Syracuse men’s basketball final exhibition game should be played in Pennsylvania

Syracuse Orange guard Gerry McNamara receives an ovation from the crowd as he leaves the court in his last home game against the Villanova Wildcats at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York on on March 5, 2006. Villanova won the game 92-82. (Photo by Mark Konezny/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Earlier this morning we recapped some Syracuse schedule news, but there was a piece in there that I wanted to expand on.

Pete Corasaniti shared that the Orange plan to play three road exhibtion games next Fall in an attempt to maximize revenue for the program. We know that one game will be against Niagara in Buffalo’s KeyBank Arena, one will hopefully be Siena in Albany as the Saints look to recognize their MAAC Championship team.

That leaves one more game and I’m sure some will suggest Rochester or Binghamton, but why not return to Gerry McNamara’s hometown (or close to it) and play a game at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania?

During McNamara’s playing days the people of Scranton piled into buses and made the trip up I81 to the Dome, so it would make sense for Syracuse to continue to pile on the nostalgia train as the McNamERA begins. With a capacity just above 8,000 it’s not an enormous venue, but if you could match the Orange against Penn State you’d stand a pretty good chance at packing the place.

With the Orange looking to leverage revenue opportunities, there’s a chance for them to tap back into their fanbase in the Keystone State and while one game won’t make a big difference, if you can get those buses running back up 81 again, you can see the dividends paying off next season and beyond.

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Who would you want to see Syracuse schedule for their final exhibition game and where would you want to see the game played? Let us know in the comments.