It was not by choice, but Oklahoma fans finally have a game worth getting to Lloyd Noble Center for during the Sooners' 2026-27 nonconference men's basketball schedule.
The slate for the 2026 ACC/SEC Challenge was recently revealed to fill one of three dates the Sooners still had open with the Syracuse Orange. The Orange will visit Oklahoma on Tuesday, Dec. 1. OU will still eventually add two more opponents to the calendar, but as of now, Syracuse will be the only Power Four program that will play inside Lloyd Noble Center during the Sooners' nonconference schedule this season.
The Sooners' rubbish nonconference slate was pointed out just the day before the ACC/SEC Challenge pairings were released. The schedule had included seven home games, and all were against mid-major teams that had losing records last season.
All four Power Four foes -- Arizona State, Oklahoma State, Pittsburgh, and Purdue -- are on neutral sites, with OSU and Arizona State still being in the state, but at Oklahoma City and Tulsa, respectively. That still doesn't really do anything for loyal season ticket holders or bolster OU's awful home attendance, which has been last in the SEC the last two seasons. That setup also means the Sooners' schedule so far doesn't include a true road game until SEC play tips off two months into the season.
Read more: Oklahoma fans have every right to hate this Sooners schedule
Syracuse gives Sooners rare college basketball matchup
The ACC/SEC Challenge is guaranteed to fix one of the Sooners' schedule flaws by either sending them on the road or giving fans a Power Four home game. Still, though, OU-Syracuse won't exactly be a marquee clash, but the bar was set low for a noteworthy matchup. It's at least a unique pairing fans haven't seen much of.
This will be only the fifth time the Sooners and Orange have met, with the overall series tied at two apiece. The last meeting was in the Sweet 16 of the 2009 NCAA Tournament, when Blake Griffin led the Sooners to an 84-71 win with a game-high 30 points.
The first meeting was way back in 1948, with Syracuse winning 55-49 on its home court. They didn't meet again for another 36 years before the Sooners returned to Syracuse to even the series with a 98-91 win. The third meeting was also in the NCAA Tournament in 2003, when a freshman Carmelo Anthony helped the Orange crush the Sooners 63-47 to go to the Final Four. This will be the first time Syracuse has ever visited Norman.
A once dominant program has struggled recently, though. Syracuse just went 15-17 last season and fired head coach Adrian Autry, who was replaced by Gerry McNamara. The Sooners aren't on much of a better trajectory, though, as head coach Porter Moser's seat is one of the hottest in college basketball after failing to reach the NCAA Tournament in four of the last five years.
This won't be a matchup that garners a national spotlight, but beggars can't be choosers, considering what else OU fans have to watch at Lloyd Noble Center.
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