A comeback against Texas wasn't in the cards. Now the Orange men's basketball team and Texas Tech Red Raiders clash for 3rd place in the Legends Classic on Friday, November 22 (11/22/24) at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

WATCH: Syracuse vs. Texas Tech airs on ESPNU, and can be streamed live with fuboTV (free trial).

The Orange looked doomed from the start of Thursday's 70-66 loss to the Texas Longhorns, at one point falling behind by 16 points. But the Orange fought its way back into the game with a strong second-half effort and even took a short-lived lead before falling 70-66 in the opening round of the Legends Classic.

It all came down to defense -- an area where the Orange has struggled all year. In the second half, Syracuse played tough, in-your-face defense that Texas coach Rodney Terry acknowledged became a problem for his side in the back half of the game. SU's Lucas Taylor was instrumental in slowing Tre Johnson to just 1-for-11 in the second half.

Syracuse will try to take the lessons from the first round into Game 2 against Texas Tech, who they play for third place on Friday night. Texas Tech lost a nail-biter against Saint Joseph's, 78-77, in the first round.

Betting is not available for in-state college teams under New York's betting laws.

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