It's true that the Syracuse basketball 2026-27 roster isn't fully healthy. Junior guard Aiden Tobiason, who is expected to provide a lot of production for the Orange, suffered an injury in the exhibition loss to UConn earlier this month and didn't play in the next two exhibitions.
Other players have been dealing with minor injuries here and there. That's not uncommon in college basketball. Yet the 'Cuse hasn't looked overly inspiring in its trio of exhibitions, regardless of SU's 2-1 record.
On Saturday afternoon in Buffalo, N.Y., Syracuse basketball defeated fellow Empire State team Niagara, 71-58. That's after the Orange fell to Connecticut, 72-52, in Uncasville, Conn., and knocked off McNamara's former team, Siena, 81-76, in Albany, N.Y.
The 'Cuse is done with its exhibitions and now turns its attention toward the 2026-27 regular season. First up, Syracuse basketball will host non-conference foe New Haven on Monday, Nov. 2.
So after going 2-1 in its exhibitions, but not playing all that great, what is the assessment from the Orange's first-year head coach? "I talked the last game (at Siena) about the decision-making when we were up 13," McNamara said after the win over Niagara on Saturday. "It’s no different. It’s no different today. We’ve got to get a lot better."
I appreciate McNamara's frankness, and the team has yet to play a regular-season game. So I'm not sounding the alarm just yet, even if some Orange fans are. Still, I'm not super encouraged by what I've seen from the 'Cuse at this juncture.
Gerry McNamara isn't pleased with how his Syracuse basketball team played in its exhibition slate.
Against Niagara, the Orange built up a first-half lead of 17 points. The Purple Eagles cut their deficit to 33-26 at the break. Credit Niagara for hanging around. In fact, the 'Cuse led by just 52-48 with around eight minutes to go in regulation. Syracuse basketball, though, would pull way for a 13-point victory.
"When you have the 17-point lead again," McNamara said, "some of the decisions we made, some of the shots we took, aren’t what we’re looking for. They're almost shot turnovers."
To be fair, it takes time for a team to gel as a cohesive unit. Especially since the Orange's 2026-27 roster includes a lot of new faces, whether college transfers, international prospects or incoming freshmen from the United States. The program also has a new head coach and assistant staff.
I'm not making excuses, but I am being realistic. SU's roster has a lot of depth, length and positional versatility. How well the Orange will do in its half-court offensive sets remains to be seen. Whether the 'Cuse can be credible from beyond the arc is TBD. How many turnovers SU commits per game isn't clear.
I do think that this Syracuse basketball roster will give maximum effort. Orange players will be gritty and tough. Hopefully, that translates to great defense and competent rebounding. Against Niagara, the 'Cuse made 44.8 percent from the field, 24.0 percent from beyond the arc and 81.3 percent from the free-throw line. SU's shooting from the charity stripe was encouraging.
Said McNamara: "We've got to be able to put the ball in the basket."
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