Syracuse is heading toward the start of practice with one obvious concern hanging over the roster: Garwey Dual still hasn’t been cleared for full contact.
Dual, a transfer from McNeese State who arrived in the summer, is working his way back from an offseason collarbone injury. Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports reported that he remains out of full-contact work, and there’s still no timetable for when that restriction will be lifted.
That leaves Gerry McNamara’s team in a spot it would rather avoid this close to the start of the season. Practice is set to begin later this month, with the first exhibition games coming in mid-October and the regular season opening on Nov.
- If Dual’s recovery stretches any further, it only narrows the time Syracuse has to get everyone in rhythm.
Dual is expected to be a major piece in the backcourt. The 6-foot-5 guard committed to Syracuse in mid-April, shortly after McNamara officially took the job, and this will be his fourth school in four years.
He has also played at Providence and Seton Hall, and across those three seasons he has started 45 games. Last year at McNeese, he started 17 games, averaged 8.4 ppg and 4.4 assists, and helped the program reach the NCAA Tournament in 2025-26.
His value isn’t limited to the offensive end. Dual has built a reputation as a dynamic defender, and his size gives McNamara some flexibility depending on how he wants to deploy him.
That flexibility matters because Syracuse still has to sort through its guard rotation. Dual, Gavin Doty and Aiden Tobiason are all listed at about 6-foot-5, and the Orange need to determine who handles point guard duties and who slides into the shooting guard role. Kiyan Anthony and Amarri Monroe, if Monroe is deemed eligible, are also in the mix for meaningful minutes at shooting guard or small forward.
The exhibition slate starts Oct. 13, when Syracuse travels to Connecticut to face UConn at Mohegan Sun. The Huskies reached the national title game last season before losing to Michigan. Syracuse will also play Siena on Oct. 18 and Niagara on Oct. 24 before the real games begin in early November.
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ESPNs FPI now sees Syracuse in a much narrower range of outcomes than it did before, while Pittsburgh sits ahead of the Orange in several other metrics as well. With a slate of recent ACC results and a busy Week 3 schedule still unfolding, this matchup is starting to look like an early measure of where Syracuse really stands in the league. [Read more 🡒]