Syracuse enters 2nd season under Adrian Autry, seeking to end 3-year NCAA Tournament drought
Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry yells to his players during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against North Carolina in Syracuse, N.Y., Feb. 13, 2024. Credit: AP/Adrian Kraus
Syracuse (20-12, 11-9 ACC)
In Adrian Autry's first year as coach, Syracuse enjoyed its first 20-win regular season since 2013-14, but missed out on an NCAA Tournament berth for the third straight year and then saw a major roster overhaul. Eight players are gone from last year’s team, including starting point guard and leading scorer Judah Mintz, and seven others opted for the transfer portal. The last time Syracuse went three straight seasons without playing in either the NCAA tournament or the NIT was from 1968-70.
Players to watch
Donnie Freeman (freshman F, 6-9). The five-star recruit out of IMG Academy could be a first-round NBA draft pick.
J.J. Starling (junior G, 6-4, 13.3 ppg). Starling discovered his shooting touch in the second half of last season, and has a chance to be one of the ACC’s top off-guards.
Chris Bell (junior, F, 6-7, 12.0 ppg). Bell is the team’s best 3-point shooter.
Departures and arrivals
In addition to Mintz (18.8 ppg), key losses include Malik Brown (9.5 ppg), who transferred to Duke, and Quadir Copeland (9.6 ppg), now at McNeese State. Brown was an All-ACC defensive team selection who averaged more than seven rebounds a game. Copeland was a sparkplug who brought energy off the bench.
Syracuse added four transfers, none bigger than Eddie Lampkin and Jaquan Carlos. Lampkin (senior C, 6-11, 10.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg), a Colorado transfer, is expected to start and give the Orange a post presence and inside scoring. Carlos (senior PG, 6-0, 10.4 ppg, 6.3 apg) is a pass-first guard who was a full-time starter his last two years at Hofstra.
Freshman SG Elijah Moore is a legitimate 3-point threat and could push for playing time. Junior Chance Westry missed last season with a knee injury.
Syracuse guard J.J. Starling (2) handles the ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against North Carolina State in Syracuse, N.Y., Jan. 27, 2024. Credit: AP/Adrian Kraus
Top games
After the Nov. 4 opener vs. Le Moyne, top games include home matchups vs. Duke (Feb. 5) and North Carolina (Feb. 15). Key early games include Texas (Nov. 21), Tennessee (Dec. 3) and Maryland (Dec. 21). A winter trip out West includes games against first-year ACC opponents Cal and Stanford (Jan. 29, Feb. 1).
Facts and figures
The Orange’s 11 ACC wins last season were the most since their first ACC season, 2013-14 … Syracuse finished 97th in the country in scoring and 198th in 3-point percentage and 276th in scoring defense. … Moore once scored 67 points in a game.
