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Every few weeks, Eddie Lampkin Jr. receives a message from former NC State forward DJ Burns. For the past two years, they’ve texted each other periodically. There’s typically no rhyme or reason for the messages. Two weeks ago, Burns trash-talked Lampkin ahead of Syracuse’s matchup with the Wolfpack. Other times, Burns has issued words of encouragement to Lampkin.

It’s a relationship Lampkin cherishes due to the notoriety Burns received during the 2024 college basketball postseason. As a 6-foot-9, 275-pound big man with a feathery soft touch, Burns was a viral sensation, leading NC State on a Cinderella run. The Wolfpack won the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament as the 10th seed prior to an improbable Final Four berth, where Burns averaged 16.2 points per game, earning the South Region’s Most Outstanding Player Award.

As Syracuse heads to Charlotte, North Carolina, for the ACC Tournament, Lampkin hopes to capture some of Burns’ magic from a season ago.

“I feel like I can do what he did last year,” Lampkin said. “I feel like me and him are similar players.”

The similarities are clear. Lampkin isn’t athletically gifted. Like Burns, If defenders get in his way, he bulldozes through them using brute force but also offers a soft touch at the rim. Syracuse is also in the same “win-or-go-home” situation NC State faced due to a nonexistent NCAA Tournament resume.

The Wolfpack had to win five games in five days. Syracuse will have to do the same. The first step is SU’s matchup with 11th-seeded Florida State Tuesday. A loss and Lampkin’s distinguished five-year college career will end. A win buys him some extra time. How much time is unknown, but if Burns and NC State showed anything last season, there’s always madness in March.

Over the past month, Lampkin’s played his best basketball of the season. It’s no surprise as someone who craves dominating in March. In previous stints with Texas Christian University and Colorado, Lampkin stood out in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 13.8 points per game in five contests.

Lampkin’s one of two Syracuse players with NCAA Tournament experience, and he was steadfast on bringing SU back to the Big Dance for the first time since 2021. That hasn’t panned out. The Orange recorded their most conference losses in program history and finished under .500 for just the second time since 1968-69.

Despite Syracuse’s historically bad season, Eddie Lampkin Jr. leads the ACC with 104 offensive rebounds and is second in the conference at 9.6 rebounds per game. Leonardo Eriman | Asst. Video Editor

Though, as of late, Lampkin’s tried to turn the tide on Syracuse’s season. He dealt with back issues early in the year but has averaged 16.3 points and 10.5 rebounds on 68% shooting over the past six games. Lampkin’s been the key cog in Syracuse’s increased effort to attack the paint due to its lack of 3-point shooting. He’s the perfect man for the job, taking no prisoners down low.

If Lampkin gets the ball one-on-one, he makes opponents pay. Whether it’s an early seal or backing his man down on the block, Lampkin uses every bit of his 6-foot-11, 265-pound frame to bully his way for easy buckets.

“(Lampkin’s) one of the best big men in our league, and he’s played like that all year,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said following its win over Virginia Saturday. “He’s a big part of what we do. So we’re going down there regardless.”

Lampkin dominated the Cavaliers, depositing 25 points on 11-of-12 shooting in 30 minutes. Early on, UVA deployed single coverage on Lampkin, allowing him to score 10 points in the opening eight minutes. The Cavaliers turned to double teams and traps, but they still couldn’t contain him. Lampkin had overwhelmed UVA, leaving it searching for answers.

“When a guy is as physical as he is and has the touch and the footwork that he has, it’s hard to beat him one-on-one. So you got to throw two people at him,” UVA interim head coach Ron Sanchez said. “The way he can see the floor and pass out of it, that makes it an unbelievable challenge.”

The big man dominated Saturday, but one win won’t change Syracuse’s season. The Orange, 4-9 in their last 13 games, haven’t had a winning streak since early January. Yet, a year ago, NC State was in a similar spot. It lost its final four regular-season games, entering the ACC Tournament with little hope.

That was before the Wolfpack and Burns caught fire. NC State’s shocking run gives teams like Syracuse hope it can pull off a similar feat. SU believes if it follows NC State’s blueprint, it might have similar success.

That means Lampkin must fill Burns’ role as a dominant post presence. Syracuse’s locker room sees the similarities and believes he can recreate Burns’ magic from last year.

“(There’s) no reason why he can’t,” SU forward Jyáre Davis said. “Crazy things happen in March.”

Lampkin is one of two players on SU’s roster this season who have NCAA Tournament experience alongside Jyáre Davis. Lampkin has averaged 13.8 points per game in his five March Madness games. Joe Zhao | Design Editor

Lampkin’s persona plays a big role, too. He’s unapologetically himself, especially when dominating. Never one to stay quiet, he lets opposing bigs know when they can’t guard him. And when Syracuse is on a major run, Lampkin often raises both his arms, requesting more noise from the Orange faithful in the JMA Wireless Dome.

When Syracuse played Texas in Brooklyn, New York, earlier this season, Lampkin scored nine points in four minutes to help the Orange cut a double-digit deficit to one. After converting a layup plus a foul, he paraded around the court and dapped Carmelo Anthony courtside.

College basketball fans yearn for cult-hero figures they can rally around in March. Lampkin seems to fit that mold.

“He’s America’s big man,” Syracuse forward Chris Bell said of Lampkin. “When he gets the ball down there, everybody is focused on watching Eddie.”

Sometimes, it’s as simple as giving Lampkin the ball and letting him go to work. As Bell noted, his mere presence forces teams to send doubles unless they have an elite paint defender. When he is doubled, Lampkin’s accustomed to finding the open man.

In seven games this season, Lampkin has recorded at least four assists, totaling 68 on the season, the third-most of any Syracuse player. He’s developed a strong connection with Davis, finding him on big-to-big feeds down low. Lampkin also finds open shooters like Lucas Taylor and Bell on the weak side wing for open 3s.

“He’s a willing passer, so if we cut and we’re open, he’s gonna make the right play,” Taylor said. “When he gets going, it just opens things up and it makes it easier for everybody else because he draws so much attention.”

Syracuse runs much of its offense through Lampkin, and he’ll be a focal point in Charlotte. But for him, touches don’t matter — winning does.

“It’s just a blessing to be in the postseason. We got to take advantage of it,” Lampkin said.

Published on March 10, 2025 at 5:30 pm

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