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Orange exits ACC basketball tourney early after stinging defeat

SU exits ACC basketball tourney early

Syracuse falls 83-65 in the second-round game to NC State.

Published: March 13, 2024
Judah Mintz covers his face after a turnover during the Syracuse-North Carolina State second-round game of the ACC men's basketball tournament on March 13, 2024, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Photo by Ethan Canals-Fernández
SU guard Judah Mintz kneels in frustration following a turnover during Wednesday’s ACC men’s basketball tournament second-round game.

WASHINGTON D.C. – Syracuse men’s basketball suffered a loss to North Carolina State on Wednesday in the second round of the ACC Tournament, losing 83-65 and all but losing the chance of returning to March Madness.

Syracuse swept NC State in the regular season series, but in their most important matchup of the year, it was the Wolfpack who were victorious. The Orange came in as the seventh seed, NC State the 10th.

Sophomore guard Judah Mintz led the Orange with 21 points, a fitting leader for Syracuse’s likely final game of the year. Sophomore forward Maliq Brown had his third straight double-double with 11 points with 12 rebounds. Syracuse shot a higher rate from the field than NC State, but turnovers and an inability to string long stints of solid play prevented the Orange from advancing.  

Sophomore guard J.J. Starling faces a stiff defense during the Syracuse-North Carolina State second-round game of the ACC men's basketball tournament on March 13, 2024, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Photo by Ethan Canals-Fernández
Sophomore guard J.J. Starling faces stiff defense from NC State as he goes up for a shot under the basket.

The Wolfpack led by just three points at halftime, and Syracuse even took the lead early in the second frame, but NC State went on a 46-26 run to end the game. The only time the Orange showed signs of combating the surging second-half NC State offense was when they cut the lead down to 10 with a little over 10 minutes remaining. Still, Syracuse showed little ability to combat their opponent. 

“I thought everything kind of happened in the second half,” head coach Adrian Autry said postgame. “They just played better than us tonight.” 

The Wolfpack capitalized on Syracuse’s lack of control on offense. 

“We had 19 turnovers, and then they had 20 second-chance points, so when you have a mix of that, it’s hard to win basketball games,” sophomore guard Justin Taylor said. “We just really couldn’t fight back after we turned the ball over, and they were getting second-chance points.”

The Wolfpack won the turnover battle, only suffering 10 turnovers to the Orange’s 19. NC State scored 30 points off turnovers and shot 18 more free throws than Syracuse.

Sophomore forward Chris Bell takes a jumper during the Syracuse-North Carolina State second-round game of the ACC men's basketball tournament on March 13, 2024, at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Photo by Ethan Canals-Fernández
Sophomore forward Chris Bell takes a jumper during Wednesday’s game against the Wolfpack.

Syracuse has now been one-and-done in the ACC Tournament for two straight years. Last year, Wake Forest beat them 77-74 in a heartbreaking defeat. The school has never won the ACC Tournament.

The Orange are now on the verge of missing March Madness for the third straight season, something they never did during the Jim Boeheim-era. 

NC State will now face the No. 2-seeded Duke Blue Devils on Thursday at Capital One Arena at 7 p.m. Just like the Orange, their March Madness fate falls on their performance in the ACC Tournament.