Syracuse, N.Y. — The Syracuse basketball team takes on the Buffalo Bulls in a preseason exhibition at 7 p.m., Saturday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.
The game is available to stream on Cuse.com.
See in-game team and individual stats here.
Note: Refresh this page throughout Syracuse’s game at Buffalo to see the latest updates
A 4-guard lineup
Adrian Autry has probably mentioned versatility in every offseason interview. Position-less basketball has been a buzz phrase since he got the job in 2023.
Autry trotted out a four-guard lineup in the first half with George, Starling, Kingz, Anthony and Freeman.
Syracuse got after it defensively, heating up the ball as George got a steal, runout and lob to Freeman for a slam.
The Orange also forced a 10-second violation with its full-court pressure.
Syracuse 27, Buffalo 16 with 7:27 remaining first half
Tyler Betsey getting it done at both ends
The Cincinnati transfer snuffed out a drive on the defensive end and would go on to hit two 3s early in the shot clock.
Betsey, a 6-foot-8 wing, was a late add to the roster, having committed on May 2. But Donnie Freeman raved about him in the preseason.
He’s got active hands on defense, coming up with a loose ball and is showing off the range from beyond the arc.
He pump-faked from 3 and then stepped in and knocked down a 15-footer for his eighth point of the half.
The Orange is 4-for-8 from 3 midway through the first half.
Syracuse 19, Buffalo 11 with 11:50 remaining first half
Carmelo is in the building
Syracuse jumps out to an early lead with Carmelo Anthony in attendance at KeyBank Center.
Anthony’s son, Kiyan, hit his first shot, a stepback from the left side and forced a jumpball situation on the defensive end.
Autry has already sent in nine players before the game is even six minutes old.
Point guard Naithan George has a pair of turnovers early.
JJ Starling is 1-for-3 from 3, and Nate Kingz knocked down a 3.
Syracuse 11, Buffalo 7 with 15:03 remaining first half
Pregame
Update at 6:45 p.m.
Syracuse’s starting lineup at Buffalo:
- JJ Starling
- Naithan George
- Nate Kingz
- Donnie Freeman
- William Kyle
Preseason contests against Division I competition!
Syracuse takes its revamped roster to Western New York for a night of hoops in Buffalo, where the diehards will get the first look at what Adrian Autry has intimated is his best team in three years as head coach.
Autry’s preseason rhetoric has had the tone of an all-in year: He recently said the ninth, 10th or 11th guy on his bench is probably as good as the fourth, fifth or sixth man on last year’s 14-19 team.
How’s that for setting expectations?
Much of the confidence is rooted in how Syracuse assembled a roster with 11 new players. He invested heavily to retain senior guard JJ Starling and sophomore forward Donnie Freeman, and went out and signed Georgia Tech point guard Naithan George off the free agent market.
Those three personnel decisions are critical to how Autry and GM Alex Kline plan to return Syracuse to the NCAA Tournament amid a four-year hiatus. Other offseason acquisitions include Nate Kingz, on a one-year deal reportedly worth $750,000 and UCLA center William Kyle III.
Freshmen Sadiq White and Kiyan Anthony are top freshman recruits who figure to have roles this season.
White will not play tonight due to an undisclosed upper-body injury.
If you want an early prospectus on the Bulls, the folks over at The Field of 68 previewed Buffalo earlier this week:
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