Syracuse basketball snapped a 3-game skid by beating N.C. State. Here's how SU won.

Syracuse basketball had more than a week off. On Wednesday night at the JMA Wireless Dome, the Orange came ready to play.

The 'Cuse, which had entered this Atlantic Coast Conference affair against N.C. State having lost three straight contests, put forth one of its best performances of a lackluster 2024-25 season versus the Wolfpack.

While I'm the first to acknowledge that N.C. State is not a good squad this term, what I'm more focused on is how the Orange played on Wednesday evening after falling in four of its past five encounters and going just 2-7 over its last nine games.

Syracuse basketball, which has struggled throughout 2024-25 on the defensive end, held the Wolfpack to a mere 34.4 percent shooting from the field, and the 'Cuse knocked off N.C. State by a final of 74-60, buoyed by a balance scoring attack.

With this outcome, the Orange (12-16, 6-11 in the ACC) greatly improved its position as it relates to qualifying for next month's ACC Tournament in Charlotte, N.C., where the top 15 schools out of the league's 18 members will qualify for this annual post-season event.

Syracuse basketball moves to 15-7 in its all-time series with N.C. State (11-17, 4-13 in the ACC), and the 'Cuse will next head to Blacksburg, Va., on Saturday at noon to face Virginia Tech.

Here's how Syracuse basketball managed to triumph over N.C. State on the Hill.

Head coach Adrian Autry played all nine of his available scholarship guys against the Wolfpack. Freshman shooting guard Elijah Moore, who is dealing with a right leg injury, missed his second consecutive contest, although Autry told the ESPNU broadcast crew that he's hopeful to have Moore back on Saturday at the Hokies.

Eight of the Orange's nine players who saw the court on Wednesday night scored at least four points each, and three notched double-figures in scoring. Junior guard J.J. Starling was awesome in the second half, finishing with a team-high 17 points.

Senior forward Jyare Davis was great, tallying 15 points and seven rebounds. Graduate student center Eddie Lampkin Jr. collected his 12th double-double of the 2024-25 season, as he generated 14 points and 15 boards in the 'Cuse victory against N.C. State.

The Wolfpack shot poorly from the field as a whole and beyond the arc. The Orange, meanwhile, was laser-focused on scoring a lot in the paint and the mid-range, making 58 percent from the field and holding a massive 46-22 edge in paint points.

Syracuse basketball only took eight attempts from deep, making three of those shots. The 'Cuse wasn't stellar from the free-throw line but did score seven more points from the charity stripe.

In other statistical categories, Syracuse basketball held advantages of 38-30 in rebounds, 10-9 in assists, 11-0 in fast-break points and 6-4 in steals. Turnovers have proven an issue for the Orange all season long, and N.C. State takes pretty solid care of the ball.

However, on Wednesday evening, the turnover department wasn't a deal-breaker for the 'Cuse. The Orange committed 10 turnovers, as compared to eight for the Wolfpack. N.C. State held a small 11-9 lead in points off turnovers.

All in all, Syracuse basketball responded nicely against the Wolfpack on the Hill following several recent setbacks. Let's see if the 'Cuse can grab a road win on Saturday at Virginia Tech.