Syracuse men’s basketball (13-11, 4-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) is struggling ahead of Wednesday night’s matchup with Cal (17-7, 5-6 Atlantic Coast Conference). The Orange are riding back-to-back road ACC losses. The first an 87-77 defeat to #14 North Carolina last Monday, and then most recently a disappointing 72-59 loss to #18 Virginia this past Saturday.
Close, but no cigar for @Cuse_MBB in a 72-59 loss to @UVAMensHoops.@BurgessLuke03 and @GriffinMarcy1 were on the call from Charlottesville. pic.twitter.com/ZhY3bZX2GE
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) February 7, 2026
On the other side of things, Cal has been up and down sitting at an even .500 over its last eight games. The Golden Bears knocked off UNC a couple weeks ago, but are coming into Wednesday off a 77-55 defeat to #20 Clemson. Safe to say this should be a scrappy one in what is just the sixth ever meeting between the two programs.
Nearly everything has been going wrong for Syracuse as of late. The Orange have lost six of the last seven, falling by double digits in the previous three. A big problem for Syracuse in the UVA loss was forward Donnie Freeman. The sophomore went 2-11 from the field, finishing with a season-low 5 points and three turnovers. For the second time in three games, Freeman had seven or less points. Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry spoke on what went wrong for Donnie.
“I thought that physicality was a difference... in particular Donnie,” Autry said. “I thought they really did a good job of pushing him out and keeping a body on him, even when they switched with their guards.
Syracuse is 1-4 on the season when Freeman drops 14 or less points. The only win came earlier this year against Drexel.
Another big storyline for SU heading into this game is the status of Kiyan Anthony. The guard saw no playing time for the first time this season against UVA on Saturday, with Autry saying it was his decision. On the ACC coaches call Monday, Autry had this to say about the situation.
“He’s a young, young player, obviously, with a lot of attention surrounding him,” Autry said. “So just being able to keep him abreast of what’s going on, expectations in the loop, and just kind of moving on and getting ready for this next game.”
Anthony was not made available to the media following Saturday’s game. Heading into the matchup, the guard was coming off a 10-point game against UNC. Kiyan’s dad and NBA legend Carmelo Anthony believes this can be good for the long-term development of his son.
“He'll be Good! THEY SAY it's part of the Journey. A little adversity don't hurt”
Kiyan has now played just 25 minutes over the last three compared to 55 in the previous three.
With all that drama, Syracuse did have a bright spot in the loss to UVA, surprisingly Nait George. The junior dropped a conference-high 19 points, going 8-9 from the field. The guard has been starting to find his rhythm as of late, putting up 15 in the loss to UNC earlier in the week. Before that stretch, George found double figures just once in seven games.
In his three seasons at SU, Bell shot over 34% from beyond the arc every season. The senior had his best year with the Orange in his sophomore campaign, averaging 12 points a game with a 42% clip from beyond the arc. Ironically for Syracuse fans, Bell is currently having his best season scoring wise with the Golden Bears.
Along with having his best year in scoring average, he’s shot over 40% from beyond the arc across the last four games. That resulted in 13 or more for the Golden Bears in that stretch. It's also worth noting that Bell is shooting nearly 47% from deep on the road this season. That might be bad news for the Orange tomorrow.
Bell isn’t even the main story scoring wise for Cal though. The Golden Bears have three players ahead of the guard for points per game. Guard Dai Dai Ames leads the way with a team-high 17 a contest. The junior is a deadeye shooter, going 48 percent from the field and a 41 percent clip from beyond the arc on a nightly basis. Ames dropped a season-high 29 points a game ago against George Tech.
Guard Justin Pippen and forward John Camden back up Ames with 15 and 14 a night respectively. All three of these scorers shoot over a 35% clip from beyond the arc, which is not good news for an SU defense that allows the team to shoot 32% from three, ninth best in the ACC.
Overall, this is a Cal team that has improved from a season ago. The Golden Bears went 14-19 last year, while this season Cal already has 17 wins. This all comes under the direction of head coach Mark Madsen in his third season with Cal. Madsen was given a contract extension after his first two seasons in Berkley, keeping him with the Golden Bears until 2030. However, this all comes with Cal still not having made an NCAA tournament in 10-years time. Simply put, the Golden Bears are on the bubble with no real bad losses this season, but they still need some more wins to put themselves across the finish line.
Syracuse doesn't have much to play for in regards to an at-large tournament bid at this point. However, it's the exact opposite for Cal. The Orange will try to find their footing back in the Dome, while Chris Bell looks for a night of redemption in front of his former team.
Find out how Bell fairs in his first time playing Syracuse since leaving the hill on WAER Wednesday. The first ever-meeting between the two sides inside the Dome is set for 7:00, with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tip-off at 6:30.