Syracuse basketball and its peers around the country began their official preseason practices earlier this week ahead of 2026-27 campaign, which, for the Orange, will be the first season with former standout guard Gerry McNamara serving as the team's head coach.
McNamara, after taking Siena to the NCAA Tournament this past season and turning the Saints program around over the last two campaigns, faces an even bigger challenge at his alma mater. Syracuse, one of the top-10 winningest squads in the history of college basketball, hasn't made the annual Big Dance since 2021, and the 'Cuse has endured two straight losing seasons.
SU's first of three exhibitions is against UConn on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. The Orange's first regular-season game is against New Haven on Monday, Nov. 2, at the JMA Wireless Dome.
Here are various storylines to consider as the 2026-27 campaign inches closer.
Garwey Dual's health and Amarri Monroe's eligibility
Dual's current injury isn't expected to cause him to miss any regular-season games, a team spokesperson has told Inside the Loud House, but we'll have to see how healthy the Orange's presumed starting point guard is when 2026-27 arrives. Transfer forward Monroe, meanwhile, is batting the NCAA in court as he tries to gain a fifth season of college eligibility.
Will McNamara get this team to flow better on offense?
In recent years, SU's offense was relatively stagnant. Just not a lot of ball movement and player movement in the squad's half-court offense, which supremely frustrated the fan base. Hopefully, the 2026-27 roster will move without the ball, cut, set screens and, of course, make shots.
Syracuse was not a good shooting team last season
In 2025-26, when the Orange went 15-17 overall, SU shot 46.5 percent from the field, 32.9 percent from beyond the arc and 64.8 percent from the free-throw line. If the 'Cuse wants to hear its name called on Selection Sunday come next March, Syracuse has to improve, especially in the latter two categories.
Defense, defense, defense
There's no need to bemoan the past, although in 2025-26, the Orange allowed 74.2 points per game. That's so-so. McNamara appears intent on his line-up in 2026-27 being one that gets after it defensively, is gritty and tough, and doesn't beat itself through careless mistakes and sloppy play. I'll be curious to see how SU's defense fares in the upcoming campaign.
Oh, the height and length
Speaking of defense, this 'Cuse 2026-27 roster is loaded with height and length. LOADED. Hopefully, that will lend itself to solid play on defense (dare I say some zone schemes), efficient rebounding on both ends of the court, a lot of deflections and steals, and easy lobs for dunks on offense.
Ball-handling
Last season, Syracuse committed 11.0 turnovers per game, compared with 12.0 for its opponents. Additionally, the Orange averaged 14.2 points off turnovers per contest, compared to 12.3 for its foes. Dual's health is something to monitor when we talk about ball-handling and turnovers. Unforced turnovers drove the fan base mad in 2025-26; let's see if McNamara can lead his roster to improvements in that department.
Up-tempo or slow it down?
It remains to be seen whether McNamara will have his players push the pace out in transition or not. Personally, I think it would be good for the 'Cuse to score some easy buckets out in transition, especially if its half-court offense isn't performing well during any given game. At the same time, I don't believe that McNamara will have his guys running up and down the floor at a rapid pace just for the sake of doing it. It will be more methodical and strategic.
"We before me"
Given the types of players that McNamara likes to recruit, SU's 2026-27 roster will likely be a selfless one. Hopefully, that will lead to more assists per game (making more shots will help in that regard, too). Last season, the Orange averaged 12.8 dimes per contest, compared with 14.0 for its opponents.
Starting line-up, rotation
Unless injuries arise, depth shouldn't prove an issue for Syracuse basketball in 2026-27. I could envision McNamara playing eight to 11 guys in his regular rotation, although that, of course, could shrink as the season carries on. My projected starting line-up is point guard Garwey Dual, guard/wing Aiden Tobiason, guard/wing Gavin Doty, power forward Sadiq White Jr. and center Luke Wilson.
Sophomore leap
If either guard/wing Kiyan Anthony or White (or both of them) can take the so-called sophomore leap, that would be huge for SU.
Block party
Led by former center William Kyle III, the 'Cuse averaged 5.9 blocks per game last season, which was 3.0 blocks per contest more than its foes. The current Syracuse roster is ridiculously lengthy; will that translate to a sizable number of blocks?
All-ACC and crunch time
One consistent theme among some national and Atlantic Coast Conference observers is that McNamara's roster has a lot of good, solid, team-oriented players, but is the roster lacking top-level, All-ACC talent? Maybe, maybe not. To that end, which player or players will GMac call upon in crunch time? That storyline fascinates me.
Will Calvin Russell III play for SU again in 2026-27?
Russell, the two-sport star and Syracuse football wide receiver who is hoping to see the field soon, joined 'Cuse hoops this past January when he enrolled at SU. He has said he plans to play for McNamara, and Russell, a guard/wing, is listed on Syracuse's roster for 2026-27 via cuse.com. It's unclear if and when he would start practicing with SU basketball. I texted a team spokesperson about this on Thursday, and I'll provide an update if I hear back.
International connection
Syracuse, like many other programs, is relying on international markets for players. Incoming freshmen Mark Morano Mahmutovic, a wing from Slovenia, and Abdramane Siby, a center from Mali, are intriguing prospects. Will they have an impact as college newbies?
Schedule and March Madness outlook
The Orange's 14-game non-conference docket is enticing, with encounters against Indiana, Oklahoma, Providence, Rutgers and St. John's, among others. Going 11-3 (or better) in the non-conference would be massive. On paper, SU's 18-game ACC calendar is manageable, with heavyweights like Duke, Virginia, Louisville and North Carolina all coming to Central New York. If Syracuse basketball can get to at least 20 regular-season triumphs, it has a shot at the 2027 NCAA Tournament.
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