Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Syracuse still managed to clinch an Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament spot Saturday despite its overtime loss to Virginia Tech.

With losses by NC State and Boston College later in the evening, the Orange’s two-game lead over the two, along with owning the tiebreakers over the Wolfpack and Eagles due to head-to-head victories, secured them at least the No. 15 seed. The ACC’s expansion to 18 teams and elimination of three teams from the conference tournament put a realistic possibility throughout the year that SU would finish on the outside looking in.

While Syracuse (12-17, 6-12 ACC) is now confirmed to be playing in Charlotte in the conference tournament, it’s still been a tough go all season. Following Saturday’s results, the Orange currently sit as the No. 13 seed with two regular-season games left against SMU and Virginia.

Syracuse’s season was on the precipice of disaster just days before traveling to Blacksburg. A loss against NC State Wednesday would have put it on the outside looking in, but SU took care of business. Though the win created a notable cushion for making the conference tournament, Eddie Lampkin Jr. said it wasn’t fair to say it alleviated any pressure.

The center said the Orange want to win each game and knew the loss to VT was a lost chance to further elevate its seeding in the ACC Tournament to possibly get a first-round bye. A win on Saturday would’ve had SU leapfrog the Hokies in the conference standings. Now, Syracuse is eliminated from a possible bye and will be battling among the final seeds.

“I feel like if we get these two and get in a good position for the (conference) tournament, you don’t know who can stop you, because we’ll have a good path,” Lampkin said. “Hopefully, we don’t get the 15 or 14 so we can try to get these two and maybe sneak in somewhere else.”

Cole Ross | Digital Design Director

Regardless of their results in the final two games, the Orange are guaranteed to face one of VT, FSU, Virginia, Pitt, California or Notre Dame. SU previously defeated the Golden Bears while splitting its games against ND. Meanwhile, the Orange haven’t played UVA and have fallen to the Seminoles, Panthers and Hokies.

The loss to Virginia Tech was the latest rendition of Syracuse getting ahead early and falling apart late. In both losses to Pittsburgh, SU led at halftime but lost the second half. Earlier in the year, Syracuse lost to Florida State by 16 despite only trailing by two points at halftime.

“I think these losses build character with us because we could have easily gave in, and we could easily give up, but there’s a lot of basketball left and we’re still fighting for something,” SU guard Jaquan Carlos said. “We’re preparing to play in March.”

Carlos’s heroics Saturday gave the Orange a second life, almost escaping another collapse. But 19 points allowed in overtime made it impossible for SU to come out on top, and it now has yet another loss to learn from. At this point, Syracuse has to win the ACC Tournament to earn a spot in March Madness — a bleak reality that isn’t typical for this program.

The road to a low seed making a run through the conference tournament and earning the conference’s automatic bid is improbable, but not impossible. No. 7 seed Virginia Tech did it in 2022. No. 10 seed NC State rattled off five-straight wins, including one over Syracuse, to make the NCAA Tournament last year as a No. 11 seed. The Wolfpack then went on to make the Final Four.

A popular sentiment around the Orange in the past few weeks is that they can be the next NC State. After SU’s win over BC on Feb. 8, guard Kyle Cuffe Jr. said the push to the conference tournament was based on keeping playoff hopes alive and then possibly making a run. Lampkin similarly said after Syracuse’s victory over NC State that no one at SU has seen “playoff Ed” yet.

The Orange have now accomplished the goal of making the conference tournament. Now, it’s about capitalizing on the opportunity.

“Ideally, when we get to the ACC Tournament, and we’re in this position where we have to finish out games late and we have leads, we know we’re prepared for it,” SU forward Jyáre Davis said.

Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry has continued to reiterate to his team that each loss is tough, but he was proud of their fight. The message is to keep battling even when they come out on the wrong side of these crucial, late-season matchups.

With a trip to Dallas Tuesday to face current ACC No. 6 seed SMU, the Orange have no time to sulk over another heartbreaking loss. The Mustangs are 12-6 in conference play, knocking off five teams Syracuse has lost to. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has SMU as one of the first eight teams outside of the NCAA Tournament. Following a loss to Stanford Saturday, the Mustangs need every win they can get.

To wrap up its season, SU hosts UVA. While both teams have another game to play before matching up, the Cavaliers are just above the Orange in the conference standings at 7-11. The contest will decide the tournament’s final seeding, giving Syracuse a final chance to move further up.

Lampkin said all that matters now for SU is taking care of the final two games of the regular season. Backup center Naheem McLeod, who has emerged as a key piece with added minutes, said the Orange are keeping their heads high because they kept things close with the Hokies. He said it’s a stepping-forward moment for SU and it’ll keep pushing one game at a time.

Heading into March, with its season hanging on by a thread, Davis said Syracuse’s mindset will remain the same as it’s been all year through the final week of the regular season.

“We can’t just sit and be upset about games that already passed,” Davis said. “We just have to keep looking forward.”

Published on March 2, 2025 at 10:14 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky