Syracuse men’s basketball squeaks past Monmouth in a 78-73 victory

Syracuse men’s basketball (4-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) just edged out Monmouth (1-3, 0-0 Coastal Athletic Association) with a 78-73 victory (1-3, 0-0 Coastal Athletic Association) at the JMA Wireless Dome. SU now starts the season 4-0 for the first time since 2017, but there is plenty to be concerned about. One major issue for the Orange against the Hawks was free-throw shooting. SU shot just 58% from the charity stripe.

Within the last four minutes of the game, Syracuse missed five free throws. Along with those shots not falling, the Orange didn’t hit a single field goal in the final three minutes of the game. The lack of offensive efficiency during crunch time of games against upcoming ranked opponents in the Players Era Men’s Championship next week just can’t happen.

“For us, we just had too many dips. Our energy wasn’t there consistently,” SU head coach Adrian Autry said after the narrow victory. “We’ll get better. It didn’t come down to the free throws; it was our energy.”

Another surprise from tonight’s contest was the lack of Syracuse’s defensive intensity. Coming into this matchup against Monmouth, SU ranked first in college basketball, allowing just 47 points per game. However, that amount was almost scored by Monmouth with its 40 points in the second half alone.

“Monmouth came in, really played hard and executed, shot the ball extremely well,” Autry said about the Hawks' performance. “Our consistency with our effort is the main focus; it’s all about us.”

A positive buried in concerns for the Orange, though, was forward Donnie Freeman’s performance. The sophomore led SU scorers, dropping 18 points, seven rebounds, all coming on defense, three assists, a block, and a steal. Freeman certainly wasn’t shying away from contact as 12 of those 18 points came at the line. It’s the third time in this season that Freeman has totaled 18 points or more.

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“The biggest way he’s improved has been on the defensive end,” Autry mentioned about Freeman’s change in his play from freshman to sophomore year. “Today was one of his better days, but he’s been really good ... and will continue to improve.”

A familiar face was also back on the court for the Orange in this win. Syracuse’s leading scorer from last season JJ Starling started the game after an injury just a few minutes into the regular season opener against Binghamton held him out of the previous two contests. In his first start back, Starling played 26 minutes, cashing in 11 points on four-for-six shooting.

“I thought he got downhill and put pressure on the rim,” Autry said about Starling’s effort in the contest. “Overall, I thought his competitiveness took over and he wanted to push it a little bit more.”

After starting the season undefeated, Syracuse faces its toughest tests of the year in Las Vegas next week. At the Players Era Men’s Championship on Monday, SU faces off against number two-ranked Houston at 6 p.m. Then, just a day later, Syracuse faces number 24 Kansas at 3:30 p.m. The Orange will also play a third game in the tournament on either Wednesday or Thursday against one of 15 possible opponents.

Make sure to stay updated on all things Syracuse men’s basketball next week right here on WAER. It all starts with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff at 5:30 p.m. next Monday, before the Orange face the Cougars