What channel is the Syracuse basketball game on vs. Notre Dame?

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse basketball (8-5, 1-1 ACC) returns to ACC play with an important home game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-4, 0-2 ACC) on Saturday afternoon.

The game is set to tip off at 4 p.m. at the Carrier Dome and will be shown on ESPN2. Jason Benetti and Dan Dakich will be the announcers.

Syracuse (No. 84 in the NET Rankings) enters the Notre Dame contest on a three-game winning streak. The Orange beat Niagara 71-57 in their most-recent outing last Saturday, Dec. 28, at the Carrier Dome. That win followed a pair of 12-point home wins over North Florida and Oakland, respectively. Syracuse split its first two ACC games of this season — winning 97-63 at Georgia Tech on Dec. 7, after losing 48-34 to Virginia in its Nov. 6 season opener at the Dome.

Notre Dame (No. 95 in NET) enters Saturday’s contest following an 82-56 home win over Alabama A&M. The Irish lost to North Carolina and Boston College in their first two ACC games — on Nov. 6 and Dec. 7, respectively. Notre Dame is led by 6’9, 245-pound senior forward John Mooney, who averages 14.9 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. The Orange have struggled all season to contain the inside players of its opponents, even those on the weaker teams. Notre Dame also has a good shot blocker in the form of 6’11 senior forward Juwan Durham. He swats away nearly 3 shots per game.

Saturday’s game is the 51st all-time meeting between Syracuse and Notre Dame, with the Orange holding a 29-21 lead in the series. Syracuse has won 17 of the 25 games played between the two teams since Mike Brey has been at the helm of the Irish. The Orange won last year’s matchup 72-62 at Notre Dame, a game that was also held on the first Saturday of January.

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Photo by Adam Rombel/BJNN