Syracuse basketball won its 2026-27 season opener on Monday night, 74-58, against non-conference foe New Haven at home. That's all well and good, because a win is better than a loss. However, first-year head coach Gerry McNamara was none too pleased with this team's performance. In fact, he was "very angry," McNamara said at his post-game press conference after the victory.
The Orange has a quick turnaround and will face NEC member Central Connecticut State at the JMA Wireless Dome on Thursday, Nov. 5. The tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm, with live-streaming coverage on the ACC Network Extra.
The teams have met once before. In the 2012-13 campaign, Syracuse basketball defeated Central Connecticut State, 96-62, on the Hill. The Blue Devils went 18-12 overall in the 2025-26 season. They were picked to finish third in the NEC in 2026-27, per the league's preseason Coaches' poll. Central Connecticut State lost its 2026-27 season opener this past Monday on the road to Temple, 68-56.
Syracuse men's basketball has a lot of work to do, first-year head coach Gerry McNamara has said more than once lately.
In the Orange's win over New Haven, the 'Cuse shot 39.3 percent from the field, 28.6 percent from beyond the arc and 72.0 percent from the free-throw line. The Chargers connected on 42.6 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from downtown and 55.6 percent from the charity stripe.
In various statistical categories, Syracuse led 13-4 in points off turnovers, 13-4 in second-chance points, 26-20 in bench points, 40-34 in total rebounds, 6-2 in blocks, 9-1 in steals, 15-13 in assists and 13-5 in turnovers forced. New Haven led 9-4 in fast-break points. Each squad had 28 paint points.
The 'Cuse raced to an 18-0 lead, but the Chargers actually outscored the Orange by two points the rest of the way, for the final 16-point margin. At his post-game presser, McNamara didn't sugarcoat things. "I’m very angry," he said.
What was McNamara upset about? For one, he was frustrated by the Orange's lack of defensive rebounding early in the second half. McNamara added that, in the second half, "we stopped defending with the type of intent that it takes to clog lanes. We just didn’t do that well enough in the second half. They got loose. They played in more space. They got a couple offensive rebounds. We made some mistakes and the game got yucky, and then they’re going back and forth with zone. So, they’re trying to change the pace, smart, you know, try to throw us off, see if they could steal another couple possessions."
McNamara was "happy with some things, but you know, the overall defense in the second half, I’m really not pleased with."
I give credit to Coach for being candid. Sure, it was the first official game, so let's see how the 'Cuse fares coming up. Rebounding is a concern. So, too, is long-distance shooting. Conversely, it was encouraging that Syracuse basketball players only committed five turnovers.
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