Syracuse basketball squeaked out a five-point exhibition win over Siena on Sunday in Albany, N.Y., but Orange first-year head coach Gerry McNamara was not pleased with his new team's performance.
“This team is nowhere near where it needs to be," McNamara said after SU's 81-76 victory. “I’ve been adamant about the fact that this group should change the trajectory of where the program is going. We're a long way from that."
Certainly, it was an emotional afternoon inside the MVP Arena. Siena's team from last season, which won its conference's postseason tournament and nearly stunned top-seeded Duke in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, was honored.
McNamara was the Saints' head coach for the past two campaigns. SU officials hired him as the new 'Cuse head coach in the spring. Three Saints players transferred to Syracuse basketball, and multiple Siena assistants moved to the Hill alongside McNamara.
A huge credit has to go out to the Saints. Under new head coach Nevada Smith, Siena wasn't intimidated by the Orange. The Saints led at halftime by one point. In the second half, the 'Cuse was able to pull ahead but then had to hold off a late comeback attempt by Siena.
A win is better than a loss (duh). In the Orange's first exhibition, the team fell by 20 points to former Big East Conference adversary UConn. This Saturday afternoon, SU's final exhibition tune-up will come against Niagara at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y. The 'Cuse officially opens its 2026-27 season on Monday, Nov. 2, at home against New Haven.
"The one thing that’s for sure is we need to get a lot better," McNamara said.
More on Syracuse basketball's game against Siena, injury updates and a freshman emerges.
A glaring concern on Sunday is that the Saints out-rebounded the Orange, 43-37. Yes, senior power forward Tasman Goodrick was unavailable. Siena also led Syracuse basketball in paint points, 40-26. But the 'Cuse was dominant in bench points, 29-4.
Junior guard Gavin Doty paced the Orange with 20 points. He also had eight rebounds. Doty struggled with his field-goal shooting but went 9-of-10 from the charity stripe.
Welcome to college basketball, Mark Morano. The freshman wing/forward from Slovenia didn't play against the Huskies. On Sunday against Siena, though, he tallied 18 points on 4-of-6 shooting from long range. It's entirely possible that Morano will be SU's top 3-point shooter this coming season.
McNamara said of Morano: "I don’t lie in that regard. He’s one of them ones. He’s got the high release point, picture perfect. And we need it. We need it, like, bad. You saw the UConn game the other night where that first group that we're starting right now, there’s not a whole lot of shooting on the floor."
Junior center Luke Wilson contributed 10 points and eight boards. Senior point guard Garwey Dual produced eight points, five rebounds and two assists in just 12 minutes. McNamara is easing him into the rotation after Dual injured his collarbone over the summer. Freshman point guard Ryan Moesch had 11 points, six boards and five dimes.
Against the Saints, Goodrick and junior guard Aiden Tobiason didn't play. Tobiason suffered an injury against Connecticut, and McNamara said he could be out for a "few weeks." Sophomore guard Kiyan Anthony only saw eight minutes of run against Siena due to tendinitis in his knee.
Goodrick only appeared in nine games for Siena last season because of knee issues. As such, McNamara appears to be limiting his time on the court in these exhibitions. It does seem that Syracuse basketball will have to contend with some injuries, whether major or minor, as the squad inches closer to its regular-season opener.
McNamara is erring on the side of caution. Let's not forget, when Siena almost beat the Blue Devils in this past spring's Big Dance, the Saints basically used five players in that first-round battle, in part due to injuries.
So as the Orange prepares for the 2026-27 regular season, McNamara said Sunday, "I wanna make sure my guys are healthy for the real thing."
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