Once again, SU's non-conference schedule will have a familiar feel to it.
While we continue to wait for Syracuse Orange football to get its house in order with regard to future scheduling, Syracuse Orange basketball is busy locking up opponents for the 2016-17 season. The latest name? The familiar Connecticut Huskies.
The former Big East rivals took a couple years off following Syracuse's departure to the ACC in 2013, but met once again in the Battle 4 Atlantis last fall. SU won that matchup by the skin of their teeth, and then beat Texas A&M in the championship.
Now, according to the Hartford Courant, the teams will be facing off on December 5 at the friendly confines of Madison Square Garden. The Courant's Dom Amore also notes that the teams could also have an additional game ready to go the following year, also at MSG, plus additional talks continue around an annual series either at MSG or a home-and-home.
Details around the December 5, 2016 date have already reached agreement (according to sources cited by the Courant). The contract is currently in review and just needs to complete that step before official announcements are made. Any subsequent games could potentially take more time to confirm.
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That makes two Syracuse games in the five boroughs now for 2016-17. The Orange are also scheduled to face the South Carolina Gamecocks at the Barclays Center as part of the Brooklyn Hoops Invitational. SU also has home games confirmed against Holy Cross, Monmouth, South Carolina State, Georgetown and St. John's. They'll also get a likely road game out of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge this year. All told, that's eight games already locked in for the team's 2016-17 non-conference schedule, with five more to go.
