Syracuse vs SMU prediction, odds, pick for ACC Tournament

03/12/2025 12:48 AM

It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Syracuse SMU prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Syracuse SMU.

The SMU Mustangs do not have any real wiggle room at the ACC Tournament. They probably have to win the whole thing this week in Charlotte, but at a minimum, they must make the final. It’s non-negotiable. SMU has to stack together several wins this week. Why are the Mustangs in this position? They lost at Florida State this past weekend. They lost at home during the ACC regular season to Duke, Louisville, and Clemson. They got the top three ACC teams on their home floor — three chances to get a high-end win — and whiffed each time. SMU lost at home to Wake Forest. It lost at North Carolina. Basically every game against a bubble team or a top-three ACC team was a loss for this group. SMU admirably cleaned up against the lower half of the ACC, but that’s not going to be enough to make the NCAA Tournament — not by itself. SMU has to grab some big wins.

In the ACC Tournament bracket, SMU will play Clemson if it wins this game against Syracuse. Should SMU beat Clemson and then No. 2 seed Louisville, the Ponies would be in the ACC Tournament final with two quality wins under their belt. That would at least enable them to receive some consideration as an at-large team. However, if they make the final, the Mustangs would need to win that game to remove all doubt.

This is a Wednesday game against Syracuse. SMU needs to be playing on Saturday at the ACC Tournament to have any shot at making the Big Dance next week.

Here are the Syracuse-SMU College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel 

ACC Tournament Odds: Syracuse-SMU Odds

Syracuse: +8.5 (-110)

Moneyline: +285

SMU: -8.5 (-110)

Moneyline: -365

Over: 151.5 (-115)

Under: 151.5 (-105)

How to Watch Syracuse vs SMU

Time: 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT

TV: ESPNU

*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*

Why Syracuse Will Cover The Spread/Win

When we previewed the Syracuse at SMU game played a week before the ACC Tournament, we wrote that “The spread is over 12 points. Syracuse can cover without playing a great game. The Orange just have to play at a C-plus or B-minus level. If they do that — instead of playing at a D or F level — they should be able to stay close enough to cover against an SMU side which just lost to Stanford and is showing the full extent of its limitations. If a team can’t make the NCAA Tournament in a year when the bubble is as weak as it has ever been, that shows how ultimately mediocre and ordinary that team is. SMU isn’t a bad team, but it isn’t especially strong, either. Syracuse can at least compete here. It might not win, but it won’t get wiped out.”

Final score: SMU 77, Syracuse 75. Syracuse covered easily. We can imagine a very similar scenario here.

Why SMU Will Cover The Spread/Win

SMU struggled a week ago against Syracuse. Chances are the Mustangs — the better team than Syracuse in a straight head-to-head comparison — will play better in this game. They won by two when struggling. They can win by at least nine points if not more if they play well. The math is relatively simple from an SMU vantage point.

Final Syracuse-SMU Prediction & Pick

Our lean is to SMU, but with a spread this big, we advise that you not make a pregame bet and instead wait for a live play.

Final Syracuse-SMU Prediction & Pick: SMU -8.5

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