CHARLOTTE, N.C. — SMU needs extra in its first season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Convention.
Syracuse bought a style of one thing good on the primary day of the ACC event and wish to feast like that once more.
No. 14 seed Syracuse (14-18) meets sixth-seeded SMU (22-9) in a second-round recreation on Wednesday evening.
SMU, which obtained a first-round bye, has work to do to bolster its NCAA Event credentials. That is one thing that should start with this system’s first-ever recreation within the ACC event.
“I do not suppose anyone is glad,” SMU coach Andy Enfield stated.
Syracuse edged Florida State 66-62 on Tuesday evening, ending the teaching profession of retiring Leonard Hamilton.
The Orange avenged a regular-season highway loss in that recreation and goals to do the identical factor in opposition to SMU. Barely every week in the past, the Mustangs pulled out a 77-75 victory in opposition to Syracuse following Keon Ambrose-Hylton’s late tip-in.
That sort of end result had outlined the season for Syracuse, which endured quite a few slender defeats.
“We have been in them, and I feel what we talked about earlier than, we felt like in all these video games, we made some foolish errors or did not form of come by,” coach Adrian Autry stated.
SMU trailed by as many as 12 factors in that recreation, whereas its largest lead was two factors.
Just a few days later, SMU ended the common season with Saturday’s 76-69 loss at Florida State. The Mustangs have alternated losses and wins throughout their final eight video games.
It will not be the primary ACC event recreation for SMU scoring chief Boopie Miller, who performed final season for Wake Forest. He posted 17 factors in a second-round victory in opposition to Notre Dame after which had six factors in 33 minutes in a quarterfinal loss to Pitt.
Miller leads SMU with 13.4 factors per recreation. He had 11 factors final week in opposition to Syracuse in his first recreation again following a five-game damage absence.
The Orange obtained 27 factors from JJ Starling within the Florida State recreation. He scored 11 of the crew’s 12 factors throughout an important second-half stretch.
“We’re attempting to outlive and advance one other day,” teammate Jyare Davis stated. “J.J. did a very good job of taking on and we’re all simply glad for him.”
Syracuse had 4 gamers logged at the least half-hour Tuesday evening. The Orange would possibly must go deeper within the second spherical.
“These guys, they’d a very good rhythm,” Autry stated. “I believed the fellows that got here off the bench gave us a very good carry, as effectively. However I feel this crew is absolutely good as a result of we are able to go eight, 9 guys, generally ten. That is a very good factor to have. We do have some depth, and I am not afraid to make use of them.”
Wednesday’s winner meets third-seeded Clemson on Thursday evening within the quarterfinals.
–Bob Sutton, Discipline Stage Media