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During an evening at the JMA Wireless Dome, where the life of the late Lawrence Moten will be honored, there’s no better time for Syracuse basketball to send its fans home happy.

SU, amid a four-game losing streak — its worst under head coach Adrian Autry — hosts a below .500 Notre Dame team Saturday. Helmed by third-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry, the Fighting Irish have lost six of their last seven games, riding the struggle bus without star guard Markus Burton on the floor due to injury.

It’s a winnable opportunity for the Orange, who sank to No. 79 in the latest NCAA NET Rankings after their 20-point loss at NC State Tuesday night.

Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse (12-9, 3-5 ACC) will fare against Notre Dame (11-10, 2-6 ACC) Saturday night:

Aiden Stepansky (15-6)
Need it
Syracuse 78, Notre Dame 76

Boy, this has spiraled out of control quickly. Following Syracuse’s win over Pitt, I remember telling my fellow scribe Justin that if SU took care of business against Florida State and Boston College, then won 2-of-3 against VT, Miami and NC State, it would have a chance at March Madness. Safe to say that’s not what happened.

With a vicious schedule ahead, this is Autry and Co.’s last chance at building a bit of a cushion. The Orange need it, and I think they’ll sneak out a victory over the Fighting Irish. Burton’s injury takes away some juice, yet ND still held tight to nearly upset Virginia Tuesday.

Notre Dame is 1-3 in conference road games thus far, with a scoring margin of minus-29. Syracuse has plenty of issues of its own, but at full strength, Donnie Freeman and J.J. Starling have still proven to score. If Naithan George plays any form of competent, efficient basketball, the Orange should be able to at least stay in the game while Freeman carries the load.

It’s not ridiculous to say that if SU drops this one, we might see the first midseason head coach firing in the program’s history within weeks. From a human element, the downward trajectory is sad. But Syracuse will survive just a bit longer by knocking off the Fighting Irish for its fourth ACC win.

Cooper Andrews (16-5)
Make it 5
Syracuse 72, Notre Dame 73

There were some vicious boos and chants for SU to fire Autry during its last home game, a loss to Miami. Things got ugly. If the Orange drop their fifth straight, I can’t imagine what the negative reception for this team and coach would be like on Saturday.

But I think we’re going to find out.

I’m taking Notre Dame by a hair in an upset win over Syracuse. This game feels like it’ll begin with a lethargic start from the Orange, followed by a few dominant spurts from Freeman, but in the end, SU won’t get enough out of its supporting cast.

Performances like George had against NC State — 2-for-12 from the field with just one fewer turnover (two) than assist (three) — have occurred far too often from guys in the starting lineup for me to express confidence in them this weekend.

The Fighting Irish will also take over this game by displaying excellence behind the 3-point line. They rank 87th in the country with a 35.5% 3-point clip, per KenPom, and Braeden Shrewsberry and Co. could have a monster night against a floundering Syracuse defense.

If there were any area where I was confident in Syracuse besides Freeman and William Kyle III’s shot-blocking ability, maybe I’d predict a different result here. But right now, I see a bad basketball team that will behave like one against Notre Dame.

Justin Girshon (14-7)
Red (Dead) Redemption
Syracuse 78, Notre Dame 75

Per JBR Bracketology on X, Syracuse’s loss to NC State on Tuesday officially eliminated it from receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. That means that no matter what happens for the rest of the season — even if it means going undefeated — the Orange’s damage right now would hold it back from making March Madness without receiving an automatic bid, which would only be possible by winning the ACC Tournament.

SU’s defeat to the Wolfpack marked a new low of the Autry era, but I think the fortune — at least temporarily — will turn back in the Orange’s favor with a home win against Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish have just two conference wins and, with Burton sidelined, don’t have much offensive firepower.

On the defensive side, ND is solid, ranking 77th by KenPom’s adjusted efficiency, but it’s allowed 75 or more points in five of its last six games. That’s not to say SU has some other-worldly good offense, but reaching the 75-point threshold seems to be very attainable, especially at home.

The Orange’s NCAA Tournament hopes might be virtually dead, but Red Autry’s quad will get some redemption by defeating the Fighting Irish for their first win in nearly three weeks.

Published on January 30, 2026 at 8:56 pm