In less than a month, Syracuse basketball begins their highly anticipated 2025 campaign. Last year, under 2nd year head coach Adrian Autry, The Orange missed the NCAA Tournament for the 4th consecutive season. With redemption on their mind, SU returns Sophomore Donnie Freeman and Senior J.J. Starling. The two combined for nearly 30 points per game just a year ago. Cuse also adds highly touted freshmen Sadiq White and Kiyan Anthony.
Despite the array of firepower, Syracuse holds perhaps the hardest path in the ACC, facing both Kansas and Tennessee within the 1st month of the season. But the focus must rest on Duke, North Carolina, and other pivotal conference foes which will heavily dictate SU’s season. With that being said, what are the biggest ACC clashes for Syracuse?
- Clemson vs. Syracuse (12/31)
The Orange will not have any opportunity to ease into conference play, as they kick off the ACC hosting the Clemson Tigers. Last year, Clemson went 27-7 with an impressive 18-4 conference record. It was the Tigers best season since the 1989-1990 team. This offseason, the Tigers underwent significant departures including leading scorer Chase Hunter, Ian Schieffelin, and Viktor Lakhin. One returning player who saw the floor is senior Dillon Hunter, who showcased flashes of elite scoring. Overall, the Tigers will look for their underclassmen to create a spark amid the turnover from last season’s historic success.
- Syracuse vs. North Carolina (2/2)
The Tar Heels finished 23-14 last season but were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA tournament. With leading scorers R.J. Davis and Ian Jackson no longer on the team, North Carolina will depend on senior Seth Tremble. The Guard dominated on the boards while also averaging a healthy 12 points per game. All eyes of the college basketball world will be on Chapel Hill when Cuse’ heads to town. Slated for 6:00 PM on ESPN, The Tar Heels look for redemption after losing to Syracuse last year.
- Syracuse vs. Duke (2/16)
Despite Duke going 19-1 in conference play, the season was marked as “a failure” as they were eliminated by Houston in the final four. While the Blue Devils will be without Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, Duke does return many key pieces from last year’s run. As per usual, they are also littered with young talent which is headlined by 5-star recruits Cameron and Cayden Boozer, and Nikolas Khamenia. Cameron Boozer and Khamenia were the #3 and #14 nationally ranked players respectively in their class. Syracuse tries to pull off the upset and beat Duke for the first time since 2019.
Syracuse opens their season hosting Binghamton on November 3rd. Media day is set for this Wednesday at the Carmelo Anthony Center.
