Syracuse, N.Y. – Ten days ago, the Syracuse Orange was riding high after a win over then-13th-ranked Tennessee.
Syracuse had taken a prize, a Quad 1 win, and a season of opportunity had seemingly opened up in front of the Orange. Suddenly, the near miss of an overtime loss to Houston seemed better. So, too, had a played-them-tough loss to Kansas. The second-half blowout against Iowa State could be overlooked.
Syracuse was back. And so was the ACC. The conference schedule would present more shots at Quad 1 wins, as much as twice as many as last season.
All the Orange had to do was take care of business in its last five non-conference games and get to that Dec. 31 ACC opener versus Clemson with a 10-3 record.
And then came Saturday’s 70-69 loss to Hofstra.
Missed free throws. Inattentive defense. An offense stymied by Hofstra’s zone defense.
All of it played a part, along with some questionable calls, including one non-call on Kiyan Anthony’s last-second drive to the basket, in a loss that negated the win over Tennessee.
Syracuse coach Adrian Autry alternated between saying the Orange was a good team and expressing disappointment over his team’s performance.
Autry said he was disappointed in himself, his staff and his team’s attention to detail.
“There were no surprises,” Autry said. “There was nothing that we did not prepare for except our effort. Attention to detail. Just not executing what we talked about. I’m very disappointed in that.
“I’m very disappointed in myself and our staff (for) not being able to get the job done in those regards.’’
On the court, Hofstra is no ordinary non-conference patsy. The Pride’s backcourt of Cruz Davis (22 points, nine assists vs. SU) and Preston Edmead (12 points) is an ACC-level duo.
A week earlier, Hofstra had beaten Pittsburgh at the Petersen Events Center.
On paper, though, Hofstra is still a bad loss for an ACC team. It will likely go down as a Quad 3 home loss for Syracuse.
“This is unacceptable for Syracuse,” center William Kyle said grimly. “It’s unacceptable for everybody on the team. It’s unacceptable for me. I’ve got to do more as well. We’ve just got to be a lot better.’’
Hofstra made 49% of its field goal attempts. The Orange gave up a season-high 12 3-pointers on just 18 attempts.
The Pride’s 66.7% 3-point shooting was the third-highest all-time against Syracuse for a team with at least 10 attempts.
“The things that we talk about (and) prepared for, we just didn’t do those things,” Autry said.
Autry vowed the Orange would use this loss to get better.
“We’re a good team,’’ Autry insisted. “We’re a good team and we will be a good team. We are a good team. We will be a good team. We will address what needs to be addressed and move forward and get better.’’
In Year 3 of Autry’s tenure, those words are beginning to ring hollow.
In its first 10 games, Syracuse has played down to its opponent in wins over Monmouth and St. Joseph’s and Saturday’s loss to Hofstra.
How can a team that’s supposed to rely on defense and effort, a team aiming for Autry’s Level 5 and bestowing the Fighter of the Game with boxing gloves and a championship belt, fail to bring maximum effort in 30% of its games?
“For me, I’m just so …,’’ Autry said before pausing for several seconds to find the right words. “Just disappointed in Level 5 effort and attention to detail and being able to get that across to our guys and get them to understand what was going on.’’
While Saturday’s loss made Syracuse’s task of ending its four-year NCAA Tournament drought tougher, the fact is there’s plenty of season remaining.
Syracuse is improved over last year’s squad that finished with a 14-19 record. The Orange is more athletic and better defensively, although the defense was lacking on Saturday.
Nate Kingz is finding his shooting stroke. The Oregon State transfer connected on four of his nine 3-point attempts against Hofstra.
Kyle, the UCLA transfer, has played well beyond expectations. He has spearheaded SU’s defense with his ability to guard anyone, anywhere and still protect the basket. On Saturday, he went for 13 points and six rebounds and blocked four more shots.
Naithan George is struggling at the point, but JJ Starling continues to provide consistent offense. Freshmen Sadiq White and Kiyan Anthony have had their moments.
The key to Syracuse’s season is Donnie Freeman. He was leading the Orange in scoring at 17.8 points per game before sustaining an injury to his right foot.
Freeman’s status is shrouded in mystery. What Autry originally described as a “quick pause” has become a six-game absence over the last month.
When Hofstra switched into a zone defense, Freeman is a guy that could have cracked it wide open. He could set up in the high post or step out to the 3-point line. He could dominate in the short corner.
On SU’s last possession down by one point and needing a big shot, Freeman would have been Option No. 1, 2 and 3. Even if he didn’t get the shot, he would have demanded the defense’s attention.
Syracuse now has three games and just under three weeks before Clemson comes to the JMA Dome. The damage from the Hofstra loss won’t be completely known until later in the year.
This much is known: The Orange can’t afford any more lapses.
“I would love to think that we would go undefeated the rest of the season, but we all know that that was not going to happen,’’ Autry said. “But we will learn from this. I promise you.
“We will learn from this and get better.’’