How to watch Syracuse basketball season opener tonight for free

The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team hosts the Binghamton Bearcats to open the 2025-26 NCAA basketball season on Monday, November 3 (11/3/2025) at 7 p.m. ET. The game is a streaming exclusive that comes in the midst of a YouTube TV/ESPN dispute. Here’s what you need to know to watch.

Binghamton vs. Syracuse will air on ACC Network Extra, a streaming-only channel accessible through ESPN.com or ESPN apps. Fans can access the channel with fuboTV (free trial) and other live TV services. Learn more about how to watch ACC Network Extra here.

Here’s what you need to know:

What: NCAA basketball regular season

Who: Binghamton Bearcats vs. Syracuse Orange

When: Monday, Nov. 3, 2025

Time: 7 p.m. ET

Where: JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, New York | Tickets

TV: ACC Network Extra

Live stream: fuboTV (free trial), DirecTV (free trial), Sling, Hulu + Live TV, ESPN

**If you have YouTube TV, learn more about alternate streaming options here

For Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry, Monday’s season opener marks the start of a make-or-break season.

Now in Year 3 of the Autry era, the Orange are still chasing their first NCAA Tournament berth since the final days of Jim Boeheim. After a promising 20-win debut season under Autry, last year’s 14–19 stumble raised eyebrows and expectations alike.

Autry isn’t sugarcoating it. “I want to make the tournament every year,” he said. “I’m not here just to be mediocre.” Athletic director John Wildhack has called for “meaningful games in March,” and Autry fully embraces that pressure.

The rebuild starts with two returning stars: senior guard JJ Starling, last year’s top scorer at 17.8 points per game, and 6′9″ forward Donnie Freeman, who’s back healthy after missing much of last season. Around them, Autry retooled the roster with six transfers and five freshmen, including ACC assist leader Naithan George from Georgia Tech, sharpshooter Nate Kingz from Oregon State, and former UCLA big man William Kyle.

Syracuse’s preseason was shaky, with uneven wins over Buffalo and Division II Pace revealing plenty to fix. But the talent is there, and the players are confident. As George put it: “Coach is going to get us on the right track. We all trust he’ll lead us to where we want to be.”

Against this opponent, at least, the odds heavily favor Syracuse, who are a -3200 favorite, according to DraftKings. The Orange have never lost a game to Binghamton across five regular season meetings dating to 2001. But their last showdown was in 2013, when the Orange won 93-65.

The Bearcats went 15-17 in 2024-25, and 7-9 against foes in the America East conference. Their season ended with a 69-66 loss to the University at Albany in the America East Championship. This is the first time Syracuse and Binghamton will meet in a season opener.

Can I bet on the game?

Betting is unavailable for in-state college teams in New York, but we’ve compiled some of the best introductory offers to help navigate your first bets from BetMGM, FanDuel, DraftKings, Bet365 and more.