Syracuse, NY – Reaching the championship. Back to that tournament. Reaching the tournament. Back to the tournament where Syracuse belongs. Those were the responses given by JJ Starling, Kyle Coffey, Eddie Lumpkin, and Naheem McLeod at media day.
The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2021, an unusual three-year drought that represents unfamiliar territory for the storied program. The last time this happened Syracuse had no conference affiliation (1970-72).
The Orange will be a decidedly older group in 2024-25, an intentional response from Adrian Autry and his staff as the program attempts to end a three-way hiatus from the Big Dance. Now, with a more experienced group, Syracuse is hoping the four top players coming out of the transfer portal can help the Orange get back into postseason action.
They have been through some wars. They know this is an opportunity for them and they are happy. “They wanted to be here as much as we wanted them here,” Autry said of the four transfers. “These guys are all mature. They have good IQ for the game. They understand what it takes to be successful on and off the field. Their maturity and togetherness has been a really good surprise.”
A representative of that maturity and IQ, the team will be led by Jaquan Carlos, the Hofstra transfer who is expected to bring stability to Syracuse from the point guard position, starting the offense and setting up his teammates.
Down below, the Orange have a good presence in Colorado transfer Eddie Lampkin who can pass in and out at times, fitting the style of play Autry favors with speed and space in a five-man attack. Lampkin will also be one of the loudest voices in the locker room. When asked if he took a mentoring approach towards any of the young players, he answered differently.
“We’ve taken everyone under our wing because we all want to get to the tournament,” Lampkin said.
Photography by Dylan Boyle/Getty Images
Jyare Davis gives the Orange an experienced forward who can rebound, defend and make plays around the basket. Davis’ burly figures are a nice compliment to the talented, athletic and impressive freshman Donnie Freeman. Finally, Lucas Taylor adds extra scoring and shooting to the fold behind Chris Bell.
Syracuse’s returning players are now experienced as well. Bell returns alongside JJ Starling, now juniors. Starling is expected to be the leader of the group.
“J.J., who’s been through it, understands that. He was part of the Notre Dame team, and then he was part of last year’s team where we had a win-loss streak. He’s been through negative scenarios. I think our voices and our leaders in our locker room,” Autry said. “They have experience.”
Starling, judging by his teammates’ responses, has the same goal in mind as everyone else.
“We feel like we’ve got the right group of players to get to this point and get to the tournament. Those are our expectations,” JJ Starling said.
To do that and earn an at-large berth, Syracuse will have to defy the expectations the conference has set for it. The preseason optimism is shared by all programs, but the Orange were picked to finish 11th in the conference in the preseason media poll. Syracuse has never finished 11th or lower since joining the league. The players on this team are excited and very aware of where they were selected in the preseason media poll.
Creating the NCAA Tournament has become a kind of science. At least, it’s probably not art. By expanding metrics that start with the grid and end with the selection committee, many have attempted to measure the tournament selection process by, among other things, manipulating the grid to their advantage by scheduling and blowing up softer teams.
When Autry was asked how Syracuse could get back to the tournament, he pointed to KenPom before giving a much simpler answer and sounding a little like his predecessor.
“You’ve got to win games,” Autry began. “You’ve got to win non-conference games and you’ve got to schedule teams. You’ve got to give your team a chance and I think we’ve done that with our conference. We have some great non-conference opponents and we’ve got to win some of those games, if not all of them.”
Syracuse will have key non-conference games against Texas, St. Joe’s/Texas Tech, Tennessee and Maryland. Furthermore, the Orange will have a softer non-conference schedule compared to last season.
Before their three-season tournament drought, Syracuse had become one of the most popular bubble teams in the country. The Orange could flirt with that position again, but any predictions about where it might land this early with so many unknowns would be foolish. The season can be long, and veteran players understand that intuitively. There is no substitute for experience and the standard at Syracuse starts with reaching the NCAA Tournament.
“I think through experience, they understand the longevity and ups and downs of the season,” Autry said. “So I think we’ll be able to bounce back.”
