Syracuse notched 20 wins in Adrian Autry’s first year on the sidelines but the Orange again failed to reach the NCAA Tournament in March.
After a third straight season without an invitation to the Big Dance, the Orange are aiming for more consistency and a different spring itinerary that begins with a home date with Le Moyne on Monday night.
Autry, a former player and assistant coach under Jim Boeheim, took over for the veteran coach last year and experienced some ups and downs in his first season, as did many of his players. Guard JJ Starling (13.3 points) and forward Chris Bell (12.0 points) have enjoyed some success under Autry and will return looking for more consistency in 2024-25.
The Orange finished 20-12 last season (11-9 in the Atlantic Coast Conference).
“This is a team that has a lot of different options,” said Autry, who was adjusting his starting lineup. “I have a lot of decisions to make this year with this team, so I want to get a chance to see it all.”
Le Moyne is coming off a productive first season in Division I. The team was picked to finish last in the Northeast Conference last season but went on to finish tied for fourth place at 15-17 (9-7 NEC).
The Dolphins return their third- and fourth-place finishers from last season in guard Darick Jones Jr. (8.5 points) and forward Osifer Owens (8.1). Jones was named to the all-NEC preseason first team, while Le Moyne was selected to finish fourth in the conference.
Syracuse and Le Moyne have met in nine previous exhibition games and six regular season meetings. The Orange won all six regular-season meetings, though Dolphins coach Nathan Champion previously said he would like Syracuse and LeMoyne to be regular schedule partners. The schools are located less than 5 miles away in Syracuse, NY
“It could be a really cool competition,” Champion said. “For us, we have to continue to build Le Moyne. Syracuse already has its brand and recognition, and Le Moyne is trying to get into one of those teams you see routinely in March Madness.”
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