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Syracuse Basketball: What We Learned From Final Exhibition Contest
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- Syracuse Basketball: What We Learned From Final Exhibition Contest
(Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports)
The Syracuse Orange men's basketball team finished off the program's preseason schedule with a 71-58 win over the Metro Conference's Niagara Purple Eagles in Buffalo, N.Y. on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, Syracuse finished the exhibition slate at 2-1.
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Syracuse lost to the UConn Huskies in preseason game one on the road before beating Siena in game two by a score of 81-76.
Here's what you need to know about the win over Niagara.
Greg Paulus and Central New York ties
Niagara basketball's head coach is Syracuse native Greg Paulus. One of the most decorated high school athletes in Central New York history, Paulus was recruited as a two-sport athlete with offers to play both football and basketball at the Division I level. Paulus eventually signed with the Duke Blue Devils basketball program where he played for four seasons. Following his time at Duke, Paulus played one season of football for Syracuse under Doug Marrone, quarterbacking the Orange.
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Paulus enters his 8th season leading the program in 2026-27.
Both teams struggle from beyond the arc in first half
Syracuse was just 4-of-15 from three-point range while Niagara was just 3-of-9. The Orange have been struggling to find a primary shooter from deep and 20 minutes into Saturday's game, the lack of a consistent deep threat remained.
Of course, Syracuse is missing a lot right now on that front with the absence of Aiden Tobiason. The transfer from Temple is one of this teams best shooters, and he's been out with a hamstring injury since early in the UConn game.
Niagara threatens late
The Purple Eagles rallied late to cut the Orange deficit to just five points (60-55) with less than four minutes to play. Syracuse finished the game on a 11-3 run. This is the second consecutive game in which this happened, which won't make head coach Gerry McNamara happy.
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The Orange were leading Siena by 13 points in the second half last week, only to see the Saints cut it to one at 75-74 with 90 seconds to play.
Kiyan Anthony mystery stays open
After logging just eight minutes in game two, Anthony played 13 minutes against Niagara. McNamara noted Anthony is dealing with " knee tendinitis" after the Siena game, so maybe McNamara is doing all he can to balance game reps with player health.
Earlier this month, SyracuseRoundtable wrote that the Anthony's lack of time should not be a concern for Orange fans. Some fans may not agree after another scoreless performance by the sophomore guard, regardless of the knee issue.
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Doty leads the way again
Gavin Doty, the transfer from Siena, posted a team leading 14 points and 13 rebounds in 26 minutes of action. Only Luke Wilson played more minutes with 27 total. Doty seems to be the vocal leader of this team, and now he's appearing to be the on-court leader as well.
On to the regular season
The Orange now have nine days before the 2026-27 regular season starts. Syracuse hosts New Haven at the JMA Wirlesss Dome on Nov. 2. SyracuseRoundtable will on site giving post game reactions and more. Tip off is set for 7:00 p.m. ET.
