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Syracuse dropped its second straight game on Saturday, falling to Pitt 77-73. The loss came on the heels of a 14-point defeat to Clemson, where the Orange trailed by 19 at halftime.

Against Pitt, SU started much better, leading by one after 20 minutes, but gave up 45 second-half points. The loss brought it back to three games below .500 in conference play. Now, Syracuse heads west to take on Stanford for the first time since the Atlantic Coast Conference expanded last year.

The Cardinal have won three straight games and are tied for fifth in the ACC standings. They’re led by the ACC’s leading scorer and rebounder, Maxime Raynaud, while boasting a strong backcourt with Oziyah Sellers and Jaylen Blakes.

Here’s how our beat writers feel Syracuse (9-11, 3-6 ACC) will fare against Stanford (14-6, 6-3 ACC) in their first-ever meeting:

Zak Wolf (17-3)
West Coast, not the best coast
Syracuse 71, Stanford 79

Syracuse is traveling 2,826 miles for this game. Whether that will affect them remains to be seen. What I do know is Stanford is playing its best basketball of the season, winning five out of its last six games. Meanwhile, Syracuse has lost two straight and has yet to beat a team in the top half of the ACC. It’s also 1-3 on the road during conference play, with double-digit losses to Florida State and Clemson.

That doesn’t bode well for SU, considering Stanford is 11-1 at home this season. The Orange’s game plan will be centered around containing Raynaud. The senior averages 20.5 points per game and 11.7 rebounds on 49% shooting from the field, and I don’t think Syracuse can handle him. His height advantage over Eddie Lampkin Jr. and mobility will give SU fits. The Orange also haven’t shown they can stop anyone this season, letting up 78 points per game this season, the second-most in the ACC.

J.J. Starling was in early foul trouble against Pitt and never fully got going, but if SU wants to win, he has to have a big game. Starling will likely be guarded by Blakes, who’s an elite defender, averaging 1.9 steals per game. The combination of Blakes slowing Starling down, along with SU’s inability to stop Raynaud, will be key factors to SU’s third straight loss.

Aiden Stepansky (18-2)
Go to bed
Syracuse 66, Stanford 78

The Cardinal have steamrolled ACC competition over the past three weeks and are winners of five of their last six games. A 1-2 start to Stanford’s tenure in the ACC has quickly turned into 6-3, and it now sits within the upper echelon of teams in the conference. Well, based on that, we know how this one goes.

Against teams that currently sit in the conference standings top five that Syracuse has played, it lost all three with a combined margin of minus-48. The Cardinal are just outside the top five, currently at six with a chance to jump in shortly. As Zak said, Raynaud’s been lethal in his senior year and is a top-10 scorer in the country. He’s scored 24 or more points in three of his last five games and topped 32 points in two games this year. Don’t be surprised if he notches his third against the Orange.

This game tips off at 11 p.m. Eastern. I implore all of our East Coast friends to get a good night’s rest. Maybe tune in for the first half to get a glimpse at the ACC’s leading scorer. But no need to stay up all night and ruin your Thursday plans to watch the same old story.

Justin Girshon (16-4)
California nightmare
Syracuse 74, Stanford 83

Combining the storm of playing one of the best teams in the ACC and having to do so flying cross-country, I don’t like Syracuse’s chances against Stanford. As already stated above, SU will have its hands full trying to contain Raynaud. While Lampkin has the strength to contain the ACC’s leading scorer, I still see Raynaud dominating inside.

Additionally, if Lampkin gets into foul trouble, the Orange will be pressed trying to find other defensive matchups. While Donnie Freeman would have the size, Adrian Autry said the five-star freshman still has no timetable for his return (he hasn’t played since Jan. 4). This leaves Petar Majstorovic (6-foot-8) and Naheem McLeod (not in SU’s rotation) as the likely only other players who can match up with Raynaud.

While Syracuse is worrying about Raynaud, it’ll also have to account for the Duke transfer Blakes and Sellers. If either player were on the Orange, they’d be their second option behind Starling. Thus, that gives the Cardinal three of the game’s best four players. Combining that with Stanford playing on its home court, I don’t see SU pulling out a road victory.

Published on January 28, 2025 at 9:12 pm