Syracuse basketball by the jersey numbers, low digits dominate this season

You know it is summer a time for modified, structured workouts and conditioning at the Melo Center for most of the SU basketball team under the watchful eyes of the coaching staff, when we are writing about the upcoming uniform number assignments for the 2026-27 season.

Butler, the 15th player to join the Orange roster for Gerry McNamara's initial season, has not had his jersey number released as of early this week.

He wore a Cuse jersey adorned with No. 7 in his Instagram announcement over the weekend indicating his school choice, but that number currently belongs to sophomore Kiyan Anthony (as seen in the photo above), so he will have to make another choice.

Otherwise, his 14 new Orange teammates have selected numbers ranging from 0-to-25.

Single digit jersey numbers are a prized possession since the NCAA changed the rules in 2023

There have been three distinct periods as it relates to jersey uniform numbers and NCAA basketball. Starting in the 1957-58 season, players could only wear jersey numbers that included the digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 (i.e.: 15, 25, 44). That automatically restricted the combinations that could be used, although players did wear numbers 0 and 00 during that era.

Players could not wear numbers 6, 7, 8, and 9 during that period, the thinking was that referees be allowed to signal foul calls to the scorer's table using only one hand. If a player wore number 32, for instance, the referee could signal with two fingers, then three fingers on one hand, 3-2 for No. 32, while making the verbal foul announcement.

In 1999, the NCAA allowed the numbers 1 and 2 back to the allowed list of digits, and although he is pictured in the 1999-2000 team photo wearing No. 1, Allen Griffin switched to No. 12 that season, then back to No. 1 in 2000-01.

The first Syracuse player to wear No. 0 was Michael Gbinoje in 2013, and the only player to wear No. 00 in the modern era is center Rick Jackson between 2007-2011. For the upcoming season, incoming frosh guard Ryan Moesch will become the eighth Orange player to don the number 0.

The NCAA totally overhauled its jersey number restrictions in 2023, opening up any number from 0-to-99 (the highest uniform number worn by an Orange player is No. 71 by Mel Besdin from 1950-54). This allowed for the first time jersey numbers 6, 7, 8, and 9 to be worn as single digits, and those lone numbers proved to be instantly fashionable among many college players.

This season Syracuse has seven, single digit jersey number players on the roster

Since the NCAA changed its jersey number rules three seasons ago, Syracuse has fielded a lineup on several occasions in which the five players on the court were wearing numbers 1-through-5, respectively.

That can not happen this year unless Butler chooses No. 2 and somehow gets unexpected playing time simultaneously with some of the team's projected starters, because numbers 0, 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are accounted for.

We went and looked at the last time a Syracuse basketball team did not feature a player wearing a number above 25, but it is at least before this century.

Uniform numbers for the 2026-27 Syracuse Orange roster:

0 - Ryan Moesch, Freshman

1 - Sadiq White Jr., Sophomore

3 - Garway Dual. Senior

4 - Gavin Doty, Junior

5 - Tasman Goodrick, Senior

6 - Calvin Russell III, Sophomore

7 - Kiyan Anthony, Sophomore

10 - Abdramane Siby, Freshman

11 - Francis Folefac, Sophomore

12 - Mark Morano Mahmutovic, Freshman

13 - Iker Martinez - Freshman

23 - Luke Wilson, R-Junior

24 - Noah Lobdell, Sophomore

25 - Aiden Tobiason, Junior

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