Syracuse’s preseason trip continues Sunday in Albany, and there are a few pressure points worth tracking when the Orange meet Siena at MVP Arena.
The biggest one starts with the health of Syracuse’s lineup. On Tuesday against Connecticut, the Orange opened with Garwey Dual, Aiden Tobiason, Gavin Doty, Sadiq White Jr. and Samson Goodrick, but that group never really had a chance to settle in.
Dual, who is still working back from a collarbone injury suffered in July, was held to just 10 minutes. Tobiason exited only minutes into the game with a lower body injury and did not return.
Reserve forward Mark Morano also sat out with a lower leg injury.
That mattered on the scoreboard. Syracuse never got much going offensively in the 72-52 loss, shooting 30.6 percent from the field and 4-for-19 from 3-point range.
With Dual not expected to be a big scoring threat, the Orange were especially short-handed without Tobiason and Morano, two players who are supposed to help carry the offense this season. Morano is expected to make his preseason debut against Siena, while Tobiason is listed as day to day.
If either is available, their impact on Syracuse’s offense will be one of the key things to watch.
Another storyline is the rotation itself. McNamara did not wait long to dip deep into his bench Tuesday, and 12 players got into the game.
The minutes were spread around, but a few names stood out. Moesch, Doty, Kiyan Anthony and White all played between 25 and 30 minutes, while Amarri Monroe logged 19, Folefac played 15 and Luke Wilson got 20.
That usage paints a clearer picture of who Syracuse may trust early. Moesch made a strong case as a true freshman, and Monroe and Wilson - both prominent transfers - figure to keep climbing as they settle in.
Sunday also brings a familiar face back to Albany. McNamara spent two seasons at Siena and got the program back to the NCAA Tournament in his second year after a long drought that stretched back to 2010. When he moved on to Syracuse, he brought several players with him, including Doty, Goodrick, Francis Folefac and high school commit Ryan Moesch.
That should make for a warm welcome for those three players, and an especially loud one for McNamara when he returns to Albany.
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