Syracuse basketball kept its 2024-25 season alive on Tuesday night, and now the Orange will face a team that it should have beat on the road roughly a week ago.
On Wednesday evening at the 2025 ACC Tournament in Charlotte, N.C. the No. 14 seed 'Cuse will square off against the event's No. 6 seed, SMU, in the second round.
The Mustangs (22-9, 13-7 in the ACC) finished in a three-way tie for fourth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season standings, although SMU needs to go on a deep run in the ACC Tournament - and possibly win the whole thing - to hear its name called on Selection Sunday.
See you tomorrow night, Orange Nation!
— Syracuse Men’s Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) March 12, 2025
🆚 SMU
🕤 9:30 PM ET
📺 ESPNU
📻 TK99/105 / Cuse App pic.twitter.com/bZBQrUSNBo
Syracuse basketball (14-18, 7-13 in the ACC) and SMU will go toe to toe at the Spectrum Center beginning at 9:30 pm on Wednesday. ESPNU will televise this match-up, and live-streaming coverage is also available on FuboTV.
The latest betting odds for Syracuse basketball versus SMU in the ACC Tournament's second round.
When I wrote this column, FanDuel had the Mustangs as an 8.5-point betting favorite over the Orange, with the over/under set at 151.5 points.
By extension, ESPN Analytics gives SMU a commanding 71.5 percent chance to advance to the ACC Tournament's quarterfinal round, where the winner of Wednesday's contest will face the No. 3 seed, Clemson, on Thursday night.
To reach the event's second round, Syracuse basketball held off No. 11 seed Florida State, 66-62, buoyed by strong performances from junior guard J.J. Starling, graduate student center Eddie Lampkin Jr. and senior forward Jyare Davis.
SMU is one of the ACC's higher-scoring teams, averaging 81.1 points per game while giving up 72.2 points, along with 38.7 rebounds, 15.8 assists, 3.5 blocks, 8.0 steals and 11.9 turnovers. The Orange averages 75.3 points per contest while allowing 77.9 points, along with 37.4 rebounds, 13.7 assists, 2.5 blocks, 4.8 steals and 12.5 turnovers.
Shooting-wise, the Mustangs make 48.2 percent from the field, 72.1 percent from the free-throw line and 38.0 percent from beyond the arc. The 'Cuse connects on 46.0 percent from the field, 70.6 percent from the charity stripe and 33.0 percent from 3-point land.
Last week, in Dallas, the Orange had a 12-point edge mid-way through the second half over SMU on the road, but the 'Cuse defense couldn't get stops down the stretch, and turnovers once again doomed Syracuse basketball.
The result was a 77-75 victory for the Mustangs. That being said, the Orange showed that it could hang on the road with one of the ACC's better teams, and I think the 'Cuse has a solid shot to knock off SMU in the ACC Tournament on Wednesday evening. Should that occur, it would prove the first time ever that Syracuse basketball has won two games in a row at this event.