Syracuse men’s basketball (8-4, 0-0 Atlantic Coastal Conference) has played six halves against Colonial Athletic Association opponents this season and somehow, the majority of those frames have been uninspiring. That trend was true once again this afternoon as SU slid past Northeastern (4-6, 0-0 CAA) 91-83 for its second straight win.
It came down to the wire, but @Cuse_MBB squeaked by @GoNUmbasketball 91-83.@joshrichy_04 and @kleinjake_ had the call from the JMA Wireless Dome. pic.twitter.com/nnyQ7iZTdT
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) December 20, 2025
It wasn’t all bad for the Orange. The offense put up its highest output of the season, and uncharacteristically, this time, the Orange somewhat used free throws to its strength.
“I thought Tyler Betsey, Nait George, Kiyan [Anthony] all stepped up and made some big free throws,” head coach Adrian Autry said after the win.
George was superb as he’s been all season from the line, knocking down 12-of-14 attempts to pave the way for 22 points, his highest mark since joining the Orange.
Betsey and Anthony were equally as impressive for the ‘Cuse. The Cincinnati transfer posted a strong bounce-back outing with 15 points, including 5-of-6 from the stripe. Plus, the highly touted freshman added 18 points off the bench, including eight makes on 12 attempts, cementing his first 15-point effort since his first three collegiate games.
In total, the Orange mostly cashed in from the charity stripe. SU’s 34-of-48 mark was good for a 71 percent success rate. But more impressively, the 48 attempts inked the first game above 45 tries since Feb. 19, 2011 – when Syracuse bested Rutgers, and needed 47 shots from the line. That was a Big East regular season game.
Outside of free throws, it was a mediocre showing numbers-wise for the Orange. Syracuse was 51 percent from the field, and 21 percent from beyond the arc.
Defensively, it was a completely different story.
“In the second half, we got out to a 14-point lead, and then we let them back in,” said Autry.
Letting them back into the game would be one thing, but Syracuse let them back in and then let the Huskies hang around.
Today’s second half was the second frame the Orange were outscored by a CAA opponent this year, and also the second time Syracuse surrendered 50 points in a half.
Host @JohnBoccio23 couldn’t believe what he was seeing at times from @Cuse_MBB on defense.
— WAER Sports Talk (@WAERSportsTalk) December 21, 2025
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Northeastern’s 52-50 edge in the second half was ultimately not enough to earn the Huskies the upset that CAA counterpart Hofstra earned a week ago, but the three-point barrage in the second half was eye-catching. The Huskies shot themselves back into the game, exploding for 7-of-16 shooting from downtown after the break.
The “Level Five” fight that the head man mentions in just about every press conference has seemingly dwindled, with the Orange being outscored in the second half in three straight games now.
“[It’s] very frustrating. But, just gotta keep challenging and pushing them. They have to get better. We have to get better,” said Autry on the defensive struggles.
The time is ticking for the Orange to settle into a rhythm. ACC play is less than two weeks away, and Syracuse has still yet to show that this season might be a different story in an otherwise dreadful tenure under head coach Adrian Autry.
Syracuse has another chance to improve on Tuesday. SU welcomes Stonehill at 7. WAER’s coverage begins with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff at 6:30 available here on waer.org and 88.3 FM.
