Orange Open UKG Legends Classic Against Longhorns

Game Details: Thursday, Nov. 21, Brooklyn, N.Y., 7 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
Live Coverage: Stats
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Syracuse (3-0) plays its first game away from home this season Thursday night, as the Orange 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 in their last time out, defeating the Penguins, 104-95. J.J. Starling scored a career-high 38 points with Donnie Freeman and Eddie Lampkin Jr. adding double-doubles.

Texas enters the UKG Legends Classic with a 3-1 record this season. The Longhorns fell in their season opener against Ohio State but have since recorded victories 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 the head coach at Texas. He guided the Longhorns to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season.

The Syracuse-Texas Series
Thursday's clash will be just the second ever meeting 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 winning the national championship.

Starling Stars Against The Penguins
Starling is coming off the best scoring outing of his career in Syracuse's dramatic victory over the Penguins, pouring in 38 points to lead the Orange to victory. It is the most points an ACC player has scored in a game this season and the most by a Syracuse player since Cole Swider also had 38 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 clutch in the closing minutes of regulation, scoring nine points in the final four minutes to help extend the contest. He converted on the game-tying layup with eight seconds left to even the score at 73-73.

Starling is currently tied atop the ACC in scoring alongside Stanford's Maxime Raynaud with 21.3 points per contest. Starling has scored double figures in each of Syracuse's first three games.

Doubling Down
Freeman and Lampkin Jr. both notched their second double-double of the season against the Youngstown State. Lampkin Jr. delivered 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 Orange 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 tallied 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 both had one against Le Moyne, with Lampkin Jr. recording one against Colgate.

Controlling The Glass
The Orange currently lead the ACC and are tied for No. 8 in the country in rebounds with 47.0 per contest. Syracuse has finished each of its first three games with at least a plus-nine margin on the glass.

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

Scouting Texas
Tre Johnson is Texas' top scorer with 23.5 points per contest. The freshman scored a season-high 29 points in his first college game against Ohio State and has made 17-of-29 of his 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 second-half team this season, outscoring their opponents 200-126.

Freeman, Lampkin Jr. Make Preseason Watch Lists
Freeman is one of 20 players to make the preseason watch list for the 2025 Karl Malone Award, which recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men's basketball. Freeman, a McDonald's All-American and the second-highest Syracuse recruit in program history, is one of two freshmen to make this year's Malone Award watch list.

Lampkin Jr. is one of 20 preseason watch-list candidates for the 2025 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, which goes to the top center in men's college basketball. Lampkin Jr. is in his first year with the Orange and is averaging 15.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest.

The list for both awards will be narrowed to 10 in late January, and then to just five in late February. In March, the five finalists for both awards will be presented to Abdul-Jabbar, Malone and the Hall of Fame's selection committee where winners will be selected.

Orange fans are encouraged to participate in three rounds of Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, on 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).

Orange Open UKG Legends Classic Against Longhorns

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Players Mentioned

Donnie Freeman

Eddie Lampkin Jr.

J.J. Starling

Syracuse University Athletics