Syracuse’s November trip to Madison Square Garden is already carrying a few layers, and one of the biggest involves a former Orange big man who won’t be on the floor.
The Orange are set to meet St. John’s on Sunday, Nov. 15, in New York City, a non-conference showdown first reported by Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports and later confirmed by a source to Inside the Loud House. It’s a reunion of sorts with first-year Syracuse coach Gerry McNamara facing Rick Pitino’s Red Storm, and it had been shaping up as one of the more intriguing games on the Orange’s schedule.
Donnie Freeman, who spent two seasons at Syracuse before transferring to St. John’s this offseason, is not expected to play. On July 1, Pitino said on social media that the 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward would miss the entire 2026-27 season after a non-contact injury in a workout and subsequent successful Achilles tendon surgery.
Even without Freeman, St. John’s keeps looking like a heavyweight. The Red Storm already owns back-to-back 30-win seasons under Pitino, and in 2025-26 it went 30-7, shared the Big East regular-season title, won the Big East Tournament and reached the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.
Now St. John’s has added another forward to the mix.
On Tuesday night, after more legal wrangling around the country over a possible fifth season of eligibility for 2022 athletes, the Red Storm landed Indiana transfer Reed Bailey, according to Pete Nakos of On3 and later confirmed by St. John’s Athletics.
Bailey spent last season with the Hoosiers after three years at Davidson. The 6-foot-10 native of Harvard, Mass., averaged 19.1 minutes, 8.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game for Indiana while shooting 57.0 percent from the field, 25.0 percent from 3-point range and 75.7 percent at the line.
His eligibility situation is tied up in the broader NCAA fight. Bailey has already played four college seasons, so the NCAA’s new 5-for-5 model, approved earlier this summer, would not normally give him another year. But a federal judge in Colorado issued a preliminary injunction in late July that gives 2022 athletes a fifth season under certain conditions.
Bailey is in a similar position to Quinnipiac senior wing/forward Amarri Monroe, who has committed to Syracuse and is leaning on that Colorado injunction. Nakos also reported in late July that Bailey was one of more than 50 players named as plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the NCAA in North Carolina.
Legal experts have told Inside the Loud House that players who attach their names to a state case likely have a better shot of being able to compete for the full 2026-27 season. Some experts also believe the class-wide injunction in Colorado may not last through the entire season.
In Other News...
JJ Starling Just Put Syracuse In The Middle Of A Bigger Fight
JJ Starlings Syracuse tenure may not be finished in the broadest sense, even if his next step is no longer tied to the Orange. The former Syracuse guard has joined a California lawsuit involving players from the 2022 high school graduating class who are seeking an extra year of NCAA eligibility, a move that puts him squarely in the middle of the sports ongoing fight over how much time athletes should really be allowed to compete.
Starling also has entered the NCAA transfer portal, which keeps his basketball future open while he sorts through his options. He averaged 10.9 points per game last season, and with professional opportunities still on the table, his next decision carries real weight for him and for programs that could be watching the same eligibility battle play out in court. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Is Bringing A New Money Reality To The Dome
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Syracuse has not formally announced the partnership, but the move fits a school that has already been willing to lean into sponsorship revenue in creative ways. The Orange previously worked with SRC, Inc. on a sponsored home game relocated to Yankee Stadium, and this latest step shows the program is continuing to adapt to the new business reality around the Dome. [Read more 🡒]
Perry Eliano Has Syracuse's Secondary Facing One Big Question
Perry Eliano arrived in January and immediately stepped into a secondary with some real pieces already in place, including Chris Peal and Demetres Samuel Jr. For Syracuse, that made his job as defensive backs coach less about starting from scratch and more about figuring out how to blend established talent into a defense that can handle different looks. Eliano has leaned into the relationship side of the position, stressing trust as the foundation for developing versatility, especially at safety.
The good news for the Orange is that the group has moved forward since his arrival, enough for the staff to start shifting players into different roles and seeing what fits. The lingering question is the one every secondary coach eventually has to answer: who actually settles into the starting spots when the dust clears? Syracuse is still sorting that out, and until the lineup is finalized, the back end remains one of the more interesting parts of camp. [Read more 🡒]