Who will he take time from if he wants to give more to younger players?
The Syracuse University men's basketball team (9-5, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) will travel to Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday night for a conference showdown with Georgia Tech (10-5, 1-1).
The Yellow Jackets, like Syracuse, haven't been to the NCAA Tournament since 2020-21 and are trying to re-establish themselves in the ACC.
After a tough loss against Clemson in the league opener (Dec. 31), Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry and his team have some difficult questions to answer.
Let's dive in:
The group can't just wait for Donnie Freeman to get going
Syracuse played without Freeman for nine games as he sat with a right foot injury, but he returned in a big way on Wednesday, scoring 18 points against the Tigers.
However, there's clearly an adjustment period for everyone to getting him back on the floor. While he dominated, primarily in the second half, those around him struggled.
Naithan George was the only other player in double-figures for the Orange. JJ Starling (four points in 34 minutes) and William Kyle (four points in 25 minutes) both have to provide more, as does senior Nate Kingz, who had just five points in 28 minutes.
It's great to have Freeman back, but guys can't just wait for him to make a play. Starling led this team in scoring a season ago at 17.8 ppg and the Orange need him to remain aggressive if they want to turn in a better league season in 2025-26.
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Will Autry change up the minutes?
Freshman Kiyan Anthony is one of this team's most dynamic scoring options, but it's clear that he needs to play more in order to get in rhythm. Sophomore Tyler Betsey might be this team's best long-distance shooting option, but neither player played more than 16 minutes against the Tigers. Former Orange guard Eric Devendorf said that he wanted to see Anthony play more in the matchup with Clemson because of the offensive upside.
If either Anthony or Betsey are going to play more moving forward, who is Autry going to take minutes from? Is it freshman Sadiq White Jr.? Is it Kingz, who is a senior? We will find out beginning on Tuesday if more minutes are in the cards for either player.
Also on campus
The Syracuse women's basketball team (12-2, 2-1 ACC) will be back in action on Sunday afternoon (2 p.m. ET) at Wake Forest.
The football team is currently hosting defensive lineman Tunmise Adeleye for a visit in the transfer portal.
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