Syracuse Basketball: 5 things to watch during the Orange's upcoming exhibitions

It’s not even Halloween, but the Syracuse basketball season is here! The third season of the Adrian Autry era could be a flash point for the future of the program. It also gets underway with a pair of exhibition games. First up is Saturday’s game in Buffalo, N.Y., against the Buffalo Bulls, a rare exhibition game against another Division 1 opponent. The unofficial Dome opener comes next Wednesday against the Pace Setters.

There are literally two scholarship players returning from last season’s team, so there are a lot of new faces and a lot to learn about the 2025-26 Orange. Of course, we should be careful not to read too much into what we see during exhibition games. That being said, here are five things that you’ll want to keep an eye out for during Syracuse’s games with Buffalo and Pace.

Donnie Freeman’s Health

After his freshman season ended prematurely because of an injury, this has to be a focal point, even during exhibition games. Is there any lingering sign of the foot injury that required surgery? Autry has claimed that Freeman has returned from the injury bigger and stronger than before. It shouldn’t be hard to see if that’s true or not in the first couple of games of the season. Even in exhibition games, if Freeman looks healthy and can dominate lesser teams, it’ll be a good sign for the upcoming campaign.

Back Court Depth

Excitement levels are high for the tandem of Naithan George and J.J. Starling in the backcourt. That duo could end up being one of the best backcourts in the ACC. The question is, what else does Syracuse have in the backcourt? Who will Autry go to behind George at the point guard position? Freshman Luke Fennell should get some run at point guard in the exhibition games. Is he someone who will be ready for consistent minutes as a freshman? What about Montana State transfer Bryce Zephir? What role awaits him in the Orange backcourt this season? The two exhibition games are a good opportunity for those two to prove themselves and show how much depth the Orange will have this season.

The Readiness of Sadiq White and Kiyan Anthony

The hype train seems to have left the station for both White and Anthony. However, Syracuse has seen plenty of talented freshmen fail to make a smooth transition to big-time college basketball during their first season. Can White and Anthony avoid a similar fate and become regular contributors this season? The game against Buffalo, in particular, should tell us something about the readiness of both players. Can White bring athleticism, energy, and a defensive stopper off the Syracuse bench? Is Anthony ready to be a three-level scorer in college? The exhibition games should provide a sneak peek into the readiness of the Orange’s two key freshmen.

Small Lineup vs. Big Lineup

There will be a lot of different lineups on the floor during the exhibition games. Syracuse potentially has a deep team, giving Autry a lot of different combinations to consider. Even during preseason games, we can get a glimpse at whether Autry favors smaller lineups with three guards or bigger lineups that could feature White or Cincinnati transfer Tyler Betsey at small forward. Surely, Autry has some idea of what lineups he’d like to test out during exhibition games, so seeing what combinations beyond the starting lineup get the most court time together could be an indicator as to how he’ll handle the rotation this season.

The Big Men

A huge focus of the offseason was getting more athletic in the frontcourt. That means we’ll be paying close attention to the new big men on the Syracuse roster during the two exhibition games. UCLA transfer William Kyle leads the options at center and figures to be in the starting lineup. Are Kyle and Ibrahim Souare going to be factors offensively, or will they mostly be relied on to be rim protectors and rebounders? Is seven-foot freshman Tiefing Diawara going to join the rotation? There is little doubt that the center position has more questions heading into the season than any other position. Perhaps some of those questions can start to be answered during the two exhibition games.