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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Syracuse’s second possession versus SMU quickly alluded to an impending offensive implosion.

SU center Eddie Lampkin Jr. ran a pick-and-roll with point guard Jaquan Carlos and received a bounce pass at the free-throw line with momentum aimed toward the hoop. Lampkin took one dribble and shouldered his way into the lane, just as he’d done all season. Wednesday, however, was different.

As Lampkin stepped into the lane, he was swarmed by the ferociousness of the Mustangs. First came 7-foot-2 center Samet Yiğitoğlu. Then came a slide at Lampkin’s right from forward Matt Cross. Lampkin was stopped in his tracks, a rarity for the big man. He attempted to dish mid-air but traveled in the sequence, setting a trend for the remaining 39 minutes.

Limiting Lampkin was a sign of the times. SU’s big man was held to two shots, tying a season-low, and finished with just five points. Lampkin’s absence on the scoresheet led No. 14 seed Syracuse (14-19, 7-13 Atlantic Coast) to its season-ending 73-53 loss to No. 6 seed Southern Methodist (23-9, 13-7 Atlantic Coast) in the second round of the ACC Tournament.

SU struggled across the board. It was outrebounded. It turned the ball over 15 times. But any trace of offensive efficiency rested in Lampkin’s hands. In their biggest game of the season, the Orange faltered, posting their lowest point total of the year.

“We couldn’t really get the ball inside to Eddie like we usually do,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said postgame. “He’s a big part of what we do, and when we can’t get the ball into him, we struggle offensively.”

Lampkin’s been the lifeline that’s revived the Orange and helped them into the conference tournament in the first place. Across the final eight games of ACC play, he averaged 16.75 points and 11.75 rebounds per game. SU went just 3-5 in the stretch, but he willed SU to Charlotte, collecting two performances with 25-plus points and four with 12 or more rebounds.

Following a 25-point, 10-rebound performance to close the regular season, Lampkin parlayed an efficient 14 points and nine rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting into Syracuse’s first ACC Tournament victory since 2022 and first under Autry. His recent torrid stretch made game-planning for the Orange simple to SMU head coach Andy Enfield.

The Mustangs’ first-year head coach identified Lampkin’s second half of ACC play as “outstanding” and knew they needed to get the ball out of his hands. They were physical, pushing Lampkin out of the lane through the brute strength of Yiğitoğlu and Co. Autry said SMU made even catching the ball difficult because of constant pressure.

One of Enfield’s main objectives for his group entering the contest was asserting their dominance with paint points. He assessed his team as a “very good team” in the paint, even with the larger percentages coming from beyond the arc offensively. Every time Lampkin touched the ball, the plan was to double.

The Mustangs ended with 30 paint points. Lampkin ended with two.

“That was one of our goals, to try to outscore them in the paint tonight,” Enfield said. “And to do that, you have to stop Eddie Lampkin.”

Only a few minutes after Lampkin’s first-half travel, he turned the ball over again as Yiğitoğlu pressured up to the 3-point line, and SU guard J.J. Starling collided with the center.

With the game still tied at 19-19 with six minutes left in the first half, Lampkin caught the ball in the post and immediately spun baseline as Yiğitoğlu pushed him further to the edge. SMU guard Boopie Miller quickly left Carlos on the perimeter and provided backside help down to under the rim. Cross left his man, SU forward Jyáre Davis, and closed off the left side of the rim.

Lampkin, somehow, still found a way to break through for a shot attempt, but the pressure was insurmountable as it forced a missed layup and a missed offensive rebound, which bounced out of bounds.

“They was just everywhere,” Lampkin said of SMU’s defense.

Lampkin also noted that while the double and even triple teams were challenging, it’s something he’s faced all season. Many teams have attempted to collapse on Lampkin and limit the Orange’s attack from getting going. But he often wasn’t halted in the fashion the Mustangs held him to.

When defenses collapse on Lampkin, he still finds ways to score while kicking out to perimeter shooters. But with SU’s ongoing shooting struggles, the offense remains limited, although Lampkin manages to produce.

Many could look at Lampkin to blame for SU’s worst offensive performance with its season on the line. But often, the big men must be fed in the right situations to thrive.

Carlos took responsibility postgame for not getting Lampkin the ball inside. It’s been a struggle for Carlos, along with the entire offense, to find its identity. But over Syracuse’s final weeks, as the Orange have played their best basketball, their offensive identity has revolved around an inside presence with Lampkin.

“We were very good at getting the ball inside (recently),” Carlos said. “It’s gonna be tough if (Lampkin) only gets two shots. We need him to score the ball for us to win games.”

Finding an offensive identity is no easy feat, especially when losing a leading scorer in Starling for a seven-game period and then losing starting forward and top class of 2024 recruit Donnie Freeman for the final 19 games of the season.

SU’s struggles — and its worst record in recent memory — stemmed largely from its failure to establish an identity. But in the final weeks, the Orange found one through Lampkin.

On Wednesday, though, Syracuse’s failure to find Lampkin ultimately led to its demise.

Published on March 13, 2025 at 2:28 am

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky