After Saturday’s up and down 101-95 overtime loss to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Syracuse men’s basketball plays another road game tonight at SMU in Dallas. Despite another road game at the hands of head coach Adrian Autry and a fourth-placed ACC Mustangs squad, SU is under less pressure than some may have figured.
The reason being is NC State and Boston College lost over the weekend, even though Syracuse lost as well. With that being said, the Orange have clinched an ACC Tournament spot next week, despite two regular season games left with SMU and then Virginia in the Dome on Saturday.
Tonight presents a strong challenge for Syracuse to fine-tune its systems and performance before the conference tournament. SMU is the third highest-scoring team in the ACC, averaging over 81 points per game. This doesn’t bode well for SU, the second-worst defensive team in the country behind Miami.
Additionally, SMU possesses the third best three-point shooting team in the ACC and is the best rebounding team in the conference. This is a huge challenge for Eddie Lampkin to continue doing what he’s been doing all season long. The grad student has posted 10 double-doubles in 18 ACC games this season.
Lampkin and Syracuse guard JJ Starling are going to be the driving forces heading into the postseason. If Starling can play consistent basketball in each half, Syracuse will be alright.
All in all, the stats support the fourth place standing for the Mustangs.
Syracuse has a lot to deal with in Dallas tonight, but it’s a good test for a team that’s approaching extra basketball next week.
Tip-off between Syracuse and SMU is at 9:00 P.M.
