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After its latest road loss to Virginia Saturday, Syracuse is now 1-7 in Quad 1 games this year. SU fell to 4-7 in Atlantic Coast Conference play and ranks 13th in the league with seven games to go. Only the top 15 teams make the ACC Tournament in Charlotte.

Next up for the Orange is Cal. The Golden Bears are ninth in the ACC and have defeated top teams like North Carolina and Miami. Cal enters the matchup off a 22-point home loss to Clemson, where the Tigers held it to 4-for-13 from deep and posted four double-digit scorers.

Here’s what our beat writers think will happen when Syracuse (13-11, 4-7 ACC) takes on Cal (17-7, 5-6 ACC) Wednesday night in the JMA Wireless Dome:

Aiden Stepansky (18-6)
Why not?
Syracuse 76, Cal 72

I look at this game, shrug my shoulders and say, “Why not?” Of course, Syracuse is in a horrific spot and things aren’t getting prettier. After their game against Cal, the Orange will take on three straight teams in KenPom’s top 40, including Duke on the road. The moral of the story is if SU doesn’t win this one, it might not win again for a little bit. So, why not?

The Golden Bears have been impressive at times this year, but their last few games have been anything but that. Allowing 85 points to Georgia Tech at home and losing by 20-plus points against Clemson proves this team might not be playing as well as it was when it knocked off North Carolina less than a month ago.

If Syracuse limits Cal from 3 and on the glass, it should be in a good position to win on Wednesday. The Golden Bears are prolific from beyond the arc, ranking third in the conference, while John Camden and Justin Pippen both rank top 20 in the ACC in triples per game.

SU’s defense showed signs of life in its loss to UVA. Putting it together for 40 minutes to slow the Golden Bears from deep will do the trick, halting a skid before another starts.

Cooper Andrews (18-6)
Put up or shut up
Syracuse 74, Cal 73

If you’re J.J. Starling, you’ve got to win at least one of the two big revenge games on SU’s schedule this season. The Orange faltered against his old backcourt teammate Quadir Copeland, now the point guard of a solid NC State team. But against Chris Bell, a former Syracuse commit under Jim Boeheim who played at SU last season, it’s put up or shut up.

Bell will be a relative non-factor in his return to the Dome, and on the other side, Starling will captain the Orange to a crucial conference victory to end a brutal seven-game stretch.

It’s high time for Starling to have a big game. He’s scored at a higher rate over the last four games, dropping 16 points per game in that span. His best performance in those contests, a 21-point night versus his old school Notre Dame, came against a bad team.

On Wednesday evening, Starling will finish with a 20-piece against a stout Cal defense, which ranks 61st in the nation in adjusted efficiency, per KenPom. With how the last few games have gone, and all the drama surrounding Kiyan Anthony’s benching in Virginia, the Orange — and Adrian Autry — need a star to shine in front of the home fans. It’ll be Starling.

Justin Girshon (17-7)
Chris rings the Bell
Syracuse 73, Cal 78

Every time Bell nailed a 3-pointer while playing for the Orange, “Chris rings the Bell” would echo throughout the Dome after. That won’t be the case when Bell returns to central New York on Wednesday, but I do expect to see a 3-point barrage.

Regardless of whether or not Bell catches fire — he can be extremely streaky, as Orange fans know — Cal is one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country. The Golden Bears’ 37.6% 3-point percentage ranks 26th nationally, while Bell, Dai Dai Ames, Justin Pippen and John Camden have all made at least 40 3-pointers while shooting above 35.0% from beyond the arc.

For comparison, SU shoots 33.5% from deep, and only Nate Kingz — shooting 36.6% from 3 — has made more than 40 triples. If Cal can catch fire from deep, Syracuse’s offense will have an extremely difficult time staying afloat.

Here’s a (maybe not so) fun fact: the Orange have made 10 or more 3s in a game four times this season. California has done it 12 times.

Just like how Virginia made 10 3-pointers on Saturday, I see the Golden Bears doing most of their damage from beyond the arc to sneak out a narrow road win.

Published on February 10, 2026 at 10:48 pm