Syracuse men’s basketball: takeaways from the loss to Hofstra

The Syracuse Orange (6-4) entered this season with the pressure to get back into the NCAA Tournament. Saturday’s 70-69 home loss to Hofstra is going to make that task a lot harder for Adrian Autry’s squad. It’s too early to call this season over, but the margin for error the rest of the way is that much smaller now. Here are some takeaways from the disappointing loss:

Stuck in the Mud

The Orange failed to control the tempo of this game in large part because of the inability to push the pace on offense. Hofstra went zone and the Syracuse offense was content to go side-to-side and be stuck forcing shots. Nate Kingz made 3 3’s in the second half and the rest of the Orange made 0. With the Pride hitting 12-18 from deep, Syracuse never got them out of rhythm until the desperation press helped speed Hofstra up into a couple of poor shots and turnovers.

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With Nait George struggling, JJ Starling moved to the point with disappointing results. The offensive issues were compounded when the Orange couldn’t get enough stops to get out and run. Syracuse finished the game with 4 fast break points, which is unacceptable for the way this team is constructed.

Cruz Control

On the other side, Hofstra’s Cruz Davis was in complete control all afternoon. He played 40 minutes scoring 22 points and handing out 9 assists. He made both his 3-pt attempts and dissected the Orange defense. Syracuse threw multiple defenders at him and Davis made the right play and his teammates (10-15 from 3) took advantage of the open space they got from his play. After a promising start to the season, once again Syracuse is being badly out-played at the point guard position for the second year in a row.

Kyle’s Motor

The inability to finish takes away from another strong performance from William Kyle who had 13 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks. Kyle was 5-6 from the field, 3-4 from the line and that inability to attack the zone really kept him from having a bigger impact.

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Publish date : 2025-12-15 14:00:00

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