Syracuse Basketball Hits Boiling Point After Crushing Loss to Virginia Tech
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The frustration in Adrian Autry’s voice wasn’t subtle. Just 30 seconds into his postgame press conference, the Syracuse head coach let out a raw, unfiltered reaction following a 76-74 loss to Virginia Tech - a game that felt like a breaking point for a program teetering on the edge.
“We get a clean look to tie it up, all you can ask for,” Autry said, recounting the final moments. “Then we get another chance and we walk under the [expletive] basketball, under the rim, and we don’t get the rebound.”
That missed opportunity - one of many on a night filled with them - summed up where things stand for Syracuse right now. The Orange had their shot. They didn’t take it.
Inside the JMA Wireless Dome, the tension was unmistakable. Boos rained down from a crowd of 18,738.
Chants of “Fire Autry” echoed from the student section. Even Carmelo Anthony, the program’s most iconic alum and father to current player Kiyan Anthony, was visibly upset, pounding his fist and leaving his courtside seat early.
The mood inside the locker room wasn’t much better. Freshman standout Donnie Freeman, who had been averaging 22.2 points over his last five games, managed just 10 on 3-for-14 shooting. He sat quietly, voice barely above a whisper, taking the blame head-on.
“In my opinion, I feel like there (are) two games that I’ve pissed away just single-handedly,” Freeman said, referencing both the Virginia Tech loss and the recent overtime defeat to Boston College. “I’m taking full ownership for the past two games.”
Freeman wasn’t alone in his frustration. The officiating crew - Greg Evans, A.J.
Desai, and Lee Cassell - called 28 fouls on Syracuse compared to just 15 on Virginia Tech. The Hokies took full advantage, going 26-of-36 from the free throw line.
That disparity only added fuel to the fire on a night when the 9 p.m. tip and sub-zero wind chills already had fans in a sour mood.
But this isn’t just about one night. This is about a season that’s slipping away - fast.
Syracuse now sits at 12-7 overall and 3-3 in ACC play. The Orange are talented, no doubt.
But they’re also wildly inconsistent. And that inconsistency - or “dips,” as Autry calls them - has become the defining trait of this team.
What’s missing is identity. Offensively, Syracuse doesn’t have a go-to system, a bread-and-butter set it can rely on when things get tight.
And it shows. Once again, they were outplayed, outworked, and out-executed in the second half - the ninth time this season they’ve lost that battle after halftime.
Asked why that trend keeps repeating, Autry didn’t have a clear answer.
“It’s a good question,” he said. “I think that’s something that we are trying to figure out.
It’s not really a second half, it’s a game for me. We have to be able to get to the finish line with some wins.
We got great opportunities. This was a great one today.
We got to be ready. We got to bounce back, you know?
“We have to live this, learn from it and move forward. That’s all you can do. This one is, obviously disappointed, but we got to be ready to refocus and get ready for the game on Saturday.”
That game - a must-win against Miami - looms large. Not just for the team’s NCAA Tournament hopes, but potentially for Autry’s future on the Syracuse sideline. The pressure is mounting, and the margin for error is gone.
Autry was also asked how he plans to restore confidence in a fan base that’s clearly losing patience.
“I understand the frustration,” he said. “We’ll get refocused and we’ll go out there and we’ll fight.
These guys are going to fight. We had our chances.
We have to do the little things better.”
That theme - doing the little things - was echoed by center William Kyle III, who was blunt in his assessment of where the team stands.
“I feel like we need to be real with ourselves,” Kyle said. “I know a lot of the stuff falls on the coaching staff, but we need to be better as players, too.
The coach can’t pass the ball for us, the coach can’t make free throws, the coach can’t rebound for us. We’re not rising to the occasion right now.
We’re playing at a very low level.”
And that’s the truth of it. Syracuse is at a crossroads.
The season isn’t over - not yet - but the window is closing. Fast.
This is the moment where leadership matters most. Where someone in that locker room - coach or player - needs to step up, rally the group, and find a way to change the narrative.
Because right now, the Orange are running out of answers. And time.