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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When hard times come, you can’t lie down. You’ve got to keep fighting. This is how the world works.
For Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry, it’s the mantra he’s lived by through a lackluster second campaign helming the storied program he was handed the keys to.
The season, admittedly, hasn’t gone to plan. Autry’s Orange barely snuck into the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament after their worst year in recent memory. But once you get into the postseason, anything can happen. SU’s season is hanging by a thread. Tuesday, it survived and advanced.
No. 14 seed Syracuse (14-18, 7-13 Atlantic Coast) defeated No. 11 seed Florida State (17-15, 8-12 Atlantic Coast) 66-62 Tuesday in the ACC Tournament First Round, capturing its first ACC Tournament win under Autry and first since 2022.
“It’s been a battle all year, and they kept battling,” Autry said of his team postgame. “I love their fight, and we’re going to continue to do that as long as we have a game to play.”
Syracuse’s season has been filled with building large leads and collapsing down the stretch. Whether it’s their 11-point loss to Pittsburgh or their overtime defeat at Virginia Tech just over a week ago, the Orange have emphatically proven that they can’t finish games.
Senior forward Jyáre Davis said that, to this point, the Orange have seen it all. They’ve been smacked. They’ve won comfortably. They’ve come back to win. They’ve had leads and lost them. Davis said truly nothing catches the team off guard.
“I think all those situations have helped shape us into the team we are now,” Davis said. “When that rough stretch came out, I don’t think anyone on the team batted an eye.”
For a few minutes, the trend appeared to continue and potentially spell the end of Syracuse’s season. After building a 16-point lead minutes into the second half, SU allowed a 10-0 run from FSU to jump back into the game. Syracuse’s 2-for-14 3-point shooting allowed the Seminoles to collapse the paint, forcing multiple turnovers that turned into points on the other end.
SU, however, knew its season was on the line. It couldn’t afford another collapse. The Orange sealed the deal over the final minutes through their star. J.J. Starling’s game-high 27 points and 19 in the second half willed Syracuse to Wednesday’s second round against No. 6 seed Southern Methodist.
The win was a change of pace from previous woes. Point guard Jaquan Carlos categorized SU’s inability to finish games as the story of its season. Carlos said finishing out the game Tuesday was a confidence-booster, one that can be studied on film and replicated.
While closing the game out through Starling’s heroics, it was a potent defense that allowed the Orange to build a cushion. The Orange forced a turnover on the opening possession on an FSU lob attempt. On the other end, SU got going with a simple brand: dribble penetration followed by kick-outs to the perimeter. Carlos knocked down his first attempt from the right corner, and Davis then capitalized on his attempt from the top key, both coming off dishes by Starling to build an early 8-4 lead.
The Seminoles were stifled early, largely due to their star’s struggles. Guard Jamir Watkins entered the contest at a team-leading 18.5 points per game but didn’t record a shot until 13 minutes into the first half. Primary SU defender Lucas Taylor started on Watkins but fouled early and was substituted for Kyle Cuffe Jr.
The junior guard fought through screens and stayed physical on FSU’s leading scorer. Watkins was largely off the ball, but Florida State eventually started to force-feed him in an attempt to get going. Still, SU held its ground while pushing the pace in transition. Eddie Lampkin Jr. worked inside for three close buckets, and the Orange built a 17-10 lead nearly halfway through the first frame.
A nearly three-minute and 40-second scoreless stretch for Syracuse came with Starling on the bench, allowing an opportunity for the Seminoles to dig in. The Orange, though, stuck with their defense to stay strong and carry a four-point lead into the break.
“Today was the first time that the offense did not affect our defense,” Autry said.
Syracuse’s faulty offense continued into the second half despite initially building a 16-point lead on a 20-8 run, which was capitalized by a ferocious dunk from 7-foot-4 Naheem McLeod. After McLeod’s jam, the Orange embarked on a six-minute, 18-second scoring drought, allowing FSU to cut its deficit to six.
The Seminoles continued to cut closer with each minute, but luckily for Syracuse, it had its closer.
Starling’s first half was far from perfect. A 3-for-8 showing mixed with multiple inside misses and two turnovers kept Florida State within striking distance. But Starling’s proven all season to be a second-half star. His identity came out with SU’s season on the cusp of ending.
The junior guard said postgame that Davis and Lampkin’s inside presence in the first half opened lanes for him to get downhill in the second half. He was everywhere. Following a floater to begin the half, he knocked down a mid-range jumper around the free-throw line. Off an inbound under the basket, Starling curled around a screen in the paint and sank an easy layup off a dish from Carlos. A drive to his left, a rarity for the guard, forced a goaltending call. The Orange rode the hot hand of Starling, and he took them to the finish line.
While Starling created a surge offensively, a collective effort locked all windows and doors defensively. The most active brand of basketball SU’s shown all season switched between man-to-man and a high 2-3 zone. Even with primary defender Taylor fouling out with 48 seconds to play and his substitute, Cuffe, with four fouls midway through the second half, the Orange were active.
The Seminoles battled back and tested Syracuse, but SU held on just enough to extend its season as Cuffe and Davis iced the game at the charity stripe.
The message on the court from the Orange was clear: Nobody wanted their season — or, for many, their college careers — to end. Starling said in the pregame huddle that SU preached finding a way to win no matter what.
Syracuse’s campaign is still hanging by a thread. It still has a lot of work to do to extend it past its trip to Charlotte. But Tuesday, the Orange did all they could and lived to see another day.
“It’s a new season,” Starling said. “Right now, we’re 1-0. And that’s all that matters.”
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