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The end of February used to mark a time when Syracuse was ramping up for a deep NCAA Tournament run. At worst, it meant the Orange needed a couple of key late-season wins to pull themselves off the bubble. As the calendar winds down on the 2024-25 season, SU finds itself on the bubble, one for the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.

Entering Wednesday, Syracuse sat in 15th place in the ACC, holding the final spot for the conference tournament with four games remaining. One game behind SU was NC State, which the Orange welcomed to the JMA Wireless Dome Wednesday. A win would calm fears of not participating in the postseason, while a loss would mean SU’s bubble could be close to bursting.

The former was the result, as Syracuse (12-16, 6-11 ACC) handily beat NC State (11-17, 4-13 ACC) 74-60. The Orange never trailed, boosted by a bulldozing display in the paint, where they scored 46 points. Jyáre Davis and Eddie Lampkin Jr. feasted against the Wolfpack’s undersized frontcourt, combining for 29 points and 22 rebounds.

Following three straight losses, the Orange likely secured an ACC Tournament spot by creating breathing room between them and NC State.

“Today was the first game that we played this season that, from beginning to end, we played well,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said postgame.

As one of the most iconic programs in college basketball, Syracuse isn’t accustomed to sitting toward the bottom of the ACC standings. For now, that’s just the reality that SU has to grapple with. The Orange have had a disastrous season where nothing has seemed to go right. Even with the ACC having a down year, Syracuse is just one loss away from its most conference defeats in program history.

However, Wednesday’s result prevented what’s already been a catastrophic season from being even worse. The victory pushes the Orange two games over NC State and Boston College in 16th place, which would be the last team not to qualify for the ACC Tournament. Notre Dame also lost, allowing the Orange to rise to 13th place in the conference standings.

“(We’re) just trying to get comfortable and get a spot in the ACC Tournament,” Lampkin said.

Lampkin finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds, spearheading Syracuse’s mammoth effort down low alongside Davis. Ben Middlebrooks acted as NC State’s lone forward alongside four guards, and SU’s frontcourt duo took advantage. Middlebrooks couldn’t keep Lampkin off his spot, using his body to bury the center under the basket and deposit easy 2s.

NC State head coach Kevin Keatts used 6-foot-6 Dontrez Styles to guard Davis, which didn’t work either. Davis kept muscling his way through Styles with his broad shoulders. A steady dosage of Lampkin and Davis had Syracuse completely in control in the first half, leading 13-3 five minutes in.

“I just feel like we just need to dominate more and take advantage of our opportunities that we got,” Lampkin said of him and Davis.

The Orange led by double digits for most of the first half and were in complete control. Their lead extended to 16 in the first half, following Chris Bell’s and-one with 8:24 remaining.

Syracuse’s defense, which has struggled over the past three games allowing nearly 87 points per game, also played a part. The Orange held the Wolfpack to 30% shooting from the field in the first half while allowing the second-fewest points in a half all season (25), only bested by Cal’s 23-point effort on Feb. 1.

SU led by 13 at the break, and it continued to expose NC State’s lack of frontcourt depth in the second half. Middlebrooks entered the second with two fouls and couldn’t escape foul trouble.

Less than five minutes into the frame, Middlebrooks had four, and Styles had three. Keatts was forced to insert reserve forwards Brandon Huntley-Hatfield and Ismael Diouf. Without Middlebrooks, NC State didn’t have a rim protector, giving Syracuse free rein to the hoop.

Jaquan Carlos drove baseline unabated before a Bell score in transition put the Orange up 52-33 for their largest advantage of the game at the 13:42 mark. At that point, things looked done and dusted. NC State didn’t have a pulse until it started to apply full-court pressure to Syracuse, leading to a couple of sloppy turnovers.

Styles also got hot, scoring 11 points in two minutes to cut Syracuse’s lead to single digits for the first time since the opening 10 minutes. Déjà vu started to creep in for the Orange, who blew a 16-point first-half lead to Pitt eight days ago. As NC State crept back into the game, Autry kept things calm in the huddle.

“(Autry told us) to just lock in and don’t be punked,” Bell said.

It was a similar message to the one against Pitt. This time, Syracuse carried out Autry’s wishes. Lampkin emphatically slammed home a dunk to quell NC State’s run before five straight points from J.J. Starling pushed SU’s lead back to 15 with 5:51 remaining.

Starling came alive down the stretch, as he typically does. The guard closed the door on any comeback threat, with 15 of his co-game-high 17 points coming in the second half.

Syracuse’s win doesn’t change the outlook on its season. It’s wildly underperformed at each stage. But Wednesday, it got the job done. At this point, the only way the Orange can extend their season is by stacking wins. The goal is to be in Charlotte on March 11. From there, Syracuse will try to capture March magic.

“We want to be in the ACC Tournament, because at the end of the day, we feel like we still can play some basketball and compete,” Lampkin said.

Published on February 26, 2025 at 9:08 pm

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