3 things to watch for Indiana men’s basketball vs Syracuse

Indiana men’s basketball sees its first high major opponent of the 2026-27 season, squaring off with Syracuse in Gainbridge Fieldhouse, an scenario KenPom dubs a “semi-home” game for the Hoosiers.

Indiana has not beat the Orange since Keith Smart’s jumper sealed Indiana’s last national championship in basketball. Syracuse has won six straight between the two, including upsetting the 2012-13 Hoosiers that was probably the Indiana best team since Bob Knight’s time.

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While fans of both teams will remember the intensity and stakes of those matchups, recent history has not been kind to either program. Adrian Autry coached for the first three seasons post-Boeheim, but was fired last spring after having just one winning record in those three years.

Like Indiana, this is a new group looking to prove itself early this season.

Here are 3 things to watch for in this game:

Gerry McNamara

Gerry McNamara played at Cuse under Jim Boeheim, had a brief but respectable stint in the NBA, and promptly returned to Syracuse to begin his coaching career. After two years as a graduate assistant, he was promoted to assistant coach, then associate head coach by Autry.

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Rather than stick around for an associate head coach role, McNamara went to Sienna in 2024, where he got his first head coaching experience. His second year there, he won the MAAC Tournament, earning an NCAA Tournament berth that almost culminated in an upset over Duke. In two seasons, he went 30-37 there.

This is a guy who is very familiar with Syracuse basketball and its traditions, but not one with a ton of head coaching experience. Having come from Siena, he’s definitely not had access to the talent or resources he now has at his disposal.

Indiana should be able to take advantage of a guy who is still figuring things out both as a head coach and as a coach at this level. DeVries and a good chunk of his players have been there before and know what it takes to win.

Kiyan Anthony

I gotta say, in the five plus years…

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Publish date : 2026-11-09 13:28:00

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