Syracuse basketball, in a tailspin, has lost three consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference encounters, and if the Orange can't get its collective self together, the job security of head coach Adrian Autry will be all that 'Cuse fans are going to talk about for the remainder of the 2025-26 season.
This stinks. But it's understandable.
Syracuse basketball is one of the most storied programs in the history of collegiate hoops. However, since the team moved from the Big East Conference to the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013-14, it's been a rough go, save for March Madness journeys in 2016 (Final Four), 2018 (Sweet 16) and 2021 (Sweet 16).
Our Syracuse Basketball guru @DAMNTWIN of @LoudHouseFS joined Manchild & @BoyGreen25:
— The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital (@MCShowDigital) January 23, 2026
- Is Adrian Autry feeling the heat of the hot seat?#Orange https://t.co/EivYXwuCLW
The 'Cuse has missed the past four NCAA Tournaments, and it's looking like this spring, that number will expand to five, which is basically unheard of for the Orange. Many 'Cuse fans want Autry fired now, although that may not be the right move.
Either way, this is a precarious state for my beloved alma mater, and I candidly have no idea what SU athletics director John Wildhack should do.
Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry's seat has to be hot by now.
Autry is a combined 46-39 in his three seasons as the boss on the Hill. Granted, the Orange wasn't good over the past couple of seasons under the Hall of Famer, Jim Boeheim. It's a different landscape in college athletics these days, with revenue-sharing, NIL, the transfer portal's explosion and ongoing conference realignment.
Fans, alumni, boosters and others want to win now. Some didn't want Autry as Boeheim's replacement, because they hoped to see a new head coach from outside the Boeheim family tree. I get that.
The 'Cuse 2025-26 roster is way too talented to be 12-8 overall, following the team's disappointing home loss to Miami on Saturday afternoon. Syracuse basketball simply is consistent on both ends of the floor, and its energy and intensity levels are also spotty.
Earlier in the 2025-26 season, the Orange defense was strong. The 'Cuse got leading scorer Donnie Freeman, the sophomore power forward, back. And the squad rattled off three victories in a row, as cautious optimism grew. But that optimism has quickly evaporated.
Syracuse basketball didn't foul when up by three points last weekend and ultimately lost at Boston College in overtime. At home against Virginia Tech earlier this week, the Orange was unbelievably sloppy with the ball in the second half, and a failed box-out on a missed Hokies free throw was costly.
On Saturday, before 21,417 fans and with high school prospects in attendance for a Syracuse football junior day, boos permeated the Dome at various junctures when the Hurricanes were pulling away. Toward the end of this ACC encounter, it was pretty clear that Miami was going to prevail, but still, why didn't Orange players foul at all to extend the game?
These kinds of happenings - call it a lack of discipline or maybe a lack of focus - shouldn't be happening, and while some fans want to blame Red and his staff for all of this, some of the accountability and responsibility must get directed at the Syracuse basketbal roster, too.
I don't see the "benefit" in letting Autry go now. It would further demoralize the team, although some fans would approve of such a decision. But the transfer portal doesn't open until after the Big Dance ends, and rosters can be built quickly.
Let Autry ride out this campaign. Trust me, if Wildhack is thinking about making a head coaching change at season's end, he and others involved in that process will be having conversations about that now, rather than waiting until the 2025-26 term's conclusion.
It's a yucky situation all around, and I feel for Autry. And the entire coaching staff. I overlapped for three years while a student at SU with former Syracuse basketball player and current assistant coach Allen Griffin. He's a good guy. I'm rooting for this staff to succeed.
Maybe, though, Autry isn't the right person for the job. I don't know. What I do know, however, is that his job security is going to dominate media reports, social media and chat forums for the rest of this season. And that makes me sad.