Syracuse men’s basketball (15-16, 6-12 ACC) opens play in the ACC Tournament today at 4:30 p.m. when it faces SMU Mustangs (19-12, 8-10 ACC) in Charlotte, North Carolina. The winner advances to face sixth-seeded Louisville on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m.
The Orange enter the postseason after a narrow 71-69 overtime loss to Pittsburgh in the regular-season finale. Junior Naithan George led Syracuse with a season-high 26 points in that contest, while sophomore Donnie Freeman added 18 points and 13 rebounds. George has averaged 21.0 points in two March games, while Freeman has recorded back-to-back double-doubles and leads the team in scoring and rebounding.
Defensively, Syracuse continues to rank among the nation’s top shot-blocking teams. Senior William Kyle III leads the ACC in both total blocks and blocks per game and anchors a defense that ranks third nationally in blocks per contest.
Syracuse and SMU have met three times, all since the Mustangs joined the ACC. SMU holds a 2-1 edge in the series, though Syracuse claimed this season’s meeting 79-78 on February 14. The Orange rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit in that game, with Nate Kingz scoring the winning layup in the final seconds.
SMU enters after a loss at Florida State and features one of the conference’s most productive backcourts. Boopie Miller leads the ACC in steals and ranks among the league leaders in scoring and assists, while Jason Pierre Jr. also averages double figures. Center Samet Yigitoglu provides rebounding presence inside for the Mustangs.
GAME PREVIEW LINKS
- Previewing Syracuse’s ACC Tournament opener against SMU (DailyOrange.com)
- ACC Tournament Starts With SMU (Cuse.com)
- Syracuse needs an ACC Tournament miracle run: ‘It’s as simple as that’ (DailyOrange.com)
- Syracuse basketball in midst of a historic losing streak heading into ACC Tourney (SI.com)
- How to watch Syracuse basketball against SMU in ACC Tournament’s first round (SI.com)
- Beat writers split on if Syracuse loses to SMU in ACC Tournament 1st Round (DailyOrange.com)
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Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].