Syracuse snapped its two game losing streak with a home win tonight, outlasting California in double-OT. Both teams couldn’t miss tonight; The Golden Bears shot 45% fr om the field and the Orange shot over 50%. The lights (literally) were shot out of the JMA Dome. SU now moves ahead of Cal in the ACC standings. Here are key takeaways from the ;Cuse’s much-needed Dome win:
- Nate Kingz shows his value, again
The best acquisition of the 2025 offseason comes up huge for Syracuse tonight. The two-way guard/forward tallied a game-high 27 points while assisting with four boards on the night. The Oregon State transfer played 44 points during the night, providing defense and three point contests on a night where the defensive end of the floor was mostly absent. HC Adrian Autry assumed he was getting a three-and-d player, he received so much more.
2. The three point struggles continue
After shooting 23% from behind the arc in the Virginia game, the Orange shot the three ball at just a 24% clip. Starters Naithan George and JJ Starling shot a combined 2-8 from deep. SU’s bench didn’t contribute any made threes. The ‘Cuse’s ranked opponets all posses daunting big men to force three pointers; Syracuse needs to shot the ball better down the stretch if it wants any shot in the ACC tournament.
3. Syracuse kept former Orange Chris Bell in check
One of the underlying storylines of tonight’s matchup was former SU forward Chris Bell (2022-2025) returning to the JMA Dome. He got his money with 18 points on the night, but shot an inefficient 4-12 in addition to missing a clutch free throw that wrapped up the game for the Orange. Syracuse doubters had penciled in a strong game from Bell—but not tonight.
4. The wins must continue
Every game in the ACC, a power 4 conference, is going to present a hard-fought challenge. Syracuse won tonight over Cal, but it must use this momentum to string together wins in order to make a convincing last-minute push towards the bubble of the NCAA tournament. This is a starting point, but there must be more where this came from.
Syracuse nexts hosts SMU on Saturday. Tipoff is at 2, make sure to follow @OrangeFizz on Twitter for gameday updates.
