Report: Maryland basketball to face Syracuse in New York City in 2024-25
- Ahmed Ghafir
- May 3, 2024
- 2 min read
Maryland is expected to face Syracuse in a neutral site game at the Barclays Center on Dec. 21, per Jon Rothstein. The Barclays Center a frequent destination in Maryland basketball's non-conference schedule over the last 15 years after facing Kentucky in 2012, UConn in 2013, Richmond and Kansas State in 2016, Florida in 2021 and Tennessee in 2022. The upcoming non-conference game will mark just the ninth matchup between the two regional teams with Syracuse pulling out wins in each of the last three matchups. Maryland's last win against the Orange came on Dec. 6, 1980 when Albert King and Greg Manning tied for a game-high 21 points in an 83-73 win at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse finished 20-12 (11-9) in the 2023-24 season before a first-round loss vs. NC State in the ACC Tournament ended their season. Like Maryland, Syracuse also declined a bid to the NIT with the portal window quickly approaching at the time. Led by head coach Adrian Autry, Syracuse is led by second-year stars Chris Bell and JJ Starling while the portal has added complementary pieces around them. Former Colorado big man Eddie Lampkin announced his transfer into the program this offseason, while former Delaware forward Jyare Davis likely steps into an impact role after averaging 17.1 points per game in 2023-24. Autry was also able to bolster his coaching staff after announcing the hire of former Mount St. Mary's head coach Dan Engelstad back in mid-April. Maryland was able to maintain its roster stability heading into the final days of the portal window with DeShawn Harris-Smith, Julian Reese and Jordan Geronimo all set to return. Willard has already announced the portal additions in Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Selton Miguel, Rodney Rice and Tafara Gapare along with its two high school signees in Derik Queen and Malachi Palmer. Maryland is already set to face Villanova in the Empire Classic at the Prudential Center on Nov. 24, while the chance for the Maryland-Georgetown series to be renewed remains alive as head coach Kevin Willard looks to turn the page from a lackluster 2023-24 schedule. Meanwhile, the conference announced Big Ten opponents for the 2024-25 season with the Terps set to face Nebraska, Northwestern and Ohio State in a home-and-home. Related Links
