Earlier in the off-season, CBS reporter Jon Rothstein reported that Rutgers and Syracuse were looking to schedule a non-conference game against one another this off-season at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Now it has been confirmed by The Knight Report that the two schools will square off on February 6.
Just like Rutgers, Syracuse also had a down year last season, going 15-17 overall and 6-12 in ACC play. The highlight of the Orange’s season last year was against No. 13 Tennessee, where they defeated the Volunteers 62-60. However, Syracuse would end its season on a cold streak, losing the final 6 games and going 2-8 over the final ten games.
Rutgers and Syracuse were longtime foes in the Big East Conference; however, Syracuse dominated when both schools called the same conference home. In fact, the Scarlet Knights did not best the Orange until their 10th matchup, which came in 2020 when Rutgers was in the Big Ten. Despite playing every season from 2003-2004 to 2012-2013, the Knights did not record a win over Syracuse during this time.
With young Rutgers stars such as Lino Mark and Kaden Powers continuing to develop in the off-season, and the addition of some exciting transfer portal prospects, the hope is that the Knights can start to settle the score with a win in this game. Syracuse did lose its top two scorers from last season to the transfer portal, but still landed two four-star transfers in small forward Gavin Doty and guard Carwey Dual.