Syracuse basketball is in a massive rut - a four-game losing streak to be exact - and while the fan base is crushing head coach Adrian Autry and his staff, Orange players need to be held accountable, too.
Yes, the 'Cuse half-court offense is often stagnant, and the Orange's defense, once solid on a national scale, has proven quite porous of late. In the team's 20-point setback at N.C. State on Tuesday evening, Syracuse basketball also got crushed on the glass by the Wolfpack in the second half, 29-15.
All of that is important context as the 'Cuse searches for answers and solutions to get back on track, but to me, what's most bothersome, concerning and worrisome is a seeming lack of energy and effort by this Orange roster.
Sure, frustration has set in, and these players are human just like the rest of us. When Orange players call out fans for booing and being critical of Autry, it's expected that they will defend their head coach. Still, it appears as if 'Cuse players aren't giving their maximum effort at all times, and there have been numerous examples lately where, from my perspective, they're just flat-out giving up. Throwing in the towel.
That's completely unacceptable.
Syracuse basketball players need to fight until the very end.
Case in point, in the early stages of the second half at N.C. State on Tuesday night, freshman forward Sadiq White Jr. picked up his fourth foul, but Autry kept him in the game. Why? "He was the only one that was trying," Autry said of his top-30 national prospect in the 2025 class from Charlotte, N.C., during his post-game press conference.
How can it be that White is the only player who was trying? And while some fans would say that is a coaching issue, I'm sorry, but that's on the players. They get free rides in terms of scholarships, they're getting compensated with direct revenue-sharing and/or third-party NIL deals, and it's absurd if they're not laying it all out there every single game, no matter the score or the Orange's overall record.
With fewer than two minutes left, and N.C. State blowing out the Orange, Autry put in reserves such as Calvin Russell III, a five-star Syracuse football signee who scored three points. "We’re struggling right now," Autry said. "I’m trying to look for some different things. It’s a chance to put those guys in and see what they could do. We gotta look at everything. Everything is on the table now."
Hey, if this sinking ship is going to continue sinking, Autry should just play the guys who are going to play their butts off. If SU leadership is going to hold onto Autry for the remainder of 2025-26, this team has to buckle down, and that starts with a home tilt against Notre Dame on Saturday.
"I just feel like you have to have heart," said 'Cuse senior center William Kyle III, according to Syracuse.com.
Amen, Will. Amen.