Kouwe says Syracuse is ‘100%’ an NCAA Tournament team

Count former Syracuse guard Andrew Kouwe as among the people who believe the 2025-26 Orange basketball team is meant for the NCAA postseason.

Kouwe, who played at SU from 2000-04, and was teammates with legend Carmelo Anthony, joined the Juice on the Cuse Podcast, presented by Bleav and On SI, to discuss his thoughts on the Orange three games into the season.

It's a small sample size, but Kouwe said that wins over Drexel, Delaware State and Binghamton—all by wide margins—is an encouraging sign.

“I think all Syracuse basketball fans are probably excited just watching the team, right? You see a level of athleticism, you see just kind of the energy and commitment, and I think it's just exciting to watch them play. “I mean, listen, the Bigamonton game, Drexel games, those are my games, right? Those are the games I'm getting in. So it's nice to see Syracuse getting back to the 30-point win and so forth.”

The Carmelo comparisons

Part of the reason for Syracuse's early success is guard Kiyan Anthony. Starting shooting guard JJ Starling was hurt early in the season opener against Binghamton, and Anthony has filled in for Starling with fantastic results. He is second on the team to Donnie Freeman in scoring at 17.3 ppg on 63.6 percent shooting from the field.

Kouwe, who was teammates with Kiyan's father, Carmelo, during the 2002-03 championship season, sees similarities and differences in their games.

“I love watching about Kiyan is just his, you can just see his offensive skill and knowledge. Like he just has that kind of grown up game where he doesn't need (to dominate the ball). He maybe doesn't have the athleticism that his dad, that Carmelo had, but that's okay. He's so smart in terms of how he uses angles, how he uses his footwork, pump fakes, the mid-range game. I think that just shows a very mature game.”

Is SU an NCAA team?

Aside from Anthony, he's been impressed with many other players, including the athleticism of William Kyle III and Freeman, the scoring ability of Nate Kingz, and the steady hand of Nate George.

As a result, he believes the Orange have all the makings of an NCAA Tournament team that can cause trouble in the postseason.

“I think 100 percent in terms of the athleticism, the defensive commitment, everything about the way the team looks, they look like they're having fun together. When you're seeing them looking like that, they're passing, they're moving, they're just energy, and with that athleticism, 100%. I think it looks like a tournament team. And I think we're all very excited about that.”

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