Game details: Thursday, November 21, Brooklyn, NY, 7:00 PM
TV: ESPN2
Live reporting: Statistics
X (Tweeting): @Cuse_MBB | @Cuse
Facebook: Syracuse Orange
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Syracuse (3-0) will play its first game away from home this season on Thursday evening, while the Dutch will travel to Brooklyn to face Texas (3-1) in the semifinals of the UKG Legends Classic at Barclays Center.

Setting the stage
The Orange survived in a double-overtime thriller on Nov. 16 against Youngstown State their last time out, defeating the Penguins 104-95. JJ Starling scored a career-high 38 points with Donnie Vrijman And Eddie Lampkin Jr. add double-doubles.

Texas enters this season’s UKG Legends Classic with a 3-1 record. The Longhorns fell to Ohio State in their season opener, but have since recorded wins over Houston Christian, Chicago State and Mississippi Valley State. Texas was picked to finish seventh in the SEC preseason poll and is currently receiving votes in both the AP and Coaches polls.

Rodney Terry is in his third season as head coach at Texas. Last season he guided the Longhorns to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Syracuse-Texas Series
Thursday’s game will be just the second meeting ever between Syracuse and Texas. The other came in the semifinals of the 2003 NCAA Tournament, which the Orange won 95-84 on their way to the national championship.

Starling stars against the penguins
Starling is coming off the best scoring game of his career in Syracuse’s dramatic win over the Penguins, pouring in 38 points to lead the Orange to victory. It is the most points scored by an ACC player in a game this season and the most by a Syracuse player since Cole Swider also had 38 points at North Carolina on Feb. 22, 2022.

The junior played a career-high 49 minutes and scored 31 of his 38 points in the second half and overtime. He was on the line in the final minutes of regulation, scoring nine points in the final four minutes to help send the game into overtime. He converted the tying goal with eight seconds left to tie the score at 73-73.

Starling currently tops the ACC in scoring alongside Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud with 21.3 points per game. Starling scored double figures in each of Syracuse’s first three games.

Doubling
Freeman and Lampkin Jr. both recorded their second double-double of the season against Youngstown State. Lampkin Jr. scored a season-best 20 points and added a team-high 13 boards, six of which came on the offensive glass. The center also led the Dutch team with seven assists.

Freeman set a new career mark with 19 points against the Penguins. The freshman went 8-for-13 from the field in 39 minutes of action and also recorded 12 rebounds.

At least one Syracuse player has posted a double-double in each of the team’s first three games. Jyare Davis and Freeman each had one against Le Moyne, while Lampkin Jr. took one up against Colgate.

Mastering the glass
The Orange currently leads the ACC and ranks eighth in the country in rebounds with 47.0 per game. Syracuse has finished each of its first three games with a margin of at least plus nine on the glass.

Freeman and Lampkin Jr. are currently tied for fourth in the conference with 9.3 rebounds per game. Davis (7.7) and Starling (5.3) are also averaging more than five boards per game.

ScoutingTexas
Tre Johnson is Texas’ leading scorer with 23.5 points per game. The freshman scored 29 points in his first college game against Ohio State, hitting 17 of 29 attempts from beyond the arc.
Arthur Kaluma (14.5) and Kadin Shedrick (11.0) also average double figures. Kaluma leads the team in rebounding with 7.5 per game and Julian Larry has a team-best 16 assists.

The Longhorns have been a dominant team in the second half this season, outscoring their opponents 200-126.

Freeman, Lampkin Jr. create viewing lists for the preseason
Freeman is one of 20 players on the preseason watch list for the 2025 Karl Malone Award, which recognizes the best forwards in Division I men’s basketball. Freeman, a McDonald’s All-American and the second-highest recruit from Syracuse in program history, is one of two freshmen on this year’s Malone Award watch list.

Lampkin Jr. is one of 20 candidates on the preseason watch list for the 2025 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, which goes to the top in men’s basketball. Lampkin Jr. is in his first year with the Dutch team and averages 15.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.

The list for both awards will be reduced to ten at the end of January and to just five at the end of February. In March, the five finalists for both awards will be presented to Abdul-Jabbar, Malone and the Hall of Fame selection committee, where the winners will be selected.

Orange fans are encouraged to participate in three rounds of fan voting, presented by Dell Technologies, at hoophallawards.com.

Tickets
Syracuse men’s basketball tickets are available online (cuse.com/tickets), by phone (1-888-DOMETIX) and at the Dome Box Office (Gate B).

For complete coverage of Syracuse men’s basketball, follow the team on X (@Cuse_MBB) and Instagram(@cuse_mbb).