What channel is the Syracuse basketball game on? (at Notre Dame)

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Syracuse basketball (9-4, 0-0 ACC) seeks to open ACC play with a win and earn its third straight victory overall when the Orange visit the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-4, 0-1 ACC) on Saturday afternoon.

The game is set to tip off at 12 p.m. at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center on the Notre Dame campus and will be shown on Raycom Sports affiliates in local markets. Bob Rathbun and Mike Gminski will be the announcers.

In the Syracuse area, the game will be telecast on WSTM Channel 3. In other Central New York markets, the contest will be available on the following TV stations, according to the ACC:

• Binghamton: WBPN (My 8)
• Elmira: WJKP-TV Twin Tiers
• Utica: WPNY-LP Channel 11
• Watertown: WWTI ABC 50

Elsewhere in upstate New York, you can find the Orange-Irish game on these channels:

• Albany: WNYA My 4
• Plattsburgh: WPTZ-D3 MeTV
• Rochester: WHAM-D2 The CW
• Buffalo: WNLO CW23

Syracuse enters the Notre Dame game after a week off since it pummeled St. Bonaventure 81-47 at the Carrier Dome. That win followed an 82-52 conquest of Arkansas State at the Dome a week earlier. The two blowout wins came after a two-game Orange losing streak (home losses to Old Dominion and Buffalo) that likely pushed Syracuse outside the NCAA bubble.

Notre Dame enters Saturday’s contest fresh off an 81-66 defeat in its ACC opener at Virginia Tech on Tuesday. The Irish are playing with a short rotation after losing guards Rex Pflueger and Robby Carmody to season-ending injuries and forward Elijah Burns to transfer earlier this season.

What’s at stake for Syracuse?

Syracuse finished the non-conference schedule with more losses, four, than any Orange team that made the NCAA Tournament had ever lost in the Jim Boeheim era. So, the Orange — currently at No. 57 in the NET Rankings, the NCAA’s new tool for selecting and seeding tournament teams — will need to do some damage in ACC play to make March Madness. The Orange will likely need to win at least 10 conference games, and possibly 11, to have a good chance of qualifying. Of course, it all depends on who Syracuse beats and loses to, as well as what other bubble teams do. Winning the first league game against the Irish, currently ranked 73rd in NET, will be important.

Saturday’s game is the 50th all-time meeting between Syracuse and Notre Dame, with the Orange holding a 28-21 lead in the series. Syracuse has won 16 of the 23 meetings since Mike Brey has been at the helm of the Irish. Notre Dame, however, has won its last two games against Syracuse, including a 51-49 victory in last season’s contest at the Carrier Dome.

Contact Rombel at arombel@cnybj.com