Prior to this game, the Gerry McNamara era had gotten off to a promising start with wins over New Haven and Central Connecticut, giving Orange fans many reasons to be optimistic about the season. Despite the wins, those teams were not particularly challenging opponents. Indiana presented the Orange with their first true test. 

Neither team managed to establish a commanding lead throughout the game. The Orange opened strong, but a costly stretch of turnovers and surrendered offensive rebounds allowed Indiana to regain momentum.

Once again, the Orange struggled coming out of halftime, despite McNamara stressing the importance of a strong second-half start following their sluggish opening against New Haven. Even with starters Mark Morano and Gavin Doty contributing minimally, the Orange showed that they had good depth with Kiyan Anthony and Ryan Moesch who kept the team close until the final buzzer. 

The final result, an 83-80 loss, was by no means the result of a poor performance, but rather a hard fought game that the Orange simply couldn’t finish. 

Here is how the stock shakes out following the Orange’s first loss of the season. 

Stock Down: Rebounding 

Indiana recorded seven more offensive rebounds and two more defensive rebounds. One of the biggest factors disrupting the Orange's momentum was their inability to secure defensive rebounds, particularly during a stretch early in the game when they surrendered multiple offensive rebounds in a row.

Following the exhibition games, one of the primary criticisms of Sadiq White was his struggles on the boards. Those concerns carried over against Indiana, as he managed just three rebounds despite playing three quarters of the game. Syracuse's defensive effort can only go so far if they continue to allow opponents second chance opportunities.

Doty led the Orange with seven rebounds, but his contributions on the glass were offset by struggles with decisionmaking and shot selection on the other end of the court.

Stock Down: Gavin Doty, G 

Doty entered the season as one of the biggest names on the team. With Syracuse searching for a reliable primary scoring option this season, Doty was expected to help fill that role. However, he struggled to deliver against Indiana.

Doty finished with just five points, going 0-3 from beyond the arc. One of those attempts was a shot that seemed forced, and didn't even hit the rim. He also committed two turnovers, one of which led to an uncontested Indiana dunk and helped the Hoosiers regain momentum coming out of halftime.

Meanwhile, Doty was outperformed by his counterpart, Moesch, who demonstrated an ability to both create his own offense and facilitate opportunities for his teammates. Moesch provided the offensive production and playmaking that Syracuse had hoped to get from Doty.

Stock Up: Syracuse Has Depth 

Syracuse needed to turn to its bench with because of various issues with Syracuse's starters. Morano exited early in the second half with a limp, Luke Wilson found himself in early foul trouble, White was forced to temporarily leave the floor with a calf cramp, and Doty struggled to find his rhythm offensively. McNamara's bench proved capable of not only filling those gaps but providing much needed production.

Anthony and Moesch led the Orange with 16 and 19 points, respectively, serving as the team's primary offensive playmakers throughout the game. Abdramane Siby, filling in for Wilson, also made his presence felt, drawing an and-one opportunity. 

Syracuse's four bench players, including Amarri Monroe, combined to score the same amount of points as the five starters. 

Sock Up: Syracuse Always Starts Games Strong 

Through their first three games, the Orange have consistently come out of the gates strong. In this game, Syracuse jumped out to an early 5-0 lead and shot 3-4 from downtown to start the game.

The Orange have demonstrated that they have the ability to play high level basketball. The challenge now is sustaining that level of play for all 40 minutes. Strong starts are encouraging, but if Syracuse hopes to compete against stronger opponents, they will need to find a way to maintain that same intensity and execution throughout the entire game.

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