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Syracuse begins 2025 with a trip to Tallahassee to take on Florida State. The Orange finished 2024 on a sour note with an 81-71 loss to Wake Forest, putting them at 0-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. SU fell into a 19-3 hole just over five minutes in, though it eventually fought back to build a six-point lead in the second half. But over the final 13:51, WF outscored Syracuse 40-24 to come out on top.
SU shot a season-low 37.5% from the field and finished 5-of-22 from 3-point range. Kyle Cuffe Jr. and Lucas Taylor provided the Orange with a boost, recording season-highs of 16 and 14 points, respectively, but it wasn’t enough. They also played a season-high 36 minutes, while Chris Bell and Elijah Moore were kept on the bench the entire second half.
Syracuse now looks to get its first ACC win of the season against FSU. The Seminoles are also 0-2 in conference play, with losses to NC State and Louisville.
Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse (6-7, 0-2 ACC) will fare against Florida State (9-4, 0-2 ACC) in its first game of 2025:
Zak Wolf (11-2)
New year, same Syracuse
Syracuse 70, Florida State 77
I made the mistake of trusting this Syracuse team without J.J. Starling earlier this week. I won’t be making that mistake again, especially with the Orange going on the road. Florida State isn’t the program it used to be, but neither is Syracuse. The Wake Forest loss further showed the flaws in SU’s roster and why it’s struggled this season.
The big thing for Syracuse is it just can’t play consistently. The Orange go through long offensive droughts where shots don’t fall, and they can’t get anything going. A lack of self-creation on the perimeter seems to hurt them every game, and that won’t change against FSU. Leonard Hamilton’s teams usually have a ton of size and length, and this year is no different. Per KenPom, the Seminoles have the third-tallest team in the country, with an average height of 79.3 inches.
FSU’s size will make it difficult for Syracuse to score consistently. Additionally, Jamir Watkins poses a threat on the other end. The senior is having the best season of his career, scoring 19.5 points per game. He also finds creative ways to score, averaging the most fouls drawn per 40 minutes (8.8) of any player in the country. Watkins will be too hard to contain, and SU won’t generate enough offense.
Aiden Stepansky (13-0)
Seminole slam
Syracuse 75, Florida State 84
I’ve had some nice luck with these predictions so far. I haven’t made any bold claims, really, but being a negative Nelly has worked in my favor. Continuing the trend, I’ll keep picking against the Orange for the time being.
Facing the Seminoles is a similar matchup to the Demon Deacons. While FSU isn’t the most potent offense by any stretch of the imagination and is currently under some turmoil, its defense has been extremely impressive. Florida State has the 24th-best turnover forced percentage and eighth-best block percentage in the country. Those metrics certainly don’t bode well for the Orange, who have a combined 60 turnovers over the last three games.
While an efficient Syracuse offense could muscle its way to a conference victory on the inside, I still have trouble pouring any confidence into the Orange without Starling. SU’s offense has been lifeless without its leading scorer. A return could be near as each look at Starling we get looks like less and less protection for his broken hand. But until that return happens, I don’t see the Orange ever beating a team in a race to 80.
Justin Girshon (11-2)
When is J.J. Starling back?
Syracuse 73, Florida State 81
When asked about what went wrong for his team following the worst loss of his tenure to Maryland, Adrian Autry instantly brought up Starling’s absence. And, while it’s an easy scapegoat for the underlying problems, he’s not wrong.
With Starling healthy, it’s not crazy to say the Orange’s losses against Notre Dame, Georgetown and Wake Forest are turned into wins. But the reality is Starling wasn’t healthy, and those are losses. Until he’s back, it’s hard to trust SU in any of its close conference matchups. Thus, I don’t see it winning its first ACC game on the road in Tallahassee.
This week, six former FSU players sued Hamilton over a name, image and likeness manner. Syracuse’s best chance of winning is if Hamilton hasn’t paid any of the current Seminoles, and they decide to boycott the game as a result.
Basketball-wise, Florida State — as usual — is deep and versatile. While FSU doesn’t boast one of the best teams in the ACC, Watkins will be the best player on the court, and I don’t see the Orange doing much to contain him. I think SU will keep it close like the Wake Forest game, but the Seminoles will prevail down the stretch.
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