An interesting situation has arisen for the Syracuse University men's basketball and football programs.

First off, the SU hoop program is playing Duke on Monday night and enters the contest as a big underdog. Second, SU freshman Calvin Russell III, also one of the top-ranked recruits in SU football history, is listed as OUT with an injury, though that injury wasn't disclosed.

So the painfully obvious question is: What's wrong? And while we don't know the official answer yet, it's worth pointing out what a big deal this could be.

A standout athlete from Florida, Russell is one of the best recruits in Syracuse football history and should be an integral part of the SU football program immediately in 2026. He graduated high school early, enrolled in Syracuse for the second semester, and immediately joined the basketball team. He has planned on being a two-sport athlete all along.

He has appeared in one basketball game this season, scoring two points.

--Did Russell get hurt in basketball practice? Is it a serious injury? How does it impact his ability to compete in spring practice for the Orange on the football field? That begins in just a few weeks Is this just a case of SU basketball being extremely careful in a way to protect his football status? 

Of course, this injury could be extremely mild and could just be a decision to sit out a player who probably wasn't going to play anyways. But, if its more than that, it could have a big impact on SU football moving forward. The spring football game is happening on April 11.

--Taron Dickens, who played quarterback at Western Carolina in 2025 and had an offer from SU football this offseason, has signed onto play at North Carolina moving forward. The Orange brought in three quarterbacks via the portal as it was, and they still have Steve Angeli coming back from a torn Achilles.

--After beating No. 1 Maryland over the weekend, the Syracuse men's lacrosse team has vaulted into the No. 1 ranking in the new polls. The Orange hadn't beaten a No. 1 team since 2017 and had lost their previous eight games against Maryland. They got to the Final Four a season ago.

--The Syracuse women's basketball team earned its 21st win of the season on Sunday afternoon, narrowly defeating Clemson.

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