The Orange offense was a problem in the loss against Virginia.
The Syracuse University men's basketball team did something it hasn't done all season on Saturday afternoon against No. 18 Virginia: Fail to hit the 60-point mark. The Orange lost 72-59, falling to 13-11 on the campaign. They are now 4-7 inside Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play and are on the verge of missing the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight season.
There are questions about the job security of head coach Adrian Autry, and there are questions about why Kiyan Anthony didn't see the floor for the first time this season.
The tension around the program is palpable and Saturday's game was just the latest frustration.
Why the offense was so frustrating
Look, bad shooting nights happen. But against this Virginia team? They probably shouldn't. The Cavaliers have been historically known for their defense, but this group operates differently.
This same group allowed 95 points in a loss against Virginia Tech. It allowed 97 in a win against a bad Notre Dame team. They allowed 85 points against North Carolina. In fact, only one ACC team had scored less against Virginia than Syracuse did (Pitt - 47).
Top scorer Donnie Freeman had only five points while William Kyle had just two. The starting frontcourt only accounting for seven points is a big deal and is not a recipe for winning a lot of games.
Furthermore, the bench was an issue, with Tyler Betsey only scoring three and Sadiq White Jr. getting just two. There were opportunities against this Virginia team and SU just couldn't find them.
Up next
SU is back home on Feb. 11 at the JMA Wireless Dome against Cal. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET and the game will air on ESPNU. Our own Tom Goslowski will be there with live coverage.
Also on campus
--The Syracuse University women's basketball team has had a great season thus far, but they got a lesson in what it takes to be a top team in the nation on Sunday afternoon, getting beaten 84-65 by No. 6 Louisville at the JMA Wireless Dome.
Syracuse is now 19-5 and 9-4 inside Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play, while the Cardinals improved to 22-4 and 12-1.
--The men's lacrosse team improved to 2-0 with a dominant win on Saturday. The Orange steamrolled St. Joseph's 20-2. Ranked No. 2 in the nation, they'll now prepare for a matchup with No. 1 Maryland on Friday night.
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