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Syracuse lost at Wake Forest 99-70 last time out, marking its fourth 20-plus point defeat this season. Lackluster SU defense allowed the Demon Deacons to shoot 66% from the field and 63.2% from 3. The Orange trailed 42-28 at halftime and were outscored by 15 in the second half.

Though four Syracuse players finished with double-digit scoring, J.J. Starling’s 15 led the team. The visitors mustered a 25.9% 3-point clip and never led. During his postgame press conference, a furious Adrian Autry apologized to Syracuse University and its fans for his team’s performance.

“Unacceptable, (it) won’t be tolerated, (it) won’t be allowed,” Autry said.

The nightmarish weekend extended to late Tuesday morning, though, when SU announced the dismissal of junior guard Benny Williams on X. Amid the recent chaos, Syracuse hosts Louisville — who currently sit tied at last place with Notre Dame in the Atlantic Coast Conference — on Wednesday.

Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse (14-8, 5-6 ACC) fares against the visiting Cardinals (7-15, 2-9 ACC):

Cole Bambini (18-4)
Avoiding rock bottom
Syracuse 78, Louisville 72

This will be the ultimate test of bouncing back for this Syracuse team. Right now, the NCAA Tournament seems out of the picture, but there’s still plenty of opportunity for the NIT and for things to get back on track. Syracuse is fortunate that Louisville, the second-worst team in the conference, is up next on the schedule.

Losing to Wake Forest by 29 was unexpected, and it showed in Autry’s frustration at his postgame press conference. With back-to-back losses against winnable teams complemented with the dismissal of Benny Williams, there’s a lot of negative buzz around the team, but now’s the chance to restore the season.

Before defeating Florida State, the Cardinals had lost six games in a row, and had just won one game away from their home floor. Losing Williams only means the Orange’s frontcourt gets thinner, but his impact was minimal throughout the season. And a game against Louisville will show how Judah Mintz and Starling can lead Syracuse back into the win column and avoid rock bottom.

Henry O’Brien (18-4)
A defining moment in the Autry era
Louisville 75, Syracuse 73

Let’s face it. Syracuse is not making the NCAA tournament. At this point, that’s not what matters. With how the Orange played against Wake Forest on Saturday and Williams’ dismissal from the team, they can show that they can bounce back from significant adversity. It can also give credence to players buying into a new coach’s system and standard.

Autry made it very clear in the postgame presser and the ACC Coaches call on Monday that he has a standard for his players. Now, he faces his first real challenge in what could be an early defining moment in his coaching tenure. Can he get his players to win even after these setbacks?

I believe this team will put up a valiant effort and play hard. Autry even said on Monday that his team can lose games, but not like the way his players did on Saturday. It will help that the Orange are playing one of the worst teams in the ACC. But without Williams’ abilities and size, SU will struggle to stop Louisville. The Cardinals, who have won a conference game on the road, will do just enough in a hard-fought game to pull out a victory.

But if Syracuse loses, could you really blame them?

Tyler Schiff (17-5)
Down but not out
Syracuse 80, Louisville 68

The collective events over these last four days have nearly eliminated my usual optimism for this team. Saturday’s 29-point loss was an unforgivable setback and Williams’ dismissal means Autry has lost a valuable frontcourt option and, arguably, SU’s quintessential glue guy.

But there’s still hope and Louisville should pose as a gimme to get back in the win column. Yes, the Cardinals are coming off of a surprise 101-92 victory over Florida State, but they still give up the most points (78) and the highest opponent field goal percentage (46.5%).

It’ll be interesting to see how Autry gameplans for a lackluster side, yet one that features 6-foot-10 Brandon Huntley-Hatfield — a former Tennessee signee. If Maliq Brown gets into foul trouble quickly, the task will still, somehow, be too tall for Peter Carey. And Autry has yet to show any indication that he will play 6-foot-11 Mounir Hima.

As for how Louisville’s backcourt matches up with Mintz and Starling, freshman Ty-Laur Johnson is the reigning ACC Rookie of the Week after posting a 20-point, 10-rebound double-double against FSU. He does post a threat against the Orange.

Syracuse can handily win against one of the ACC’s worst teams. Maybe this will generate a positive trend for Saturday’s matchup with Clemson. But likely not.

Published on February 7, 2024 at 1:24 am