Syracuse opens its NCAA Tournament mission hosting neighbor Le Moyne College

Syracuse reached 20 wins in Adrian Autry's first year on the sideline but the Orange again fell short of the NCAA Tournament in March.

Following a third straight season without an invitation to the Big Dance, the Orange are aiming for more consistency and a different spring itinerary beginning with a home date with Le Moyne on Monday night.

A former player and assistant coach under Jim Boeheim, Autry took over for the veteran coach last year and experienced some ups and downs in his first campaign, as did many of his players. Guard J.J. Starling (13.3 points) and forward Chris Bell (12.0 points) enjoyed some success under Autry and will be back, searching for more consistency in 2024-25.

The Orange finished 20-12 (11-9 Atlantic Coast Conference) last season.

"This is a team that has a lot of different options," said Autry, who has been tinkering with his starting lineup. "I've got a lot of decisions to make this year with this team, so I want to get a chance to see everything."

Le Moyne is coming off a productive debut season in Division I. The team was picked to finish last in the Northeast Conference last season but went on to finish tied for fourth place at 15-17 (9-7 NEC).

The Dolphins return the third- and fourth-leading scorers from a season ago in guard Darrick Jones Jr. (8.5 points) and forward Ocypher Owens (8.1). Jones was named to the all-NEC preseason first team, while Le Moyne was picked to finish fourth in the conference.

Syracuse and Le Moyne have met in nine previous exhibition games and six regular-season matchups. The Orange won all six regular-season meetings, although Dolphins coach Nathan Champion said previously that he would love if Syracuse and LeMoyne could be regular partners on the schedule. The schools stand less than 5 miles apart in Syracuse, N.Y.

"It could be a really cool rivalry," Champion said. "For us, we have to continue to build Le Moyne. Syracuse already has their brand and recognition, and Le Moyne is trying to get to one of those teams you see routinely in March Madness."

--Field Level Media