Syracuse men’s basketball struggles at the free throw line in 70-66 loss to Texas

By: Skyler Wilkes | @swilkes04

The first three games of the season for Syracuse men’s basketball were all a little too close for comfort. Well tonight, it wasn’t much different. SU led by one with less than 3:30 to go but ultimately lost 70-66 to Texas in the Game 1 of the Legends Classic. A big reason why was free throws. The Orange shot 9-for-18 from the line. That’s 50%. If you ask head coach Adrian Autry, the answer is pretty simple. 

“You got to make them,” explained Autry. “You got to make them and we work at them. We got to make them and we’re not. We’re leaving so many points on the board. Even in our first couple of games, we still missed free throws and that’s the difference.”

It wasn’t all negative for the Orange though. Syracuse played its best defense of the year so far and erased a double-digit halftime deficit. So, even with the loss, the players aren’t rattled. 

“We showed a level of competing that we haven’t shown throughout the season this year,” said SU forward Jyáre Davis. “I think we were really good defensively in the second half. We made it tough on people, made them make a lot of tough twos which you try and live on. I think if we just continue to play like that, continue to play with that level of competition on defense, we’ll be in a good spot.” 

“Just keep playing defense like we did in the second half and we’re going to be good,” proclaimed Orange guard JJ Starling. “Our defense is going to be what allows us to pick it up offensively.”

Even though the ‘Cuse can’t claim a Legends Classic championship like it did in 2010, there’s still a chance to leave Brooklyn with a win. Syracuse plays Texas Tech at 7 p.m. in the Barclays Center tonight.