According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, Syracuse University big man Donnie Freeman is a game-time decision for Thursday's contest against St. Joseph's (9 p.m. ET). The Orange haven't played since beating No. 13 Tennessee on Dec. 2, and Freeman hasn't played since the team beat Monmouth on Nov. 18. 

He's been out with a right foot injury and the Orange are 1-3 in his absence. Syracuse is 5-3 overall.

While Freeman is officially questionable, it sounds like head coach Adrian Autry is already expecting him to be absent from the lineup again. He told 'Cuse Sports Talk on Wednesday that he he is "hopeful" that Freeman will be ready for the conference opener on Dec. 31 against Clemson.

Autry did re-iterate that Freeman will return to the lineup. It's just a question of when. He played only 14 games last season because of a different right foot injury.

About Freeman

A sophomore from Washington D.C., Freeman is 6'9'' and provides the Orange with more athleticism in the frontcourt. He is leading the team in scoring at 17.8 ppg, which is an improvement on last season's 7.9 ppg.

He pairs with William Kyle III to make a dynamic frontcourt duo and the Orange need him if they plan to compete in the way they want to for the rest of the season.

If he doesn't play...

The Orange will need continued contributions from a trio of freshmen: Sadiq White has been starting in Freeman's absence and provides additional length and athleticism, while Kiyan Anthony and Tyler Betsey will be counted on to score in a reserve role.

Anthony is averaging 11 ppg, which is second on the team.

About the Hawks

• The Hawks went 22-13 a season ago, and enter play on Thursday at 6-3. However, they are 0-3 on the road.
• St. Joseph's plays in the Atlantic 10, though they have not opened conference play yet.
• They've defeated Temple, and they beat Drexel by 11. The Orange throttled Drexel by 30 earlier this season.
• They were beaten soundly by Virginia Tech, 94-59, and also lost 99-85 to UNLV.
• They average 77.3 ppg and shoot just 28.2 percent from three-point range. They are 81.3 percent from the foul line, which is No. 4 nationally.

Need to know

We will have live coverage at the JMA Wireless Dome. Follow our own Tom Goslowski (@TomGozz) on social media for updates and video coverage.

Also on campus

The SU women's basketball team defeated Colgate 88-42 on Wednesday night. You can read more on that story here.

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