Syracuse basketball junior guard Aiden Tobiason had a rough start to his unofficial career with the Orange. The 6-foot-6, 210-pound Tobiason, who hails from Wilmington, Del., and transferred to the 'Cuse from Temple, suffered an injury about two minutes into SU's exhibition against Big East Conference powerhouse UConn on Tuesday night.
The Orange hung tough with the Huskies in the first half but ultimately fell by 20 points at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. Tobiason didn't score. He committed two turnovers and one foul.
Tobiason appeared to suffer an upper right-leg injury. As Syracuse.com reported, "Tobiason had been dealing with a hamstring injury during the preseason. He initially suffered the injury while attending NBA player Damian Lillard’s camp. He had recently returned to practice."
First-year head coach Gerry McNamara had Tobiason in his starting line-up. The four-star transfer this past offseason is expected to be among Syracuse basketball's biggest contributors in the 2026-27 season.
In the 2025-26 campaign, as a sophomore at Temple, Tobiason averaged 35.3 minutes, 15.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals per contest while making 48.0 percent from the field, 33.8 percent from beyond the arc and 80.0 percent from the free-throw line.
Just how much additional time Tobiason could miss coming up - the 'Cuse has two more exhibitions before its 2026-27 season opener in early November at home against New Haven - is unclear for now.
Syracuse basketball needs a healthy Aiden Tobiason.
After the Orange's setback to Connecticut, McNamara said of Tobiason in his post-game press conference, "I’m more concerned about long-term. I haven’t had a chance to sit down with Mike (Mangano) our trainer and figure out what the next step is and how he actually looks."
It's true that Syracuse basketball has a lot of depth in its 2026-27 roster, including in its backcourt. However, on Tuesday evening, Tobiason only played two minutes. Starting point guard Garwey Dual, who is coming back from an injury, played just 10 minutes. Last but not least, freshman wing Mark Morano wasn't available.
I don't want to sound the alarm too early, but there could potentially be some early-season depth issues for Syracuse basketball among its guard group. Tobiason, for one, provides scoring and solid 3-point shooting.
Against UConn, the Orange made 31 percent from the field, 21 percent from beyond the arc and 64 percent from the free-throw line. "Well, he gives us a couple of different options," McNamara said of Tobiason. "Number one, he gives us another threat from the 3-point line. But he’s also spent a lot of time at the point guard position, so he knows multiple positions for us."
Naturally, once McNamara and his staff provide further updates on Tobiason, Inside the Loud House will share them. Hopefully, he's okay.
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