Syracuse basketball turns on 2nd-half defensive jets for third straight blowout win

Syracuse basketball, through three games, has proven quite impressive on the defensive end, and that's a highly encouraging sign as the program eyes a return to the NCAA Tournament following a four-year absence.

On Saturday afternoon at a neutral site in Philadelphia, with a lot of Orange fans - and former players - in attendance in the City of Brotherly Love, the 'Cuse relied on a full-court press to force non-conference foe Drexel into a lot of miscues, and a tight encounter turned into a third consecutive blowout victory for Syracuse basketball.

The Orange only led the Dragons by five points at halftime. Yet in the second half, Syracuse basketball outscored Coastal Athletic Association ("CAA") member Drexel (1-3) by a whopping 43-18 to come away with an 80-50 triumph. The 'Cuse is now 5-1 in its all-time series with the Dragons, and the Orange will next host Monmouth this Tuesday night at the JMA Wireless Dome.

Syracuse basketball's defense performances this season have been strong.

Granted, the Orange's first three opponents were Binghamton, Delaware State and Drexel. Still, in the early part of the 2025-26 campaign, the 'Cuse has put forth one of the stingiest defenses around the country. Given how poor Syracuse basketball was on the defensive end in 2024-25, this is a wonderful sight to see.

In the second half, credit freshman forward Sadiq White Jr., redshirt sophomore big man Akir Souare and graduate student guard Bryce Zephir for their feistiness in the team's full-court press. They did a tremendous job of setting the tone for the Orange defensively.

For the 'Cuse to hear its name called on Selection Sunday, it must be vastly improved on defense. Scoring, by and large, shouldn't be an issue. But if the Orange can put the clamps down on defense, while forcing turnovers and getting easy buckets out in transition, that's huge for the team's March Madness prospects.

Check out some of these numbers. Drexel shot 20.0 percent from the field in the second half (and 32.2 percent for the entire game). The Dragons were just 6-of-23 from beyond the arc. Syracuse basketball forced Drexel into 18 turnovers, and the Orange only had seven.

The 'Cuse led 20-4 in points off turnovers, and that's a key statistic. Syracuse basketball also led convincingly in fast-break points, 16-3. The Orange dominated in paint points, 44-20. My one gripe from this victory is that Drexel out-rebounded Syracuse basketball, 39-36. That can't happen.

The 'Cuse shot 49.2 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from downtown, while going a respectable 11-of-15 from the free-throw line. Individually, leading the charge for the Orange were freshman shooting guard Kiyan Anthony, who started yet again with senior J.J. Starling out due to a lower-body injury, junior point guard Naithan George, sophomore power forward Donnie Freeman, senior center William Kyle lll and redshirt senior small forward Nate Kingz.

Anthony: 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting (but four turnovers)
George: 13 points, seven assists and four rebounds
Freeman: 13 points, three boards and two assists
Kyle: Eight points, 10 rebounds (seven offensive boards!), three blocks and three steals
Kingz: Seven points and nine rebounds