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After a 16-day COVID-19 pause, Syracuse will return to the Carrier Dome to play Brown. The matchup will effectively be a replacement for the game against Lehigh — which SU postponed last week — as Syracuse athletics announced that tickets and parking passes for the Lehigh game will be honored on Dec. 27 against Brown.

Last week, head coach Jim Boeheim said about 14 out of 20 players on the Orange tested positive for COVID-19. The 14 cases included four starters — Buddy Boeheim, Joe Girard III, Jimmy Boeheim and Cole Swider — according to Buddy in a recent radio appearance. Boeheim confirmed that all players are vaccinated and received their booster shot, which he said, “definitely made it easier for them to get through it.”

Syracuse last took the court on Dec. 11 in Washington, D.C., against Georgetown in a 79-75 loss. The Orange blew a 10-point halftime lead as the Hoyas stormed back to win on their home court. In the final 12 minutes, Syracuse shot just 9-for-23, with Girard missing a last-second free throw as well.

The Orange have not hosted a game since their double-overtime win over Indiana on Nov. 30. Brown comes to Syracuse as a slightly more formidable opponent than Lehigh or Cornell would’ve been. The Bears are ranked at 166 on KenPom, while Lehigh and Cornell are at 324 and 228, respectively.

The Bears have had scheduling issues of their own as they canceled a game against Rhode Island scheduled for Dec. 22 due to COVID-19 issues at URI. Brown and Syracuse will face off on Dec. 27 as the Orange look to improve following a shaky start to the season at 5-5.