Syracuse basketball fell just short in a thrilling non-conference game against Indiana at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Orange, down three points in the waning seconds, forced a turnover to have a shot at tying things up.
Sophomore guard Kiyan Anthony, who was terrific on Monday night, took a deep 3-point attempt that was off right before the final buzzer sounded. The Hoosiers (3-0 overall) escaped with an 83-80 victory. The Orange (2-1 overall), which suffered their first loss of the 2026-27 campaign, will next play No. 13 St. John's on Sunday evening at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
There are no moral victories in Division I college athletics; however, Syracuse basketball came to play against Indiana. The Orange shot quite well, and many statistical categories were relatively even. What ultimately doomed the 'Cuse was that Indiana had a large lead in points off turnovers. The Hoosiers also led on the glass and made more free throws.
Anthony, freshman point guard Ryan Moesch and sophomore forward Sadiq White Jr. all had strong performances for the Orange. With this setback, the 'Cuse is now 6-2 in its all-time series with the Hoosiers.
Syracuse basketball couldn't get over the hump against Indiana in Indianapolis.
SU connected on 51 percent from the field, 42 percent from beyond the arc and 80 percent from the free-throw line. Indiana, conversely, made 42 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point land and 85 percent from the charity stripe. The Hoosiers took six more free throws, and they made a half-dozen more from the stripe. In a close game, that was pivotal to an Indiana triumph.
The Orange led 40-11 in bench points, 32-28 in paint points and 4-1 in blocks. On the flip side, Indiana led 12-11 in turnovers forced, 20-8 in points off turnovers, 37-28 in total rebounds, 12-9 in second-chance points, 7-5 in steals and 15-12 in assists.
Each team had six fast-break points. For the entire game, Syracuse basketball committed 20 fouls. The Hoosiers committed 18 fouls.
Indiana's guards torched the 'Cuse. Senior guard Markus Burton and junior guard Darren Harris each had 20 points. Junior guard Jaeden Mustaf added 18 points, while junior center Samet Yigitoglu chipped in eight points and 10 rebounds.
Moesch had a team-high 19 points for Syracuse basketball. He also had six assists. Moesch went 6-of-13 from the field and 3-of-5 from downtown. Anthony had 16 points and went 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, which is encouraging, given his struggles at the stripe as a freshman.
White tallied 13 points and three boards. He went 6-of-8 from the field. Junior center Luke Wilson produced 11 points and four rebounds. He made 4-of-5 from the field and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.
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