Syracuse Falls to Hofstra: Offensive Identity Still in Question After 70-69 Loss
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Orange dropped a heartbreaker at home Saturday night, falling 70-69 to Hofstra at the JMA Wireless Dome. It’s the kind of loss that stings-not just because it came against a mid-major, but because it exposed a growing concern for this Syracuse team: what exactly is their offensive identity?
Now sitting at 6-4 on the season, Syracuse is still very much in the process of figuring out who they are. And while the free throw struggles have been well-documented-and yes, they were again a factor-Saturday night revealed something even more pressing: this team has to get out and run.
Syracuse’s Half-Court Offense Needs Help
Right now, without Donnie Freeman in the lineup, Syracuse just isn’t built to grind it out in the half-court. The ball movement isn’t sharp enough, the spacing isn’t consistent, and the perimeter shooting isn’t reliable enough to stretch defenses. And when you can’t knock down threes or get to the line with confidence, you’re left with few options.
That’s why transition basketball isn’t just a luxury for this group-it’s a necessity.
This team’s most defining traits? Speed, length, and defensive tenacity.
Those are the tools that can flip the game in a hurry-if they’re used to create offense off stops. When Syracuse forces turnovers or cleans up the glass, they have the athleticism to push the pace and attack before defenses can get set.
That’s when they’re at their best.
But on Saturday, Hofstra didn’t give them many chances to do that.
Hofstra Controlled the Tempo
Hofstra shot nearly 50% from the field and a blistering 67% from three, which meant two things: they were scoring efficiently, and they were getting back on defense. That limited Syracuse’s ability to push the pace and forced them into more half-court sets-where the Orange struggled to generate consistent looks, especially in the second half.
Hofstra’s zone defense also played a role. Once they settled in, Syracuse had trouble breaking it down.
The ball stuck too often, and the Orange couldn’t find the gaps or make the extra pass quickly enough to force rotations. That’s where the lack of movement off the ball really showed.
Kiyan Anthony’s Take
Freshman Kiyan Anthony, who continues to show flashes of his potential, acknowledged the transition game is a strength, but also pointed to the need for better execution in the half-court.
“It definitely changes the offense as far as transition points,” Anthony said postgame. “But like I said, we practice zone every day.
We have a whole segment of practice where we play 5-on-5 against each other when we're playing zone. So, it's like we do great against each other in practice, but this is the first time we've been tested with a good zone, I would say, for a lot of the game.
Some teams threw it in there for one possession, but for most of the game, they were in zone and we've just got to do a better job executing like we do in practice.”
That’s a telling quote. It’s one thing to run sets against your own guys in practice-it’s another to execute under game pressure, against a team like Hofstra that’s locked in and playing with nothing to lose.
What’s Next?
The Orange don’t have much time to dwell on this one. They’re back at the Dome on Dec. 17 to face Mercyhurst. It’s a chance to reset, regroup, and hopefully rediscover some rhythm on offense.
But make no mistake: the path forward is clear. If Syracuse is going to make noise this season, they’ll need to lean into their strengths-defense, athleticism, and tempo.
Because right now, grinding out wins in the half-court just isn’t a winning formula for this team. Not yet.
The good news? There’s still time to figure it out. But the urgency is starting to build.