How to watch Syracuse basketball versus Texas at Legends Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Syracuse basketball has a perfect 3-0 record to start the 2024-25 season, although the Orange hasn’t looked all that impressive, winning that trio of home games by a combined 15 points.

Now the ‘Cuse, under second-year head coach Adrian Autry, is preparing to head to New York City for an early season tournament that will provide two challenging encounters for Syracuse basketball. Up first, the Orange will take on new Southeastern Conference member Texas this Thursday night in the 2024 Legends Classic at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

In its most recent non-conference affair, the ‘Cuse snuck by Horizon League member Youngstown State this past Saturday, 104-95 in double overtime, from the JMA Wireless Dome in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

Junior guard J.J. Starling tallied a career-high 38 points, while Syracuse basketball held sizable advantages over the Penguins in rebounding and paint points. Still, the Orange mightily struggled from beyond the arc, and needing two overtimes to defeat Youngstown State was at least a little concerning.

The Orange and the Longhorns (3-1) will square off on Thursday, Nov. 21, beginning at 7:00 pm and with television coverage on ESPN2. The next day, on November 22, the ‘Cuse will play either Saint Joseph’s or Texas Tech.

So far in the young 2024-25 campaign, Syracuse basketball has knocked off Youngstown State, Le Moyne and Colgate. Texas, conversely, has beaten Houston Christian, Chicago State and Mississippi Valley State, while the Longhorns fell in their season opener to Ohio State.

In this week’s Associated Press and Coaches top-25 polls, Texas is receiving votes in each ballot. The SEC’s preseason media poll ahead of 2024-25 forecast the Longhorns to finish at No. 7 in the league standings.

Thursday evening’s contest will mark just the second all-time game between the Orange and Texas. The first one was delightful for the ‘Cuse, which triumphed 95-84 in the 2003 Final Four on the way to the program’s first and only national championship.

Two of the standouts for Texas so far this season are freshman guard Tre Johnson, who was a consensus five-star, top-10 national prospect in the 2024 class, and former Syracuse basketball recruit Arthur Kaluma, a senior forward.

Through four games, Johnson is averaging an impressive 23.5 points per contest and connecting on a ridiculous 58.6 percent from beyond the arc. Kaluma, thus far, is averaging 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per affair while hitting on 63.6 percent from the field.

Both of these squads are capable of lighting up the scoreboard. The Orange averages 88.0 points per game, and Texas is scoring 89.0 points per encounter. Yet on defense, it’s a different kind of story. The ‘Cuse allows 83.0 points per game, as compared to 60.0 points per meeting for the Longhorns on defense.

What’s more, Texas is collectively shooting 38.3 percent from deep. A Syracuse basketball defense that hasn’t looked good to date in 2024-25 will have to lock in on Thursday if the Orange wants to prevail versus the Longhorns in the Big Apple.