ACC schedule makes more sense logistically starting in late December and going all the way through to March. By going from 20 to 18 league games, there’s no awkward ACC game scheduled sandwiched between non-conference opponents. But that wasn’t the intended purpose of the move. There are enough games for every team to play each other once, however, and that should be done.
Calvin: I think that with the addition of Stanford, Cal, and SMU, the ACC had to change in a way, because of travel costs and making sure that teams aren’t fatigued due to having to make cross country flights every week. I think over the next few years there are going to be some growing pains with this schedule, and it will likely change a lot.
Sam: In my mind, a conference in which teams don’t play against every single opponent every year is not a conference. We have completely lost the plot on what conferences are supposed to be. In basketball, only having one home-and-home tells me the conference is too big.
Biggest “key” game of the schedule?
Kevin: I’m taking the first 8 games of the ACC schedule because Syracuse will be playing teams that are not projected to be at the top of the league. We know this fanbase is going to be on edge and this run to me seems like it’s the one that tells us if we have any realistic NCAA hopes or not.
Augie: I am going to keep it simple. While the trip to Vegas is going to be one of toughest that the team has seen in their non-conference schedule in years, the week of February 16th is going to be the biggest for Syracuse. Going on the road to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Big Monday is going to be an extremely tough road test, and regardless of the result, they cannot let their emotions get to the best of them as later that week UNC comes to the Dome, as that game should have lots of March Madness implications.
Dom: Broadly-speaking, going with the last five games on the calendar – at Duke, then home for North Carolina, road versus Wake Forest and Louisville, then back to the Dome for Pitt. Regardless of what spot Syracuse sits in by mid-February, this will without a doubt be the stretch that defines the Orange’s season… and if it includes an NCAA Tournament bid or not. If I’m picking one, Wake Forest on the road feels important for Syracuse to pick up a win there.
Szuba: This might be an unconventional answer, but give me NC State as the first really challenging opponent in a raucous road environment. Syracuse has traditionally played the Wolfpack well at their place but Will Wade understands how college basketball works and he has considerable talent with him in Raleigh. That figures to be an emotionally charged game with former Orange guard Quadir Copeland (and Rochester native Jerry Deng). More importantly, that should be a quadrant one opportunity and mark the first big ACC road test for Syracuse – one that could give SU confidence or put pressure on the Orange to win big games down the stretch.
Calvin: I think whatever our opponent is during the third game of the Player’s Era tournament will be a big game for us. We played two extremely tough teams in our first two games, and as an inexperienced team, we could struggle a lot in those games. That third game however will give us a good measuring stick for just how good this team is, heading into Tennessee and a few games later, ACC play.
Sam: I agree with Calvin that the third Players Era game is going to be extremely important. Syracuse has missed opportunities through recent years in games against high-major opponents at MTE’s, and while Kansas and Houston are longshots, the third opponent will likely be more manageable.
Toughest/most intriguing stretch?
Kevin: Houston, Kansas, TBA, Tennessee might be the toughest regular season run that I can remember even if TBA turned out to be College of Southern Nevada.
Augie: Vegas is a gauntlet, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Traveling across the country to face some of the top teams in the country is going to be a serious test for the Orange. I like the idea of the “tune up” game against St. Joe’s, but prior to that, the strength of schedule is not tough, and I think Syracuse is going to see a whole new level of play when they get there.
Dom: The Vegas slate is as brutal as it can get, but an honorable mention for a three-game stretch: home for Notre Dame, then on the road for UNC and Virginia. There’s 0-3 potential in that stretch if things really go sour. That’s why I also think it’s the best “intriguing stretch” on the board – must-watches all-around with huge tournament implications.
Szuba: It’s undoubtedly the Vegas trip but to add to the conversation, five of Syracuse’s last six games marks an unrelenting stretch. The Orange play SMU, at Duke, North Carolina, at Wake Forest and at Louisville. Remember: SMU and Wake Forest finished fourth and fifth in the ACC last year, respectively.
Calvin: Outside of Vegas, I’m really interested in seeing how the start of the ACC schedule goes for the Orange. There are some very solid teams in that slate, including a difficult home matchup against Clemson. This seems like around the point in the season we will see if the Orange have a serious chance at march or not.
Sam: I don’t think it’s going to be Vegas as the most intriguing stretch, mainly because those games are already being chalked up as losses. The early ACC slate isn’t difficult, but late January will be when we learn if this team is different. Virginia Tech and Miami should be competitive around the bubble this year, and wins against those teams would go a long way. Then, a road game against a great NC State team will be extremely difficult.
Your “marquee game of the year” candidate is?
Kevin: North Carolina in the Dome. It’s a Saturday game which always gives you the possibility of ESPN Gameday and maybe NBC gives Melo and MJ the weekend off so they can be in attendance.
Augie: Tennessee in December. The Orange will have an opportunity to get quick revenge on the football team’s defeat down in Atlanta as the Volunteers make a trip up to the Dome. The weather is going to be frigid outside, but JMA should be electric inside and I think the Orange have a real shot to win this game.
Dom: Going with a sneaky pick here, but the last Syracuse-Miami game in the Dome went down to the wire, and the Hurricanes will be wayyyy better than last year. Besides UNC and maybe Notre Dame, isn’t Miami a clear must-go-to game (it’s also on a Saturday)?
Szuba: Given the watered down home slate, I think it’s Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on ESPN’s Big Monday. We know the Blue Devils will be at the top of the league even if Jon Scheyer’s team isn’t as talented as the Cooper Flagg led bunch. I’m not convinced North Carolina has the talent to meld into a top 25 team. The Louisville game in March could also vie for top game honors, but any way you slice it this Syracuse schedule is backloaded with its toughest games down the final stretch of mid-February into March.
Calvin: I already kind of mentioned it, but I’m really interested in seeing how the Clemson game goes. Clemson is a solid basketball team, however it is a very winnable game, especially if we start to gel a little more at this time. If we win this game, it will give us a huge momentum boost that could take us deep into ACC play.
Sam: I don’t want to pick a game that isn’t at the Dome, and I don’t want to pick a game where the students are on break. I think the Tennessee game will continue to set the tone for how the season will go, and the North Carolina game will be extremely important as the season comes to a close.
