Syracuse Orange men’s basketball coach Gerry McNamara will be bringing his new-look squad to the capital of the Empire State to face his former school.
The Orange will face the Siena Saints in an exhibition game in Albany, the program announced Friday. That’s happening on Sunday, October 18 at MVP Arena, Siena’s home venue for men’s basketball. Tip-off is at 2 p.m. EST.
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It is the third confirmed exhibition McNamara and the Orange will play before the official start of the 2026-27 season, GMac’s first as head of the Syracuse men’s basketball program.
All of them will be away from the Syracuse area. Besides the Siena exhibition, the Orange will also take the court against UConn in Uncasville, Connecticut, and Niagara in Buffalo, New York.
McNamara served as head coach for two seasons with Siena. After a 14-18 record in his first year, GMac most recently guided the Saints to a 23–12 record in 2025-26. That campaign included earning the No. 3 seed in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, winning the MAAC tournament, and clinching a spot in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. It was Siena’s first conference championship and NCAA Tournament berth since 2010.
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GMac and the No. 16 Saints narrowly lost to No. 1 Duke 71-65 in Round One.
Less than a week after the loss to the Blue Devils, McMamara was officially announced as the Orange’s ninth head coach in program history.
Besides McMamara, several Orange players who either played for or were initially committed to Siena will have the chance to take the court against the Saints. That includes Gavin Doty, Tasman Goodrick, Francis Folefac, and Ryan Moesch.
With GMac now at ‘Cuse, Siena is turning to new head coach Nevada Smith as its leader, who worked on the staff of Shaka Smart at Marquette and Texas.
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With the Siena matchup now confirmed, here’s an updated look at the Orange’s exhibition and non-conference schedule:
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Exhibition Game, October 13: UConn (Mohegan Sun, Uncasville)
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Exhibition Game, October 18: Siena (MVP Arena, Albany)
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Exhibition Game, October 24: Niagara (KeyBank Center, Buffalo)
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November 9: Indiana (Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis)
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November 15 : at St. John’s (Madison Square Garden)
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November 18: Cornell (JMA Wireless Dome)
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November 21: Lafayette (JMA Wireless Dome)
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November 25: vs UAlbany (JMA Wireless Dome)
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December 1: at Oklahoma (ACC/SEC Challenge)
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December 8: Colgate (JMA Wireless Dome)
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December 16: Canisius(JMA Wireless Dome)
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February 6: Rutgers (Barclays Center)
