The Gerry McNamara era as the head coach of Syracuse basketball unofficially began on Tuesday in an exhibition against mighty UConn, a longtime former Big East Conference rival of the 'Cuse.
McNamara's 2026-27 roster, which includes two key returnees along with multiple college transfers and incoming freshmen, hung tough with the Huskies in the first half, trailing only by five points, 31-26. But UConn, led by head coach Dan Hurley, turned on the jets in the second half to prevail, 72-52, at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.
Before SU's 2026-27 season officially gets underway, Syracuse basketball will play two more exhibitions. The next one takes the Orange to Albany, N.Y., on Sunday, Oct. 18, when the Orange will face McNamara's former team, Siena, at the MVP Arena beginning at 2:00 pm EST.
While Tuesday night's exhibition turned out to be a blowout, let's remember that this is just the first exhibition. Plus, freshman forward Mark Morano was not available, junior guard Aiden Tobiason was injured two minutes into the game and didn't return, and senior point guard Garwey Dual saw the court for 10 minutes.
Aiden Tobiason, who started but was injured two minutes in, will be reevaluated at halftime by the Syracuse medical staff.
— Pete Moore (@MooreOrange) October 13, 2026
Connecticut is a tough foe. The Huskies won recent national titles in 2023 and 2024, and this past season, UConn advanced to the national championship game, where it fell to Michigan. In preseason top-25 rankings ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, the Huskies are viewed as a top-five team by some media outlets, including ESPN.
Freshman forward Mark Morano is out for tonight's exhibition game. He is recovering from a lower leg injury. pic.twitter.com/cfgNk1oqvj
— Syracuse Men’s Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) October 13, 2026
UConn is relentless with its defensive pressure, and that affected the Orange. The 'Cuse committed 16 turnovers, and the Huskies led 19-6 in points off turnovers. Connecticut was plus-eight on the glass, and that helped the Huskies to an 18-7 edge in second-chance points.
Syracuse basketball struggled with its shooting in Tuesday's exhibition.
As Orange legend Carmelo Anthony watched in person, 'Cuse players had a tough time on offense against Connecticut. Syracuse made 31 percent from the field, 21 percent from beyond the arc and 64 percent from the free-throw line. Conversely, UConn connected on 41 percent from the field, 40 percent from long range and 67 percent from the charity stripe.
In other statistical categories, the Hukies led 33-30 in bench points, 30-20 in paint points, 9-8 in fast-break points, 4-1 in blocks, 9-1 in steals and 12-7 in assists. Sophomore forward Sadiq White Jr. led the Orange with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting that included a pair of 3-pointers.
I'm a big, big fan of Ryan Moesch.
— InsideTheLoudHouse (@LoudHouseFS) October 13, 2026
Freshman point guard Ryan Moesch got extended run. He went 1-of-10 from the field and scored four points. However, he impacted the game in other ways, finishing with seven rebounds and five assists.
Sophomore guard Kiyan Anthony also struggled with his shot, going 2-of-11 from the field. He did add four rebounds and two assists. Fifth-year big man Amarri Monroe chipped in nine points and three boards; he was also 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.
Junior center Luke Wilson produced eight points and nine rebounds. In their all-time series together, the Orange is 56–39 against the Huskies. It wouldn't surprise me one iota if the teams battle in a regular-season contest in the coming seasons.
Add us as a preferred source on Google