Syracuse's continued offensive struggles have its season on the brink

Another underwhelming performance, this time against NC State, led to a fourth-straight loss for the Orange.

Jan 27, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack forward Darrion Williams (1) reaches for the ball guarded by Syracuse Orange forward Donnie Freeman (1) during the first half of the game at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Tuesday night’s loss might have been the best summation of what has gone wrong in the Adrian Autry era to date. Donnie Freeman put together a stellar performance, scoring a game-high 24 points, and the Orange lost by 20. It was an embarrassing display that once again underlined the disconnect between the talent Autry has assembled on the roster and the product fans see on the court. 

The loss drops Syracuse to 83rd in the NET rankings and 77th in KenPom. It was a tough test, as NC State is a legitimate contender in the ACC this season, but SU now boasts a 1-5 mark in Quad 1 games.

The offense has bogged down

Syracuse’s offense continues to be entirely too reliant on Freeman carrying the load. He did his part, burying 9-of-18 shots from the field, including two 3s, while only committing one turnover. Unfortunately, the rest of the offense was either inefficient or ineffective. J.J. Starling was the only other player in double figures, but he shot 36.8 percent on the night.

Much of the issue for Syracuse starts with how stagnant the offense is in general. It’s a lot of isolation at the top of the arc with some ball screens and routine swing passes. It is rare to see the Orange run an offensive set beyond a simple pick and roll. It shows up in the box score as well. SU finished with 10 assists and 11 turnovers as a team. NC State had 21 assists and 11 turnovers.

To rub salt in the wound, it was Quadir Copeland leading the way for the Wolfpack on offense. The former Syracuse guard finished with 19 points and 9 assists. While it was a needed separation from the Philadelphia native, it is still a tough pill to swallow to see him excelling in a role the Orange could desperately use right now.

No ball movement

This is not a new issue for Autry’s side either. Syracuse ranks 248th in assists per game and 290th in percentage of baskets that came from an assist. Ball movement is a massive weakness, and rather than doing anything to combat it, it feels like Autry is content to run the same tired sets over and over.

Furthermore, the offensive philosophy is further flawed and outdated. SU ranks 102nd nationally in free-throw rate. About 39 percent of their field goal attempts result in a trip to the free throw line. The problem with that is that the Orange only makes 63.4 percent of their free throw attempts, the second-worst conversion rate in all of Division I. 

Outside of that, the offense has not adopted a modern approach at all. Syracuse is 252nd in three-point attempt rate and 229th in pace. It feels like the type of offense that might have worked well when Autry was a player in the '90s. The game has changed, but SU's offensive approach has not.

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