The Syracuse Orange have now wrapped up their brutal three games in three days schedule in Las Vegas as part of the Player’s Era Championship tournament. Despite failing to secure a win, Adrian Autry‘s bunch offered plenty of positive signs to go along with some negatives as well. Here are five takeaways from a very informative 72 hours that revealed what kind of team Syracuse fans can expect to watch in 2025-26.
#1 – Syracuse is Back on the Map
Syracuse was sort of an afterthought in the ACC heading into the tournament. Picked to be a middle-of-the-pack squad, they weren’t exactly predicted to make a lot of noise as a team.
Against truly elite competition in Houston, Kansas, and Iowa State, Syracuse looked the part (mostly). While they were outscored by 30 in the second half against the Cyclones in what was their third game in three days, each of the other five halves of basketball the team played were hard-fought, competitive stretches.
This was most evident in the Houston game, in which they had the lead for a good chunk of the first half and kept it close heading down the stretch. Facing adversity, they proved their ability to stick together and battle against one of the sport’s most dominant teams. Down 11 to the #3 team in the nation with less than four minutes to play, Syracuse could have easily lost their grip on the game. Instead, they rallied and forced overtime, and although they gave themselves a chance to win, came up just short.
It was a battle to the finish.
Back at it Tuesday vs. Kansas. pic.twitter.com/7tZ2hFhlCM
— Syracuse Men’s Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) November 25, 2025
Facing Kansas the next day, Syracuse wasn’t going to let the disappointment of the Houston game affect their intensity against another elite Big 12 opponent. While the Jayhawks built a double-digit second half lead, Syracuse fought back to get it within 2 but ultimately could not close the distance in a 71-60 loss. It was another decent performance against top-tier competition.
With a truly brutal turnaround to face Iowa State the next morning, with less than 24 hours between the final whistle against Kansas and tipoff against the #15 team in the country, Syracuse put together a great first half but then got ran out of the gym in the second half, finishing 0-3 in the competition.
Although there are no moral victories, the three games featured plenty of strong play by the Orange. They competed hard on both ends, were resilient defensively, and can feel proud of the way the played. This Syracuse team has proven to themselves and the nation that they are capable of going toe-to-toe with college basketball’s best teams.
#2 – Yes, the Defense is That Good
Although Syracuse entered the tournament with the worst odds to lift the title, they were one of the competition’s strongest defensive units in terms of points per game allowed. In fact, they were among the tops of the nation in that category when they arrived in Vegas. That being said, fans entered the competition wondering if the defense that had previously smothered the likes of Delaware State and Drexel would be up to the task against teams like Houston and Kansas.
As it turns out, Cuse is a team that can absolutely hang its hat on the defensive end. Against Houston, they held the Cougars to 36% shooting. Anchored by transfer center William Kyle III, Syracuse made life extremely tough in the paint for Kelvin Sampson’s team. During TNT’s halftime show, former Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl was very complimentary of the team’s defensive effort and activity. After the game, Cougars guard Milos Uzan admitted that Syracuse “played a lot harder” than they expected to, particularly on defense. Against Kansas, Syracuse was straight back to business, forcing the Jayhawks into 15 turnovers and piled up 4 blocks as well, giving themselves a puncher’s chance down the stretch.
Despite the wretched all-around performance in the second half against Iowa State, during which the team surrendered 60 points, the first half featured more of the same strong defense from Syracuse. The 35-34 halftime score was reflective of the back-and-forth battle. In the second half, the point-of-attack defense faded, and help defenders rotated slower and slower as the Cyclones pulled away.
Overall, Autry should be proud of the team’s energy on defense. They now rank 6th in the nation in points allowed per game, something that should allow them to be competitive in any game they play moving forward. The team’s identity can and should be established on that end.
#3 – Offensive Philosophy Must Evolve
While the defense appears to be legit, the offense is lagging behind for the Orange. Of course, it didn’t help that the team’s leading scorer, sophomore forward Donnie Freeman, was in street clothes for the duration of the competition. That being said, there’s a lot of work to do.
Two things stand out when watching Syracuse on offense. Firstly, the lack of diversity of actions. While the middle pick-and-roll with Kyle III trying to set up point guard Nait George or shooting guard JJ Starling was fruitful at times, it seemed to be the only action Syracuse was capable of running. Each of their three opponents blitzed the pick-and-roll and forced Syracuse into tough spots that the guards failed to capitalize on. Slow ball movement and a lack of decisiveness meant that the ball was stuck on the perimeter for long portions of the team’s possessions.
When the middle pick-and-roll was working, the athletic Kyle III proved to be a decent passer when receiving the ball rolling to the rim, finding smart skip passes and kick-outs, but there was also many occasions where his lack of scoring and quick decision-making meant that any advantages Syracuse created would be covered up by defensive rotations before the ball could find the right person. Freshman forward Sadiq White Jr. occasionally featured as the screener in such actions and proved to be much more of a rim-running threat, but also does not bring the same physicality that Kyle III does.
Secondly, outside of pick-and-roll, Syracuse seemed content to let their offense settle into perimeter isolation. Starling, George, Kiyan Anthony, and Nate Kingz all had plenty of possessions where they attacked their defenders one-on-one. This resulted in contested jumpers, blocked shots in the lane, and ill-advised pull-up threes.
More variety of actions would help the entire team move more off-ball. As a below-average three-point shooting team, it’s easy for teams to load up the paint and take away driving lanes. Syracuse has too many players standing on the perimeter watching the middle ball screen instead of moving, cutting, or setting off-ball screens. Adding in more movement-based action will help the team create easier looks instead of living off of isolation shot attempts.
This will also allow the team to better attack closeouts. Countless times, Syracuse players would catch the ball on the perimeter after a drive, but opt for a three-ball instead of attacking defenders who were closing out to them. The offense became very stale and predictable without the necessary movement to create space for these players to take advantage of defenders in these situations. This is simply not a roster that is built to succeed when attempting 29.6 threes per game. They must do a better job of getting their guards into the paint. More off-ball movement and a faster pace of play would help the entire team generate better looks.
Freshmen connection! 🤩@kiyananthony @SadiqWhite11
📺 TNT / HBO MAX pic.twitter.com/myGgWkxuhQ
— Syracuse Men’s Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) November 26, 2025
The return of Freeman should open up options for a more balanced offensive diet. Freeman can post-up, initiate offense closer to the basket, and offer inside scoring that nobody else on the roster is able to. Hopefully, his return will mean the team is less reliant on perimeter isolation possessions. Freeman currently does not have a prognosis on his undisclosed lower body injury, meaning there is no timetable for his return yet.
#4 – Kiyan Anthony Needs You to Be Patient
As this Syracuse team gains more and more national media attention, all eyes will be inevitably drawn to the prodigal son, Kiyan Anthony. He entered Vegas averaging almost 15 points per game on solid shooting splits. However, as the competition leveled up and he continued to come off the bench behind JJ Starling, Player’s Era was a much different story for the young guard as his father Carmelo sat courtside.
Anthony never seemed to get into a rhythm in any of the three games. Missing contested shots in the paint, forcing drives in less-than-optimal one-on-one situations, and jacking up long threes were all part of the story. Anthony averaged just 8 points during the week, shooting 8-28 (including 1-14 from beyond the arc). Although he did flash his playmaking chops at times, it was a rough week for the freshman.
Defensively, Anthony was a noticeable weak spot compared to the higher-level defense offered by George, Nate Kingz, and in particular, Starling, who should be in no danger of being left out of the starting lineup now despite also struggling offensively.
Melo coaching from courtside 🤣 @Players_Era pic.twitter.com/BPc52e8VRv
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 25, 2025
Anthony will need more time to get acclimated, as most freshman do. Fans expecting Kiyan to immediately replicate his father’s dominance are going to be disappointed, but those with expectations of the young man slowly but surely finding his footing as an exciting scoring option in a talented Syracuse backcourt will enjoy watching him grow throughout the season.
#5 – Free Throws Are Syracuse’s Ugly Achilles Heel
The less said about free throws, the better. Anyone who watched any Syracuse basketball during this week will have had their eyes seared by woeful performances at the line. Here are the horrendous team free throw statistics from the Cuse’s three games:
vs Houston: 12-29 (41%)
vs Kansas: 13-23 (57%)
vs Iowa State: 12-19 (63%)
17 missed free throws against Houston in a game that was decided in overtime by just 4 points is particularly bad. The most shocking part is how the entire team seems to be maligned by a mysterious affliction that ensures no one can confidently knock down a pair of foul shots. Entering the Iowa State game, the TNT broadcast crew even jokingly made comments about one of the keys to the game being Syracuse avoiding getting fouled in the act of shooting.
The free throw problem was well known by the Syracuse staff entering the tournament, but emerging from Vegas, the team only has 2 players over 70% from the stripe of the 8 main rotation players. Even some of the team’s better perimeter shooters seem to have a mental block at the foul line.
While Syracuse players will likely be hanging their heads about blowing a great chance to upset #3 Houston and then ending their stay with the wretched taste of a 31-point blowout on Wednesday, they will need to regroup and find ways to replicate the many strong moments they were able to showcase. Up next is the ACC/SEC challenge, in which the Cuse will host #17 Tennessee at home.
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