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Adrian Autry bore a perplexed look following Syracuse’s second shot clock violation in as many possessions. He held his hand on his chin, accompanying a blank stare at the court. The second-year head coach held the pose for about five seconds without speaking to anyone. Nobody can read Autry’s mind, but his feelings were written all over his face. He had the look of someone thinking: Did that just happen?

Autry was reacting to Syracuse’s last two possessions of the first half as it trailed Clemson by 19 points. The first came when center Eddie Lampkin Jr. gave the ball to guard J.J. Starling at the top of the key. Starling was hounded by Jaeden Zackery, then Clemson big man Viktor Lakhin, who provided help defense. The two forced Starling into a fadeaway jumper at the baseline that missed everything.

SU’s ensuing possession entailed the Orange dribbling on the perimeter for 25 seconds. No paint touches. No backdoor cuts. Nothing. Lucas Taylor had the ball poked away with time winding down on the shot clock. All he could do was heave another prayer. This one was from 40 feet away. Same result. Another violation.

“I give credit to Clemson. (They’re) a good defensive team, but a lot of it in that first half was us,” Autry said postgame. “Not being aggressive, not cutting backdoor, not flashing, not moving at the pace that we talked about in practice all week.”

The shot clock violations were a minor chapter in a dark tale for Syracuse (9-10, 3-5 Atlantic Coast), as it fell to Clemson (16-4, 8-1 Atlantic Coast) 86-72. Starling led the way with a game-high 25 points, but Lampkin (14 points) was the only other SU player in double figures. The Orange had their best shooting game in an ACC matchup this season, hitting 53.8% of their shots from the field while hitting a season-high 11 3-pointers. However, it turned the ball over 14 times. Clemson only had seven and shot 56.4% from the field. The loss brings Syracuse’s record against Quad 1 teams to 0-7.

Wednesday night’s final score might read like a semi-competitive contest, yet it was far from that. Syracuse never cut into its near 48-29 halftime deficit with any conviction. There were no sustained runs to help the Orange even get a sniff. The closest they got after the break was when Jyáre Davis hit a 3 to make it 85-72 with one minute left. It was the only time Syracuse got within that margin since the 4:08 mark in the first half.

Keeping games close with elite teams is an ever-present problem with Syracuse this season. The defeat against Clemson was the fifth time the Orange have lost by at least 14 points this season. It also occurred nine times last season. Very far from the “Orange Standard” Autry often alludes to.

“We had an opportunity to keep this game close going to halftime, and we just didn’t cash in on those opportunities,” Autry said.

It wasn’t a disaster all night for Syracuse at Littlejohn Coliseum, where it hasn’t won since 2017. Starling was a spark plug early on. He hit his first five shots from the field. The point guard was decisive and didn’t think twice about pulling the trigger each time down the floor. He scored 11 of Syracuse’s first 16 points, and the Orange led by one with 12:22 left in the first half. It was the last time the Orange led.

Eventually, Starling needed help, which he didn’t receive. The Orange shot 12-for-24 in the first half, suffering as a result. Syracuse went the final 4:54 of the first half without scoring, and Clemson finished on a 10-0 run. The spurt all but put the game away inside of 20 minutes.

“We know what J.J. can do, but we need five guys,” Autry said. “He made some shots but then other guys, everybody knows we got to pull our weight. We just didn’t do that.”

Chase Hunter, Clemson’s leading scorer (17.6 points per game) and the top 3-point shooter in the ACC (45.5%), knocked down four of his five triples in the first half. He was equally as good as Starling, finishing with a team-high 23 points while shooting 7-of-13 from the field.

He also got help from Lakhin, who finished with a double-double (16 points, 10 rebounds) as well as Zackery with 14 points. SU’s role players floundered. Kyle Cuffe Jr. had nine points, Jaquan Carlos added seven and Davis had six.

For Syracuse, it marks another chance gone-beckoning against one of the better teams in the ACC. SU has shown an ability to beat mediocre teams in the conference, with wins over Georgia Tech, Boston College and Notre Dame. That trio has a combined record in the ACC of 6-18. SU has yet to pull off a marquee win this season, a common theme throughout the past few seasons in central New York.

A win tonight wouldn’t have boosted Syracuse’s NCAA Tournament resume. That’s because it doesn’t have one. At this point, SU is playing for pride, trying to preserve the dignity of a once-great program.

Right now, the Orange are battling for a spot to even make the ACC tournament — three teams don’t make it due to the conference’s expansion. But Wednesday, the Orange didn’t play like they wanted to preserve anything.

“You gotta play for 40 minutes,” Autry said. “You can’t come down here and play against Clemson and not play for 40 minutes. We knew that, we talked about that and we didn’t do that.”

Published on January 22, 2025 at 9:07 pm

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