Donnie Freeman career night wasn't enough to avoid latest Syracuse basketball setback

Syracuse basketball sophomore power forward Donnie Freeman, who had struggled in the Orange's latest two losses, did everything he could to get the 'Cuse back into the win column on Saturday night at Wake Forest.

The 6-foot-9, 205-pound Freeman, who missed nine games earlier in the 2025-26 campaign, scored just nine points each against Duke and North Carolina in those recent defeats for the Orange.

However, on Saturday evening at the LJVM Coliseum in Winston-Salem, N.C., the native of Washington, D.C., was fabulous. Freeman tallied a career-high 28 points, although Syracuse basketball's defense was bad in an 88-83 home victory for the Demon Deacons (15-14 overall, 6-10 in ACC).

In 36 minutes, he was 9-of-13 from the field, 4-of-7 from beyond the arc and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. Freeman also collected five rebounds, but he did commit three turnovers. The Orange (15-14 overall, 6-10 in ACC) next heads to No. 24 Louisville on March 3.

Syracuse basketball sophomore Donnie Freeman was terrific at Wake Forest.

Earlier in the 2025-26 term, Freeman missed nine games due to a lower-body injury. In 20 total contests this season, he is averaging 30.5 minutes, 17.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 blocks per encounter while connecting on 49.6 percent from the field, 32.9 percent from long range and 75.6 percent from the charity stripe.

To qualify for rankings among the Atlantic Coast Conference leaders in individual statistical categories, a player has to appear in at least 75.0 percent of his team's games, and Freeman isn't quite there yet. However, if he did qualify, Freeman would be No. 9 in the ACC in points per game and No. 13 in boards per contest.

A lot of 'Cuse fans have discussed Freeman lately, given the Orange's struggles and also some things that have occurred with him. For one, when the 'Cuse beat Notre Dame in late January on the Hill, he was not in the starting line-up.

On February 21, as Syracuse basketball fell to North Carolina at the JMA Wireless Dome, Freeman picked up his second technical foul with fewer than two minutes left in that ACC affair, and he was ejected. Later, Orange head coach Adrian Autry would characterize Freeman as "frustrated."

Freeman only appeared in 14 games as a freshman in 2024-25 due to an injury. He was a consensus five-star, top-15 national prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle and ranked as high as No. 6 in that class.

Some SU fans think Freeman has been a bust. His defense needs improvement, and he's not ready for the NBA after the current campaign, but Freeman has future pro potential. He's scored in double-figures in 16 games so far this season, reaching at least 20 points on eight occasions.