There might be no bigger question around the Syracuse athletic department than the one concerning the future of men’s basketball coach Adrian Autry amid a season that started with promise and is wrapping up with a thud.

And, yes, athletic director John Wildhack, who announced his pending retirement on Wednesday, is still watching and figuring out the program’s next steps. Earlier this year, he charged Autry with returning the Orange to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.

“The goal of this program is we should be playing meaningful games in March,’’ Wildhack said back then.

That is unlikely to happen. And Wildhack brought up the subject again on Wednesday in a radio interview.

“I said back last spring in terms of what the expectations were for this year,” he said Wednesday on “Orange Nation” on ESPN Syracuse. “Those haven't changed. It's been frustrating because there were games that we clearly could have won that we didn't.

“We still have a month to go but you know our margin for error is incredibly, incredibly small right now. So, I think everybody is disappointed with our record to date.”

That record stands at 13-11 overall, 4-7 in Atlantic Coast Conference action as the Orange prepare to play a home game Wednesday night against Cal.

Syracuse started the season – the third under Autry – at 4-0 with wins against Binghamton, Delaware State, Drexel and Monmouth. They are under .500 since.

In a Thanksgiving week tournament in Las Vegas, the Orange saw their first Power Four competition and lost three in a row to Houston, Kansas and Iowa State.

One of the factors used to select teams for the NCAA Tournament is the number of Quad 1 and Quad 2 wins per team. The number for Syracuse is disastrous: 1-7 in Quad 1 games, 1-2 in Quad 2.

Wildhack was asked if the fact the he is retiring would keep him from making a change at head coach, instead kicking the can to his successor.

“No,” he said emphatically.

“I'm here until July 1 so I'll make the necessary decisions that we need to make, and as I've always done, I'll do so in conjunction with consultation with the chancellor, with all the other leaders across campus. [Board of] trustees is relevant and none of that will change.”

Wildhack promoted Autry, a longtime assistant, to head coach in March 2023 when Jim Boeheim retired after 47 seasons.

Syracuse posted a 20-12 record in his first season and did not make the NCAA Tournament. Last season the Orange finished 14-19, and Autry has a 47-42 record overall.

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