When the Syracuse Orange reflect on the ups and downs of their 2025-26 basketball season, the spotlight will likely fall on the inconsistencies of key players Donnie Freeman and JJ Starling. Both have shown flashes of brilliance, yet neither has consistently delivered the standout performances needed to elevate the team to its full potential.
Donnie Freeman's Rollercoaster Season
Freeman, a promising sophomore hailing from Washington D.C., kicked off the season with impressive back-to-back 20-point games against Binghamton and Delaware State. However, a right foot injury against Monmouth on November 18 sidelined him for six weeks, delaying his return until the start of conference play on December 31.
Upon his return, Freeman made a statement with scores of 18, 27, 22, and 25 in his first four ACC matchups. Yet, since then, he's reached the 20-point mark only twice in the last 11 games.
In five of those games, including three of the last five, he's been held to 10 points or fewer. While Freeman's shooting a solid 48.4 percent from the field, his three-point accuracy has dipped to 30.4 percent.
JJ Starling's Offensive Struggles
Last season's top scorer for the Orange, Starling has seen his average dip to 12.4 points per game, his lowest since his freshman year. Although he's hit double figures in 19 of 26 games, he's surpassed 20 points only three times and has been held to single digits in six games.
One of those was the season opener, where he was injured just three minutes in. Recently, Starling has scored nine points or fewer in two of the last three games and is shooting 31.2 percent from beyond the arc, mirroring the team's overall struggles from deep.
Looking Ahead
The Orange are set to face Wake Forest this Saturday, February 28, with tip-off scheduled for 3:45 p.m. ET in Winston Salem, N.C.
Around Campus
The Syracuse women's basketball team is enjoying a strong season with a 21-6 record, eyeing a spot in the NCAA Tournament this March. Despite their success, ESPN's latest bracketology has them projected as a No. 9 seed, potentially facing a daunting second-round matchup against No.
1 UConn in Storrs, Conn. The Huskies are heavily favored to clinch their second consecutive national title.
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