Syracuse Basketball: Key takeaways as the Orange falls to Texas Tech in New York City

Syracuse basketball, on Friday night in Brooklyn, N.Y., played a team from the state of Texas for the second straight evening.

And the Orange lost both of those contests, but not without putting up a fight. On Thursday night, the 'Cuse lost by four points to Southeastern Conference member Texas in the Orange's first contest at the 2024 Legends Classic inside the Barclays Center. Poor free-throw shooting proved a big reason why Syracuse basketball suffered that setback.

On Friday evening, in the third-place game of the Legends Classic, the 'Cuse faced Big 12 Conference school Texas Tech. While the Orange, so far in the 2024-25 campaign, had been struggling from the charity stripe, the 'Cuse fared well from the free-throw line against the Red Raiders, and that enabled Syracuse basketball to stay within striking distance.

However, in the end, Texas Tech (5-1) managed to come away with a 79-74 victory. The Red Raiders are now 2-1 in their short all-time series with the Orange (3-2).

Top takeaways as Syracuse basketball loses by five points to Texas Tech.

•The Orange shot 42 percent from the field, 29 percent from beyond the arc and 86 percent from the free-throw line. The team's 24-of-28 performance at the charity stripe kept the 'Cuse close against Texas Tech. Junior small forward Chris Bell hit on 11-of-11 from the free-throw line.

•The Red Raiders, conversely, made 43 percent from the field, 33 percent from 3-point land and 81 percent from the charity stripe. Some key stats: Texas Tech led 17-8 in assists, 20-12 in bench points, and 18-7 in points off turnovers.

•In the second half, Syracuse basketball took much better care of the ball, but still, the Orange committed a dozen turnovers, as compared to just three for the Red Raiders. The 'Cuse was plus-nine on the glass.

•Individually speaking, junior guard J.J. Starling and Bell stole the show for the Orange. Starling had a team-high 27 points, while Bell tallied 22 points. Freshman power forward Donnie Freeman was great on the boards, notching 13 rebounds.

•Head coach Adrian Autry installed two other freshmen in the 'Cuse line-up late in this non-conference clash. Freshman shooting guard Elijah Moore had eight points, while freshman big man Petar Majstorovic chipped in two points and a half-dozen rebounds.

•While going 1-1 would have felt better than 0-2 in Brooklyn, Syracuse basketball lost these two games by a combined nine points to two opponents that are likely to hear their respective names called on Selection Sunday for the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

•Up next, the Orange will return to the Hill. This coming Wednesday, Nov. 27, Syracuse basketball will host Central New York neighbor Cornell at the JMA Wireless Dome. The tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm, with live-streaming coverage on the ACC Network Extra.