Syracuse Stumbles Again, Falls to NC State in 20-Point Blowout
Syracuse’s rollercoaster season took another sharp dip Tuesday night, as the Orange were outpaced and outplayed in a 20-point loss to NC State. The defeat drops SU to 12-9 overall and 3-5 in ACC play - and with each passing game, the road to the NCAA Tournament gets steeper. Unless Syracuse can string together something special in the ACC tournament, it’s shaping up to be a fifth straight March without a ticket to the Big Dance.
Meanwhile, NC State continues to quietly build momentum, improving to 15-6 overall and 6-2 in conference action.
Let’s break down what went wrong for the Orange in Raleigh.
Star Power Shows Up, But There's No Supporting Cast
After Saturday’s loss to Miami, the conversation around Syracuse was about balance - the kind where everyone chips in, but no one takes over. Against NC State, the script flipped.
Donnie Freeman and JJ Starling, the two players expected to shoulder the offensive load, did their part. Freeman poured in 24, while Starling added 17.
That’s the kind of production Syracuse needs from its top guys. The problem? No one else showed up.
Outside of Freeman and Starling, no other player scored more than six points. And that’s just not sustainable in ACC play.
You can’t win games when your offense is essentially two players deep. The stars stepped up - but they were on an island.
Still Ice Cold from Deep
Three-point shooting continues to be a thorn in Syracuse’s side. The Orange went just 7-for-23 from beyond the arc, a 30% clip that tells the story of a team still searching for rhythm from long range.
It’s not just about missing shots - it’s about what those misses do to the rest of the offense. When defenses don’t have to respect the perimeter, they collapse into the paint.
Driving lanes vanish. Ball movement stalls.
Everything becomes a grind.
Syracuse has had a few nights where the threes were falling, but the overall body of work suggests this is not a team built to shoot its way out of trouble. And in today’s game, that’s a tough hand to play.
What Happened to the Defense?
Early in the season, Syracuse’s defense looked like it might be the foundation of something special. Athleticism, energy, pressure - the Orange were flying around and making life miserable for opponents.
But lately? That edge has disappeared.
Syracuse gave up 47 points in the second half alone. That’s not a typo.
And it’s not an isolated incident, either - the Orange have now allowed 80 or more points in four of their last five games. They’ve lost four of those.
At one point Tuesday, it was a four-point game - 55-51. Then NC State closed it out with a 33-17 run. That’s not just a cold stretch - that’s a collapse.
And while the Wolfpack didn’t shoot lights out from deep (just 29%), they feasted inside. NC State shot 51% from the field overall, getting whatever they wanted around the rim and in the lane. Syracuse’s defense didn’t have answers - or resistance.
A Glimpse of the Future
One small note from the night: Calvin Russell III, a top Syracuse football recruit, made his season debut for the basketball team. He logged two minutes and scored three points.
It’s a brief cameo, but it’s always intriguing when crossover athletes get on the court. Something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
With the season slipping away and the ACC grind not getting any easier, Syracuse needs to find answers - fast. The talent is there, but the consistency just isn’t. And unless the Orange can find a way to marry star production with team-wide contributions - on both ends of the floor - the postseason will remain out of reach.