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When Syracuse took a 63-51 lead over Southern Methodist with 10 minutes remaining, it was easy to cast doubt on the Orange. A 12-point advantage with time dwindling should be enough cushion to pull out a win.

Key emphasis on should. With Syracuse this season, there’s always a sense that the worst could happen, even when leading comfortably in the second half.

It’s shown constantly over the past few weeks that no lead is sufficient down the stretch. First it was a 11-point lead to Pittsburgh on Feb. 18, which was as large as 16 in the first half. Then came a 13-point collapse with 11 minutes remaining against Virginia Tech three days ago. Both followed the same tune; Syracuse couldn’t get a stop down the stretch, and poor offensive execution plagued the Orange.

Tuesday was no different. For the third straight road game, Syracuse (12-18, 6-13 Atlantic Coast) put together a calamitous display, falling to SMU (22-8, 13-6, ACC) 77-75. The Orange were in complete control for the entire game, leading for 35 minutes, including nearly 19 in the second half. It still wasn’t enough. SU was held without a field goal over the final 5:12, which culminated with Keon Ambrose-Hylton tapping home a Boopie Miller miss in the final three seconds for the game-winning basket.

“This has been a story the last couple games, being up at the half and not closing out the right way,” SU point guard Jaquan Carlos said. “We just have to do a better job with that.”

Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said he was proud of his team’s effort, but outside of its 74-60 victory over ACC bottom-feeders NC State last week, the same story has played out. It builds a first half lead before slowly getting chipped away in the second half, eventually causing Syracuse to wilt away in the final minutes.

It’s a rinse-and-repeat process that has taken place so many times at this point, it’s almost not surprising when it happens. Though, the most recent rendition might’ve been the most shocking. SMU entered the matchup on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament, with Joe Lunardi listing the Mustangs in his “First Four Out.”

They couldn’t afford to slip up, while Syracuse looked to build any sort of momentum ahead of the ACC Tournament next week. Throughout the first half, it looked like the roles were reversed, with Syracuse playing with a sense of desperation.

Lucas Taylor caught fire early, scoring 11 quick points on a season-high three 3-pointers to help the Orange lead 23-13 within 10 minutes. After J.J. Starling exited for a brief three minute period following a collision with Miller, SMU stormed back to tie the game. Upon Starling’s return, Syracuse restored its advantage. Chris Bell scored a quick eight points, part of a 12-1 Syracuse run, to help it lead 44-36 at halftime.

The Orange were doing a good job of containing SMU’s high-octane offense, which averages 81.7 points per game.

They prevented the Mustangs from getting in too much of a flow in the second half. Each time SMU threatened, Syracuse responded. If SU’s lead was trimmed to four or six, it went right back up to eight or nine. Typically Starling or Eddie Lampkin Jr. are the stars for Syracuse, but it was an offense-by-committee effort.

Six different players finished in double figures, led by Taylor’s 13. Bell had a couple key 3s, finishing with 11, while Lampkin and Carlos both finished with 10. Starling totaled 10, but was ice cold, finishing 3-of-17 from the field. With 5:12 on the clock, Davis scored a put-back off a Starling miss for one of his two field goals on the night.

Despite Starling’s wretched shooting, Syracuse led 72-64 with just over five minutes remaining. The threat of an imminent collapse lingered, but never appeared until after Davis’ score.

“People may remember the last play or the last two or three plays, but it’s always other things that happen that get to that result,” Autry said postgame.

Syracuse’s recent implosions mostly had to do with its inability to get stops. Against Virginia Tech, it allowed 63 points across the final 25 minutes of play. Facing Pitt, SU allowed the Panthers to shoot 62.5% from the field in the second half.

This time, Syracuse’s defense wasn’t the main issue. Its offense failed to consistently quell SMU’s momentum. Miller converted a free throw before Samet Yigitoglu made it a one-possession game for the first time in the second half. Yigitoglu split a pair of free throws — part of SMU’s 13-of-27 effort from the line — to level the game with 1:29.

Lampkin did the same. While SMU struggled the entire game from the charity stripe, it was a problem for the Orange in the final two-and-a-half minutes, where they went 3-for-6. Ambrose-Hylton gave SMU its first lead with 46 seconds left, and Carlos could only muster one free throw after getting fouled. It gave the Mustangs a chance to hold for the last shot.

Autry gave his team one final warning before leaving the huddle.

“The last thing we said was, when the ball goes up, everybody has to hit somebody and go to the glass,” Autry said.

It was a similar sentiment to this past weekend in Blacksburg. After just four turnovers in the first half, Autry told his team the only way they’d blow a nine-point first-half lead is if they got loose with the ball. SU coughed it up 10 times in the second half and overtime.

Once again, they didn’t take note of Autry’s warning. Miller received a ball screen from Ambrose-Hylton and maneuvered into the lane. Miller’s floater was off the mark, but Ambrose-Hylton was first to the rebound. He snuck past Petar Majstorovic, who was ball watching, before tipping the ball home. Starling tossed a halfcourt heave at the buzzer, which was just off the mark, sealing another loss.

Tuesday’s collapse wasn’t anything new. It was a finish emblematic of Syracuse’s season. For every step forward, the Orange have taken two back, constantly shooting themselves in the foot. Problems like that could be reversible if it were November. Yet there’s one regular season game remaining, and Syracuse is still finding new ways to lose.

“All those things that need to go, right, the plays that you need to make, we just don’t make them. It’s unfortunate,” Autry said.

Published on March 4, 2025 at 11:49 pm

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