Syracuse is in the thick of a midseason slide, and the path forward isn’t getting any smoother. After a promising start to ACC play, the Orange have now dropped three straight and tumbled from a top-six conference spot all the way down to 12th.
With 11 games left on the schedule-nine of them against Quad 1 or Quad 2 opponents-the margin for error is shrinking fast. But the door to March Madness isn’t shut yet.
Syracuse still has a shot to end its four-year NCAA Tournament drought and give head coach Adrian Autry something to build on in Year 3.
To do that, though, the Orange will need to tighten up across the board. Here are four areas that could make or break Syracuse’s postseason hopes down the stretch.
1. Reignite the Defensive Identity
When Autry retooled the roster this offseason, the blueprint was clear: build a defense that can travel. He brought in William Kyle III to anchor the paint and Nate Kingz to lock down the perimeter.
Returning players like J.J. Starling and Donnie Freeman were expected to bring a more balanced two-way approach.
And for a while, it worked. Syracuse looked like one of the better defensive units in the country early on, holding its own against heavyweights like Houston, Kansas, and Tennessee.
But that edge has dulled in conference play. The Orange are giving up 76.5 points per game in the ACC-7.5 more than their season average. Defensive breakdowns and lapses in intensity have left Syracuse without a clear identity.
“We’ve lost that edge a little bit, and we’ve talked about it,” Autry said after the 85-76 loss to Miami. “We got to keep trying to be aggressive and be in people’s faces.”
He’s not wrong. Syracuse isn’t built to win shootouts.
This isn’t a team that’s going to drop 90 and run opponents out of the gym. But if they can hold teams in the 60s and grind out possessions, they’ll give themselves a chance.
Getting back to that defensive DNA is priority No. 1.
2. Unleash Kingz and Betsey from Deep
Offensively, Syracuse has been streaky at best. Freeman has flashed star potential, but teams are starting to key in on him.
Starling and freshman point guard Naithan George can both create, but neither has consistently taken over late in games. That’s where Kingz and Tyler Betsey come in.
When Syracuse is clicking, it’s often because those two are stretching the floor and knocking down threes. Kingz went 5-for-6 from beyond the arc against Boston College.
Betsey lit up Florida State with a 6-for-8 performance. The Orange have hit 10 or more threes in a game just three times this season-all in ACC play-and those two were at the center of it.
“It’s very important for us,” Autry said about their shooting. “We had that stretch where we wasn’t making threes. And since we got into conference, we were making 3s.”
But against Miami, the duo combined for just six attempts from deep-and only made two. Neither hit a three in the first 30 minutes.
That kind of silence from your top shooters can’t happen if Syracuse wants to stay competitive in the ACC. If Kingz and Betsey can get hot at the same time, the Orange offense becomes a different animal-one that can punish defenses for collapsing on Freeman or overplaying the drive.
3. Give Freeman More Time at the Five
One of the more interesting lineup tweaks Syracuse could explore is sliding Donnie Freeman to the center spot more often. Right now, the Orange are running a nine-man rotation, occasionally dipping into a 10th with Bryce Zephir when foul trouble hits.
Kiyan Anthony and Sadiq White have had their freshman ups and downs, but they’re likely to stay in the mix. The real question is whether Akir Souare’s minutes are still justifiable.
Souare is averaging only nine minutes per game, but his offensive impact has been minimal. According to EvanMiya’s advanced metrics, he’s posted a -1.29 Offensive Bayesian Performance Rating-the lowest on the team.
Freeman, on the other hand, has been a force. When Autry moved him to the five against Georgia Tech, the offense opened up.
The floor spacing improved, shooters got cleaner looks, and Freeman’s versatility inside and out gave Syracuse a new wrinkle. He’s already logging 30 minutes per game, but giving him more time at center-especially when Kyle is in foul trouble or needs a breather-could unlock even more.
“He gives us a guy that we can go inside, a guy that can step outside. He’s a versatile offensive player,” Autry said after that win over Georgia Tech. “He really sets the tone for us.”
If Syracuse is going to make a push, it needs its best player in positions where he can do the most damage. That might mean leaning into a smaller, more dynamic lineup built around Freeman at the five.
4. Dominate the Glass
Last season, even during one of the roughest campaigns in recent memory, Syracuse found a way to be competitive on the boards. The Orange finished sixth in the ACC in total rebounds and fifth in offensive rebounds, thanks in large part to Eddie Lampkin Jr., who averaged 9.6 boards per game.
Lampkin is gone, and while Kyle has stepped in as a shot-blocking presence, the rebounding hasn’t held up. Syracuse now ranks 14th in the conference in total rebounds and dead last in offensive boards. That’s a problem for a team that can’t rely on offensive efficiency alone.
The drop-off isn’t just about Kyle. Freeman’s rebounding numbers are slightly down from 7.9 to 7.2 per game.
Kingz, Starling, and George are combining for just under 10 rebounds per game, despite all playing heavy minutes. That’s not enough.
Against Miami, Syracuse was out-rebounded by 16-their second-worst margin of the season, only behind the loss to Kansas (-20). In games where the Orange aren’t shooting well, second-chance points become critical. Winning the rebounding battle gives this team more possessions and more margin for error.
The Road Ahead
Syracuse doesn’t have much time to figure things out. The ACC schedule is unforgiving, and with nine of the final 11 games coming against Quad 1 or 2 opponents, every possession matters. But the blueprint is there: get back to playing defense with an edge, let your shooters loose, maximize Freeman’s versatility, and win the battle on the boards.
Do those things, and the Orange might just claw their way back into the NCAA Tournament conversation. Fall short, and the wait for March will stretch into its fifth year.