Syracuse University
15-15,6-11ACC
Louisville
21-9,10-7ACC
Orange Topped by Louisville on the Road
3/3/2026 11:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Syracuse (15-15, 6-11 ACC) could not overcome an early deficit as the Orange fell to Louisville (21-9, 10-7 ACC), 77-62, at the KFC Yum! Center on Tuesday night.
Sophomore Donnie Freeman posted his third double-double of the season, logging 10 points to go with 11 rebounds. Junior Naithan George led the Syracuse offense with 16 points while senior Nate Kingz was close behind with 14. Senior William Kyle III finished with eight points, three blocks and five offensive rebounds.
The Cardinals shot 14-of-35 (.400) from 3-point range, getting five triples each from Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely. Conwell paced the offense with 23 points.
How the Game Was Decided
After a sluggish start from both offenses, the Orange and Cardinals were knotted up at 10-10 with 12:54 left in the first half. The Cardinals ripped off a 15-4 run over the next four minutes to pull ahead, 25-14, and open up an insurmountable lead.
The Cardinals shot 5-of-6 (.833) from the field and hit two 3-pointers to power the run. McKneely and J'vonne Hadley led the Cardinals over the stretch with four points apiece. Syracuse was 1-of-4 (.250) from the field and turned the ball over twice during the stretch.
The Orange never drew closer than 11 points for the remainder of the contest.
Slow Start
Neither team found a rhythm in the early stages, with the score being an even 2-2 after four minutes of play. Senior J.J. Starling scored on the first possession before the Orange experienced a scoreless streak that stretched until the 15:59 mark when George hit a pair of free throws to snap the cold stretch.
The Syracuse defense kept the Cardinals from gaining a lead, though, racking up three blocks in the opening stages to keep the game tied. Kyle III had two rejections while Kingz had one.
Both teams slowly found a groove on offense, as the two drew level at 10-10 with 12:54 left in the half before the Cardinals delivered the early decisive blow.
Cardinals Close the Half Strong
The Cardinals kept their foot on the gas following their 15-4 run, finishing the half with a 39-21 advantage. Louisville shot 13-of-32 (.406) while hitting six 3-pointers to build onto the lead.
The Orange knocked down 7-of-25 (.280) shots from the field in the first half and turned the ball over seven times. Freshman Sadiq White Jr. led the way for Syracuse with six points on 3-of-4 (.750) shooting. Kyle III had two blocks in the half.
Orange Fight Back
The Cardinals extended their lead to as many as 22 points in the second half, pulling ahead, 60-38, with just over 10 minutes remaining. The Orange began to chip away at the lead, with George hitting a 3-pointer and a pull-up jumper to kickstart a 9-0 run.
Following George's buckets, Kingz converted a tip-in layup before Kyle III blocked a shot and White Jr. threw down a dunk to cut the lead to 62-49 with seven minutes to go in the game.
The Cardinals snapped the streak with a layup, but the Orange kept pushing, with Kyle III finishing off a pair of second chance baskets on back-to-back possessions to bring the score to 62-51 with 6:27 to go.
The Cardinals put water on the comeback bid, going on a 10-4 run with McKneely and Conwell delivering 3-pointers to put the Orange away late and ice away a 77-62 win.
Notable Numbers
- The Orange recorded four blocks in the opening eight Louisville possessions.
- Freeman led the team in rebounding for the 13th time this season.
- George was the team's leading scorer for the third time this season.
- Kingz hit multiple 3-pointers for the 16th time this season.
- Syracuse outrebounded Louisville, 21-13, in the second half.
- The Orange scored 38 points in the paint.
- Syracuse finished with seven total blocks.
Up Next
The Orange wrap up their regular season on Saturday, March 7 against Pittsburgh at the JMA Wireless Dome. Syracuse will honor its senior class – Kingz, Kyle III, Starling and Bryce Zephir – with a senior day ceremony prior to the game against Pittsburgh.
The matchup with the Panthers will tip off at 4:30 p.m. and air on The CW.
Syracuse Tickets
Individual tickets for Syracuse's final regular-season game against Pittsburgh are available at cuse.com/feature/basketball-tickets
