Orange Dropped by SMU in ACC Tournament

Tuesday, March 10

Charlotte, NC

4:30 PM

Syracuse University

15-17,6-12ACC

Southern Methodist

20-12,8-10ACC

Syracuse

SMU

3/10/2026 6:42:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Press Conference

Nate Kingz scored 25 points, but 14th-seeded Syracuse (15-17) could not withstand a hot second-half shooting performance from SMU (20-12), falling 86-69 in the ACC Tournament's opening round Tuesday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Sophomore Tyler Betsey was close behind Kingz, scoring 15 points on five made 3-pointers to go with a team-high seven rebounds. Junior Naithan George dished out 11 assists in the effort.

SMU was led by Boopie Miller's 25 points, including five made 3-pointers. Jaron Pierre Jr. spearheaded the second-half offense, scoring 17 points with five 3-pointers in the final 20 minutes alone. Jaden Toombs finished with a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

How the Game Was Decided
After Syracuse fought to trim the lead to 56-48 with 12 minutes to go, the Mustangs went on a 13-0 run in under three minutes to open an insurmountable lead.

The Mustangs kicked off the run with 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions from Pierre Jr. Miller added two free throws and a 3-pointer, Pierre Jr. contributed another three, and Corey Washington finished off the 13 unanswered points with two free throws.

Syracuse was unable to draw closer than 10 points for the remainder of the game.

Early First Half Runs
Kingz was the driving force behind the Syracuse offense in the opening stages, scoring seven of the first 10 points for the Orange. He rattled home a 3-pointer on his first shot attempt before adding a pair of layups to supplement the scoring over the first four minutes to help the to a 10-8 advantage.

Led by Miller, the Mustangs tallied eight consecutive points to erase the Orange's narrow lead. Miller scored all eight points, hitting 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions and connecting on a turnaround jumper. Miller's effort provided the Mustangs a 16-10 edge with 14:09 left in the half.

Syracuse responded with nine unanswered points, featuring 3-pointers from Kingz and Betsey. Betsey's triple knotted it up at 16 before Kingz pushed the Orange ahead 19-16 with 12:24 remaining in the opening period.

See-Saw End to the First Half
The Mustangs pulled ahead 29-23 with 5:35 remaining, but Syracuse responded quickly. Kingz and William Kyle III scored in the paint before Betsey drained a 3-pointer and Kingz followed with a stepback jumper. It pushed the Orange a 32-31 lead with 3:27 before the break. SMU narrowly moved back in front and took a 39-38 edge into the intermission.

Kingz led all scorers with 17 first-half points on 7-of-11 (.636) shooting. Betsey added nine points on three 3-pointers and topped the Orange with four rebounds. For SMU, Toombs posted a first-half double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Miller chipped in 11 points.

Kingz Keeps the Orange in Striking Distance
The Orange offense experienced a slow start to the second half, including a three-minute scoring drought, which allowed SMU to pull ahead 51-42 with 14:43 showing on the clock.

Syracuse started a rally when George found freshman Sadiq White Jr. for an alley-oop slam. The Mustangs continued to connect, but Kingz kept pace, hitting a stepback jumper before grabbing an offensive board and converting the tip-in to bring the score to 56-48 near the 12-minute mark.

Betsey Ignites Late 'Cuse Push
Despite trailing by 20 points with 7:14 remaining, the Orange answered one more time. White Jr. contributed another dunk to kick off an 11-2 SU stretch. Following the dunk, George made a free throw and Betsey connected on two 3-pointers. White Jr. finished off a George ob pass to narrow the gap to 11, 74-63, with 4:35 to go.

Freeman hit a 3-pointer with just over three minutes remaining, bringing the Orange within 10 at 76-66. Pierre Jr. put the game away on the ensuing possession by hitting his fifth 3-pointer of the period.

Notable Numbers

George logged double-digit assists for the sixth time this year.
Kingz led the team in points for the fifth time this season.
Betsey connected on five 3-pointers, his second most in a game this season.
Kingz's 11 made field goals tied his career-high.
Kingz and Betsey shot a combined 6-of-12 (.500) from 3-point range in the first half.
Syracuse scored 17 points on the fast break, compared to SMU's two.
The Mustangs' starting five accounted for all 86 of their points.
SMU outrebounded Syracuse, 44-31.
SMU logged 26 second-chance points.

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