In a developing story, the Syracuse Orange will be competing in the Players Era Festival without one of its top players.
Donnie Freeman will not be available due to a “lower body injury,” the team announced Monday. The news comes just a few hours before Syracuse will take the court for its first of three games in Las Vegas.
In over 27 minutes a contest, Freeman is so far averaging 17.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.3 blocks per game in four games. He currently leads the Orange in scoring and also sits second in rebounds, assists and blocks.
The announcement comes after photos circulated on social media showing Freeman wearing a walking boot on his right foot. The team posted the photos of it arriving in Las Vegas, which were eventually taken down.
In February, Freeman was ruled out for the reminder of the 2024-25 season due to a right foot injury, which required surgery. He played 14 games last year.
Freeman will be reevaluated when he and the rest of the team return from Syracuse, the team announced.
With Freeman sidelined, forwards Tyler Betsey, Sadiq White Jr. and Ibrahim Souare will likely see a larger role versus Houston. Tip-off versus the Cougars is set for 6 p.m. EST.
