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

Syracuse’s second season under head coach Adrian Autry has been a resounding disappointment. Autry confirmed this notion following the Orange’s win over Virginia in the regular-season finale, saying this wasn’t the season he wanted record-wise.

Any hopes of earning an at-large NCAA Tournament bid ended before the turn of the new year before Syracuse reached the heart of its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule. With a 7-13 ACC record and zero Quad 1 wins through 31 games, all that’s left for the Orange to reach March Madness is to run the table in the conference tournament.

SU looks to keep its season alive in the First Round of the ACC Tournament with an evening contest versus Florida State. The Seminoles went 8-12 in conference play and dropped four of their last five games to end the regular season.

Here’s everything to know about No. 11 seed Florida State (17-14, 8-12 Atlantic Coast) ahead of its matchup with No. 14 seed Syracuse (13-18, 7-13 Atlantic Coast) Tuesday in Charlotte:

All time series

Syracuse leads 10-8.

Last time they played …

SU began 2025 with a road bout against Florida State. The Orange received a spark pregame, returning J.J. Starling following his seven-game absence with a broken left hand. Starling’s 32 minutes and 12 points weren’t enough, as Syracuse fell 90-74 to the Seminoles to begin 0-3 in conference play.

The matchup in Tallahassee was the last for Donnie Freeman before a season-ending injury. Freeman tallied 16 points and 10 rebounds to pair with Chris Bell’s game-high 18, but neither were nearly enough to stifle the Seminoles’ 53.6% shooting mark. Four FSU scorers tallied 14 or more points, pulling away in the second half with a 14-point advantage.

KenPom odds

Syracuse has a 39% chance of winning, with a projected score of 77-74.

The Seminoles report

Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton’s 23-year tenure in Tallahassee will end once the Seminoles fall in the conference tournament. The program already knows its future leader with the hiring of Sacramento Kings assistant Luke Loucks and looks to be pouring attention to the hiring over FSU’s final days under Hamilton.

The Seminoles have produced an up-and-down campaign, knocking off No. 4 seed Wake Forest but dropping two four-game losing streaks through their conference schedule. FSU capped its season with a seven-point win over No. 6 seed SMU, with Jamir Watkins and Malique Ewin combining for 46 of its 76 points.

It’s been a familiar trend for the Seminoles. Watkins is the head of the snake in scoring while adding 2.4 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game. Ewin, a 6-foot-11 forward, is Florida State’s next-best option, tallying 14.4 points per game and a team-high 7.8 rebounds. Freshman Daquan Davis has been key to success with 8.7 points per game, but he missed the regular-season finale with an injury, making his status unknown for Tuesday.

FSU gets a large remaining sum of its production off the bench. Forward Taylor Bol Bowen is averaging 8.1 points per game and 5.3 rebounds, dropping a season-high 20 points against Georgia Tech on Jan. 18.

The Seminoles closed the season ninth in the conference in scoring with 74.9 points per game and 11th in points allowed at 72.7.

How Syracuse beats Florida State

Defense, defense, defense. Syracuse takes down Florida State by showing a competent brand of defense for all 40 minutes. SU’s defense finished the regular season ranked 333rd in the nation, with 78.4 points allowed per game. Outside of a horrific display in Blacksburg, the Orange showed some sense of progress with 77 points allowed versus SMU and then 70 against Virginia.

FSU’s offense has a few explosive weapons but isn’t the strongest unit. The Seminoles are 16th in the ACC in 3-point percentage at 31.9% and turn the ball over 12.4 times per game, only ahead of SU and VT. If Syracuse can disrupt passing lanes and get off screens to further Florida State’s established weaknesses, the Orange could be in the driver’s seat.

Stat to know: 4.81, 7.61

The Seminoles are in the middle of the pack in points allowed per game in the conference, but their specialty comes with blocks and steals. FSU’s 4.8 blocks per game ranks first in the ACC, and its 7.6 steals ranks second, trailing only SMU.

Bowen leads the way with 1.5 blocks per game, and five players are averaging 1.0 steals per game or more, led by guard Chandler Jackson’s 1.3. Florida State’s ferocious defense poses a serious threat to SU’s offense, which is averaging 12.5 turnovers per game on the year and 14.3 over its last three games.

Player to watch: Jamir Watkins, guard, No. 1

A 6-foot-7 redshirt senior out of Trenton, New Jersey, Watkins has emerged as one of the top scorers in the ACC. His 18.5 points per game ranks fourth in the conference, and he leads the Seminoles in points per game for the second straight season.

Watkins has seen a natural progression across his four college seasons, evolving from 7.2 points per game in his freshman year with VCU in 2020-21. The All-ACC Preseason Second Team selection has tallied 20 or more points in four of his last five games, dropping 23 against Louisville, 26 versus UNC and 21 against Duke. The Orange must slow Watkins to escape with a victory.

Published on March 10, 2025 at 7:56 pm

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