Over the 32 days leading up to college basketball season, we’re profiling 32 different teams who could be in the NIT mix, aided in this effort by those who know them best (or the closest we could get). Today, the Marshall Street Podcast responds in writing to our questions about Syracuse.
The Marshall Street Podcast is a two-alum effort covering Syracuse athletics. In addition to its audio form, its coverage can be found on Twitter/X and Instagram at @marshallstpod44.
Here’s the full list of 32 for 32’s published so far, with links:
- Auburn, with the Sickos CBB Committee
- BYU, with Mitch Harper
- Cincinnati, with Zach Fries
- Dayton, with Tyler Cronin
- Duquesne, with Tristan Freeman
- Indiana, with Matt Cox
- Iona, with Sam Federman
- Iowa State, with Joe Stunardi
- James Madison, with Bennett Conlin
- Loyola, with Ky McKeon
- Michigan, with the Sickos CBB Committee
- Missouri, with Jim Root
- North Texas, with Harry Miers
- Northwestern, with John Templon
- Notre Dame, with Stuart McGrath
- Ohio State, with Mark Titus
- Oregon State, with Andy Dieckhoff
- Penn State, with DJ Bauer
- South Carolina, with Brian Rauf
- St. Bonaventure, with SBUnfurled
- St. John’s, with the Sickos CBB Committee
- Syracuse, with the Marshall Street Podcast
- Texas, with NIT Stu
- Utah, with Andrew Crowley
- Virginia Tech, with Ken Pomeroy
- Washington State, with Dave Andersen
- Wisconsin, with Cole Amundson
The Barking Crow: Last year, Syracuse pushed itself onto the edge of the NIT picture midway through February, but the Orange faltered down the stretch. What needs to happen this season for Syracuse to get back into bubble territory?
The defense just flat out needs to be better. Syracuse ranked 185th according to Kenpom in defensive efficiency last year. That surprisingly is up from 2022, where SU finished 207th. By far the two lowest defensive efficiency ratings in the Kenpom era for the Orange. Plus, the young guys will need to take steps forward.
TBC: I don’t know about Syracuse fans, but for the rest of us it’s going to be jarring to turn on a Syracuse game and not see Jim Boeheim on the sideline. What’s the high-level story of Adrian Autry, for those who don’t know?
Of course it will be weird. The last time someone not named Jim Boeheim was the Syracuse head coach, Gerald Ford had just become president. It’s an adjustment, but it is a change that we both think had to be made. It was just time. Like his predecessor, Adrian Autry’s story at SU began as a player. A high school All-American in 1990, Autry went on to have a great career at Syracuse before playing professionally overseas. After coaching at the high school level, he joined Seth Greenberg’s staff at Virginia Tech before coming back to his alma mater as an assistant coach under Jim Boeheim in 2011.
TBC: Going off that last question: Is Autry’s promotion a continuation of the Boeheim era or a pivot? How much zone should fans expect?
Overall it seems like a pivot for the program. Autry has frequently used the term “Orange Standard” to describe his expectations for this team and program. The reverence for the past will certainly be there, but perhaps with a new style of play and approach under Autry. As for the zone, you probably won’t see much. Everything that we have read/heard coming out of Syracuse practices from the local reports and guys like Rothstein indicates a move away from the zone. Don’t be surprised if you see a deeper rotation and more of the full court press mixed in.
TBC: I was surprised to realize Syracuse doesn’t have a lot of NIT history, at least as far as basketball schools go in New York and surrounding states. They made the championship in 1981, but they’ve only made the Final Four one other time. When did Syracuse become a basketball school?
The program started gaining momentum under Roy Danforth in the early ‘70s, but a few years later is when it really took off. In the years following Jim Boeheim taking over (1976), the school joined the Big East and later recruited Pearl Washington. These factors really helped vault the program to the national stage.
TBC: The NIT Final Four is out on tour these days, no longer at Madison Square Garden. This season, it’s at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Were Syracuse to make the NIT Final Four, should we expect a good turnout from the faithful?
Even with the change in venues, I’m sure you would still hear plenty of “Let’s Go Orange” chants. The local alumni always turn out.
TBC: Who is Syracuse’s dream NIT opponent? Whom would Syracuse least like to see in the NIT?
The obvious answer is probably Georgetown. Want two fanbases to get into the NIT? Have Syracuse and Georgetown play. Although we’re not sure anything will top Syracuse getting matched up with UNC Greensboro in 2017 after what Boeheim said about the ACC Tournament in Greensboro. That was A+ work by the committee. Honorable mention: Mike Hopkins and the Washington Huskies.
TBC: Dare we dream of a Syracuse NIT title?
Well, we both think the NIT is always a wide open tournament for the bigger schools. Don’t get us wrong, the NCAA Tournament is, and always should be, the goal for this team. But, we also haven’t been good enough for any postseason the last two years. If we do end up in the NIT, never say never.
