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Syracuse Men's Basketball: Why Season Opening Win Was Important For Gerry McNamara
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- Syracuse Men's Basketball: Why Season Opening Win Was Important For Gerry McNamara
(Rich Barnes-Imagn Images)
The Syracuse Orange men's basketball team won its first game of the regular season on Monday night inside the JMA Wireless Dome, defeating the New Haven Chargers of the NEC, 74-58.
The victory marks not just the first win for the Orange in 2026-27, but it's also the first win in the Syracuse head coaching career of Gerry McNamara.
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Before accepting the head coaching job this past March, McNamara had been both a player and an assistant coach within the Orange program. He spent the last two seasons as the head coach at Siena. He took the Saints to the NCAA Tournament in March where they nearly upset No. 1 Duke in the Round of 64.
Why the win was so important for the program
McNamara entered Monday's game with nearly a dozen new players on the roster. More than half of the transfers and additions had yet to play for a Power Four conference program.
While the level of competition will increase with non-conference games against schools like Oklahoma, St. John's, Providence and Indiana, and with ACC competition In January, Monday's output from the team was a positive step.
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In the postgame press conference, McNamara downplayed not just the significance of Monday night's win, but also the general fanfare around his return.
A video package was shown of McNamara's career as an Orange player before the game. McNamara said this in regards to the video, "I didn't want this to be about me.. I don't want to be celebrated, I want to win."
One thing that has become abundantly clear about McNamara is that the same tenacity that defined him as a player is also present in him as a coach. He's extremely demanding and will continue to push this team.
Why the win was so important for the fans
The Orange program is currently in its longest NCAA Tournament drought in history. Syracuse has not played in the "Big Dance" since 2021, and Orange fans have not been able to watch the team in the NCAA Tournament in person since 2019 (COVID-19 pandemic).
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After multiple seasons of no postseason appearances and lowering home attendance numbers, Monday's victory provided hope that improvement is on the way for the future.
What's next for the Orange?
Syracuse is back in action on Thursday night when the host Central Connecticut State. Tip off is set for 7:00 p.m. ET inside the JMA Wireless Dome. We will have live coverage from the Dome, and as always, we'll have our postgame takeaways.
