Last Wednesday, Tyus Battle announced that he would return to Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team for 2018-19 after flirting with the NBA Draft. The move was rather unexpected, as many predicted that the sophomore standout would forgo his final two years of eligibility. A report from Zagsblog’s Adam Zagoria had even indicated that Battle would “likely” remain in the draft.
With Battle staying at Syracuse, the Orange will return all five starters — Frank Howard, Battle, Oshae Brissett, Marek Dolezaj, and Paschal Chukwu -- from a team that advanced to the Sweet 16 in last year’s NCAA tournament.