Gerry McNamara’s first exhibition as Syracuse head coach gave him a clear early read on where his team stands - and where the problems are.
For one half, the Orange hung right in there with Connecticut. After that, the Huskies took control and pulled away for a 72-52 win Tuesday night at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
UConn led 31-26 at halftime, then put together a 41-26 second half to turn the game into a comfortable finish. The Huskies were up by as many as 24 late in the game.
It was a useful first measuring stick for McNamara, the former Syracuse star making his coaching debut with the Orange. The takeaway was pretty straightforward: Syracuse brought a defense that could make life hard on opponents, but the offense has a long way to go, especially with two of its more promising scoring options out.
The Orange leaned on a sticky man-to-man defense that bothered UConn at times. The Huskies shot 41% from the field, though that number was helped by their work on the glass and the 18 second-chance points they generated.
Syracuse, meanwhile, could not find enough clean looks or knock down enough shots. The Orange finished at 31% from the field and went just 4-for-19 from 3-point range.
Sadiq White led Syracuse with 17 points, and nobody else on the roster reached double figures.
The first half was mostly a defensive battle. Both teams shot 35% before the break, and Syracuse briefly showed some fight after falling behind early. Connecticut went ahead by seven, Syracuse answered to tie it at 13, then the Huskies built a 26-18 cushion before the Orange climbed back again.
White hit two 3-pointers in that stretch, and Gavin Doty added another as Syracuse got back level.
Even with the defense holding up, the rebounding gap was hard to ignore. Connecticut owned the boards, 23-12, in the first half alone, and that edge translated into 16 second-chance points. Syracuse managed only four points off offensive rebounds before halftime.
The Orange also had to deal with an early setback in the backcourt. Aiden Tobiason, a Temple transfer who started the game, limped to the bench less than two minutes in after dealing with a hamstring injury during the preseason. He was holding the back of his upper right leg and never returned, spending the second half in warmups.
Syracuse was also without Mark Morano, a first-year player from Slovenia whose offense has drawn positive reviews from Carmelo Anthony and other practice observers.
Tuesday’s game was the first meeting between Syracuse and UConn since Nov. 15, 2018, when the Huskies beat a 15th-ranked Orange team 83-76 in the Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden.
That night was Danny Hurley’s first season as UConn’s head coach, the beginning of a run that has turned the Huskies back into a national power.
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Syracuses First McNamara Test Exposed A Concern Fans Cant Ignore
The first real look at Syracuse with Kyle McNamara in an exhibition setting came with plenty to unpack, and not much of it was easy. A trip to Mohegan Sun Arena ended in a 72-52 loss to UConn, with the Orange already short-handed before tipoff after freshman Mark Morano sat out because of injury and Aidan Tobiason went down early with a hamstring issue. Even in an exhibition, the matchup offered a useful early snapshot of where this group stands, and it was clear Syracuse had trouble matching UConns physicality.
Ryan Moesch and Sadiq White provided a few bright spots, but the bigger issues were hard to miss. Syracuse struggled to rebound and had a difficult time finding offense against a defense that smothered possessions and turned the game into a grind. For a team still trying to establish its identity under McNamara, the concern is less about one October result than the way the Orange were pushed around in the areas that usually travel best when the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuses First Gerry McNamara Test Raised One Early Concern
The first exhibition under Gerry McNamara offered an early look at what Syracuse wants to be this season: fast, energetic and willing to play at a pace that can make opponents uncomfortable. There were encouraging signs too, including the debut of freshman Ryan Moesch, along with stretches that hinted at where this group can grow as it settles into McNamaras approach.
Still, the loss to UConn also provided a reminder that the Orange are nowhere near a finished product. Syracuse had moments of promise on the glass and around the basket, but the game exposed some familiar unevenness in shooting and rebounding, and the injury to Aiden Tobiason added another layer of concern to an opener that was supposed to be more about evaluation than results. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Already Has A Lineup Concern It Cant Ignore
Syracuses exhibition opener against UConn offered an early look at what the Orange have to sort out before the games start counting, and the most immediate concern came before the final score did. Aiden Tobiason went down with a hamstring injury early, leaving Syracuse to adjust its rotation on the fly in a 72-52 loss that was otherwise shaped by UConns length and pace. Sadiq White provided one of the few bright spots for Syracuse with 17 points, while freshman Ryan Moesch got a long first look in his debut and logged 30 minutes.
The Orange will obviously care about the result, but the larger issue is how quickly they can settle the backcourt and wing mix if Tobiason needs time to recover. Exhibition games are supposed to help a staff learn what it has, and this one gave Syracuse a reminder that depth can look very different once an injury hits and a young roster is forced into bigger roles. UConns Najai Hines added 17 points and eight rebounds, but for Syracuse the bigger takeaway may be whether this lineup can hold together long enough to find some rhythm. [Read more 🡒]