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Three Biggest Questions For Syracuse Basketball as October Hits
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- Three Biggest Questions For Syracuse Basketball as October Hits
(Rich Barnes-Imagn Images)
With the calendar now flipping to the month of October, that means we are less than two weeks away from the start of the Syracuse Orange men's basketball exhibition season, which begins on Oct. 13 against the UConn Huskies at Mohegan Sun Arena.
The Orange are coming off a 15-17 season that saw them miss the NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive season, so they enter with a lot of questions under first-year head coach Gerry McNamara.
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Let's take a look at three big ones entering the new month:
Is there a full buy-in under McNamara?
I have no reason to assume that isn't the case, but until we hear from the team directly, it's one we just have to wonder about.
McNamara is coming into this this job on the heels of a great season at Siena University, where he led the Saints to the NCAA Tournament and a near-upset win over No. 1 Duke. He brings with him past success, name recognition and program understanding, which are all things that should be easy to buy into.
But until we hear from the players directly - and see them in action - we won't really know just how much his message is resonating.
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Can Kiyan Anthony and Sadiq White make noticeable jumps?
Both players were true freshmen last season and while both showed real upside and had nice moments, they both clearly experienced some turbulence.
How they improve this season will go a long way in determining how well the Orange play. By all accounts, Anthony has improved his three-point shooting, and White is showing real growth in that area too. The Orange have a solid group of transfers that have come in, but these homegrown players are the most important players on the roster. SU needs them to contribute in a big way offensively, and in Anthony's case, they need him to make meaningful gains defensively.
He looks like he's filled out over the summer, which should help his overall physicality.
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And they are both going to have to be leaders as well.
Will Amarri Monroe actually be on the team?
Monroe, a transfer from Quinnipiac, is currently battling the NCAA over the extra fifth year of eligibility through the "age-based eligibility" model.
If he's on the roster, he could be a big help, as he's the MAAC Player of the Year from 2024-25, but that's a big if right now.
We should get some clarity soon, but that hasn't come yet.
