When the Syracuse University men's basketball team looks back on the frustrations of the 2025-26 season, they can point to many things, but among them are the inconsistencies from top players Donnie Freeman and JJ Starling.

Both players have had great games, and both players have had great moments, but neither player has put up the kind of game-in and game-out standout performances that were required for this team to hit the best version of itself.

A talented sophomore from the Washington D.C. area, Freeman started the year with back-to-back 20-point games against Binghamton and Delaware State. Unfortunately, he injured his right foot against Monmouth on Nov. 18 and missed six weeks before returning at the start of conference play (Dec. 31).

But he entered league play with a vengeance, scoring 18, 27, 22 and 25 in his first four ACC games. However, since then? He's hit the 20-point barrier just twice in the last 11 games, and he's been held to 10 points or less in five games, including three of the last five.

He's shooting a strong 48.4 percent from the floor but is down to just 30.4 percent from three-point range.

The leading scorer for the Orange a season ago at 17.8 ppg, Starling is averaging just 12.4 this year, his lowest output since he was a freshman. He's been in double-figures in 19 of 26 games played, but he's only crossed the 20-point threshold three times. He's been held to single-digits in six different games, though one of those was the first game of the year where he was injured just three minutes in.

He's scored nine points or less in two of the last three games. He's shooting just 31.2 percent from three-point range, which is consistent with the team-wide struggles from deep for the program. 

The Orange will be back in action on Saturday (Feb. 28) against Wake Forest. Tip-off from Winston Salem, N.C. is 3:45 p.m. ET.

--The Syracuse women's basketball team is 21-6 on the season and appears to be headed to the NCAA Tournament this March. However, the latest ESPN bracketology was unkind to the program, projecting them for a No. 9 seed and a trip to Storrs, Conn., for a potential second-round matchup with No. 1 UConn. The Huskies are the overwhelming favorite to win the national title for the second straight year.

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