There’s work to be done but we’ve seen enough to be encouraged
Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
The Syracuse Orange won their 20th game on Saturday night, marking the first time the program has reached that milestone since the 2018-19 season.
Tomorrow night’s game against the Clemson Tigers and next week’s ACC Tournament will determine if the Orange will get back to the NCAA Tournament, but with the 20th win locked up Syracuse has likely secured a NIT invitation at worst.
This season isn’t going to stop those who felt that Syracuse should have done a national search to find Jim Boeheim’s replacement. Anything short of a Final Four run won’t keep people from saying Rick Pitino/Nate Oats/Matt Langel would have been a better choice....but for those willing to give Red his chance, the way this team is closing should provide a bit more optimism that the program won’t crater in the post-Boeheim era.
The defining moment of this season might be this post-game press conference after the Orange were humiliated at Wake Forest. Count how many times Autry says “unacceptable” in this 3:37 clip.
Following the loss, Autry made the decision to dismiss Benny Williams from the team and some of the talk around here wondered if Red was up to the job or if he’d “lost the team”. I think the second question has been answered in a convincing manner.
Syracuse was won 6 of the last 8 heading into the regular season finale, the two losses are the only games they’ve been held under 80 points. The Orange are finally playing offense like we’ve asked all season, showing that this team hasn’t quit on their coaches or themselves. The improvement in the shot selection and ball movement shows that Autry has been able to get his team to respond to his coaching.
If the season falls short of The Big Dance, there’s also reason for hope in terms of the players Autry is adding to next year’s roster. Donnie Freeman and Elijah Moore form a top-20 class and depending on what happens with the ten underclassman on this year’s roster, we could see the makings of a top 25 squad.
One of the best performances of the season in one of the biggest games of the year. Donnie Freeman (Syracuse & McDonalds All-American) dominated today with 35 points and 16 rebounds for No.12 IMG over No.6 Lalumiere. He impacted winning without shooting 3’s!! (only one 3-point… pic.twitter.com/9uURy4RjEa
— Paul Biancardi (@PaulBiancardi) March 2, 2024
Most schools have struggled to replace a Hall of Fame Head Coach and while it’s too soon to say Autry will have a successful Syracuse career, the first season results should be encouraging.
If his Orange can complete the long climb back and find a way into this season’s NCAA Tournament, then it will be icing on the cake ....um let’s see...yes, it’ll be the Red cherry on top of a Syracuse sundae.
