IU basketball game day essentials: Hoosiers face Syracuse in Indianapolis

Game Day Essentials:

Indiana (2-0) vs. Syracuse (2-0)

Tip Time: 6:30 p.m. Eastern, Monday
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse (20,000), Indianapolis, Ind.
Television: FS1 — Connor Onion (PxP), Bill Raftery (Analyst)
Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)
Stream: FOX Sports
Point Spread: Indiana is around a 4.5-point favorite
KenPom Projected Score: No. 46 Indiana 76 No. 77 Syracuse 71
History: Syracuse leads 6-1.
Last Meeting: Syracuse won 112-110 in double overtime (2021)
Tickets (via our StubHub affiliate link)

A FAMILIAR COACH AND PLAYERS

The Orange are led by first-year head coach Gerry McNamara, a 2003 National Champion with Syracuse. He spent the last two seasons on the sidelines of Siena, a team the Hoosiers defeated 81-60 on Dec. 22, 2025, at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

McNamara is the school record holder in season (107) and career (400) 3-point baskets at Syracuse. McNamara’s 4,799 career minutes played is another school standard.

Joining McNamara from last year’s Siena team are Gavin Doty, Francis Folefac and Tasman Goodrick. Folefac had 19 points against IU, while Doty had 16.

Siena made the 2026 NCAA Tournament and nearly knocked off No. 1 seed Duke.

NO LUCK AGAINST SYRACUSE SINCE 1987

Indiana opened the series with Syracuse with a 74-73 victory in the 1987 National Championship Game. Keith Smart made a baseline jumper in the closing seconds of the game to clinch the program’s fifth national championship.

But the Orange have won the last six games between the two programs, including a 112-110 double-overtime thriller at the Carrier Dome on Nov. 30, 2021. All-American forward Trayce Jackson-Davis totaled 31 points and 16 rebounds in the loss.

SYRACUSE RESULTS

Date	Time	At	Opponent	Location	Result
Oct 13 (Tue)	7 PM	Neutral	UConn (exhibition)	Uncasville, Conn. (Mohegan Sun Arena)	L 52-72
Oct 18 (Sun)	2 PM	Away	Siena (exhibition)	Albany, NY (MVP Arena)	W 81-76
Oct 24 (Sat)	3 PM	Home	Niagara (exhibition)	Buffalo, N.Y. (KeyBank Center)	W 71-58
Nov 2 (Mon)	7 PM	Home	New Haven	Syracuse, NY (JMA Wireless Dome)	W 74-58
Nov 5 (Thu)	7 PM	Home	Central Connecticut State	Syracuse, NY (JMA Wireless Dome)	W 102-49

SYRACUSE NOTES

The Orange have outscored their first two opponents by a combined 69 points.
Syracuse had an 18-0 run against New Haven and a 12-0 stretch versus Central Connecticut.
Junior guard Gavin Doty scored in double figures both times out, tallying 14 and 18 points.
Sophomore forward Sadiq White Jr. grabbed a career-high 10 boards in each of the first two contests.
Sophomore guard Kiyan Anthony, a former IU recruiting target, is averaging 15.5 points per game.
Starting guard Garwey Dual attended Carmel H.S. in Indiana.
Although McNamara played for Jim Boeheim at Syracuse, he does not employ a zone as the team’s base defense.

SYRACUSE ROSTER AND STATS