Syracuse men’s basketball (6-4, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) hosts Mercyhurst (4-7, 0-0 Northeast Conference) for its third game inside the JMA Wireless dome in six days.
The Orange have little time to lick their wounds after a head-scratching, 70-69 defeat to Hofstra on Saturday – a game in which SU led within the final minute of play.
“We didn’t do the things that we talked about and prepared for.” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said after the loss. “There were no surprises.”
Less than two weeks removed from 62-60 win over then-No. 13 Tennessee, and the ensuing court storm, the Orange suffered their first home loss of the season.
SU’s shortcomings from Saturday were consistent with the rest of the season. The Orange had poor free throw shooting (7 misses on 16 attempts) and 3-point shooting (8 for 23 beyond the arc) against the Pride.
But the Syracuse defense, which had been its calling card all season, was lackluster at best against Hofstra. Entering Saturday, Orange opponents were shooting below 30% from 3-point land, yet the Pride shot a blistering 67% from three on 18 attempts.
Regardless of the nailbiting finish, the Orange had dug themselves too big of a hole to climb out of and the Pride’s 19-4 run midway through the second half proved to be crucial.
Despite the loss, Autry reassured fans to have trust in the process.
“We are a good team, we will be a good team,” Autry said. “We’ll address what needs to be addressed and move forward and get better.”
The Orange aim to put the loss behind them with a win Wednesday night against the Lakers, who are just 2-7 against Division I opponents. While a loss to Hofstra is seen as embarrassing to many, a loss to Mercyhurst could ruin the entire season.
Syracuse forward Donnie Freeman is once again a game-time decision. Freeman, who has missed the last six contests, was averaging just under 18 points and over 5 rebounds per game before his injury.
SU and MU tip-off on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in the dome. WAER’s coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff.