The 2023-24 Syracuse Men’s Basketball team will make its debut in front of the dome crowd in just two days. The Orange Tip-Off event, which is free to fans, is set to have a scrimmage as well as shooting competitions. What exactly should we be looking out for though in the first look at this year’s squad.
Who Stands Out As The Best Big Man?
All eyes are on Naheem McCloud going into the season. Can the Florida State transfer take his game to the next level and be a legitimate starter in the ACC. After Jesse Edwards transferred away, the 5 is the big hole in this Syracuse team. If McCloud doesn’t look too good, what about Peter Carey? After missing last year due to injury, maybe the redshirt freshman can step up in a major way. Maybe even we see Maliq Brown get reps as a center during the scrimmage.
How Well Does Judah Mintz Shoot From Deep?
The now sophomore didn’t get picked in the NBA draft because of his outside shooting. Mintz was ranked by CBS College Basketball Reporter Andy Katz as the second-best point guard in the country. But, to be that, he has to shoot the ball better. During his visit to Syracuse, Jon Rothstein said that Judah looked a lot more comfortable shooting from range. Now he just has to show it off in the dome.
How Does JJ Starling Look?
JJ Starling might be a bigger key to SU this season than whoever the center is. Starling, a former five-star and CNY native struggled a little bit at Notre Dame last year. He was a highly touted shooter from HS but shot less than 30% for the Irish last year. If Starling can improve on that, the sky is the limit for the Orange this season.
