The Orange sit at 6-8, the worst start to a season since 1968 when Syracuse was at 4-10. Take that in for a second. It’s been over 50 years since Syracuse have had this bad of a start. In that 1968 campaign, SU would finish the season at 9-16.
And while the 2024-25 Orange are better at this point in the season than in ’68, SU still hasn’t beaten a power five squad, and have yet to win an ACC game.
While this team already has six wins, this is seeming like it could be the worst season for Syracuse in a longtime if things don’t get fixed quickly.
It’s hard to be optimistic about this squad right now. If you look at the calendar, you’ll see that the Orange are currently in their easiest stretch of play. Yet, Syracuse has failed to compete in every single ACC game so far. Part of that is attributed to not having guard JJ Starling for the first two, but even with him in SU’s last game the Orange simply fell apart in the second half. Head coach Adrian Autry was well aware of the squads struggles, “ “I thought our first half was one of the better ones this year. In the second half we didn’t show up… Just too many turnovers.”
The turnovers have been a constant theme throughout this season for Syracuse, with the squad averaging 12.7 a game, third most in the ACC. Those turnovers have let opposing ACC squads score an average of over 45 points in the second half. Autry must use those numbers to rally the squad, and shift the culture around the squad.
Not everything is negative though, The next two games for SU are home versus Georgia Tech, away at Boston College. Both those squads are ranked 10th and 15th for scoring offense in the ACC. That presents a perfect opportunity for Syracuse to simply get an ACC win.
No one is expecting this team to have a shot at March Madness right now, heck making the ACC tournament is not even a guarantee at this point. However, sometimes all it takes is one domino to fall for things to start going in the right direction. SU to just that and spur some positive momentum tomorrow night against GT.
