ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 11, 2025

Adrian Autry

Jyare Davis

Eddie Lampkin

Spectrum Center

Syracuse Orange

Postgame Press Conference

Syracuse 66, Florida State 62

EDDIE LAMPKIN, JR.: I thought our guys showed a lot of heart. They've been showing a lot of heart all year, and they've been battling all year, and to be able to start our new season, that's what we talked about, and to be able to come out and play a tough Florida State team and not play our best offensively but to show the toughness to stay together, that's what we talked about.

To be able to pull this out, this is really good for us. These guys deserve it. We've been through a lot this year, and I was proud of these guys. It's been a battle all year and they kept battling, and I loved their fight, and we're going to continue to do that as long as we have a game to play.

Q. For both of you guys, when you see FSU make those runs in the second half, how did you see your team stick together and fight those off to keep your season alive?

EDDIE LAMPKIN, JR.: I mean, basketball is a game of runs, so we just knew that we had to play 40 minutes. We've been playing for like 20 minutes, 32 minutes, even 38 minutes. We executed the game plan. We did what we needed to do. Got to get ready for SMU.

JYÁRE DAVIS: I think we've been in a lot of spots like that this year, getting up and having to withstand runs. And sometimes we were successful; sometimes we weren't. I think all those moments prepare us for now and we came prepared today.

Q. Obviously Eddie and Jyáre, there was a point in the second half where it felt like they couldn't keep you off the offensive glass. Walk me through that stretch and what you guys' mentality was in that three, four-minute stretch there.

JYÁRE DAVIS: I think that me and Eddie are two guys that pride ourselves on trying to be tough and trying to impact the game. A team like that they can make it tough to post up and stuff with doubling, but I think they know one thing they can't stop is our offensive rebounding and laying up from there. So that's something we did a good job of.

EDDIE LAMPKIN, JR.: I just tried to take pride in my offensive rebounding. The last couple years I didn't really get the ball, so I always usually just try to take advantage of offensive rebounding. And that's one thing I take pride in, and I feel like nobody can stop me on offensive rebounds, so why not.

Q. Defensively y'all were impressive tonight, especially in the first half. It felt like Florida State couldn't get going in those first six minutes of the game. How do you take that and apply it to the upcoming SMU game where they can score on all cylinders?

EDDIE LAMPKIN, JR.: For me we was just in a game with SMU. We let go. Like I said earlier, we were playing for 36 minutes, 35 minutes. I feel like if we play for 40 minutes, we can beat anybody in this tournament. We always beat ourselves. That's one thing -- Coach was talking about transition. I don't know how many transition points, but it wasn't 16 like they did the first game. And we've got to take pride in that.

JYÁRE DAVIS: What Eddie said. I think we've got to continue to take pride on defense. Coach talks about how it's March and everybody thinks that the way to win games is playing hero ball and going to score the ball. In reality the way to win games is being tough and defending. So I think that we all listen to that and we're all going to try to continue to do that.

Q. What's it like to see J.J. take over the way he did coming down the stretch like that?

EDDIE LAMPKIN, JR.: J.J. is a great player. To me, it really wouldn't matter if it wasn't J.J., but he's a great player, we believe in him. Coach was asking him the way he wanted, so I feel like he's been in the program two years, and he's comfortable. He's a great player, and that's all you can ask for from a 2 guard like him.

JYÁRE DAVIS: J.C. gave a good talk to the team today about it doesn't matter who does it. I think we all buy into the fact that whether it's J.J. scoring, Eddie scoring, whether it's Jaquan scoring, it's March. We're trying to survive and advance another day. J.J. did a good job of taking over and we're all just happy for him.

Q. There was a point in the second half where you guys went scoreless for six plus minutes, but after that drought, how did you guys just lock in and finish off the game?

JYÁRE DAVIS: I think it comes down to being mentally tough. We've been in a lot of crazy situations this year, a lot of tough situations, and I think all the situations have helped shape us to the team we are now.

When I had a rough stretch, nobody on the team batted an eye. We all continued to just keep fighting and stay together.

EDDIE LAMPKIN, JR.: I would just say we really -- Coach was just saying defense, as long as we were still getting stops, we were still in the game for me, and it really doesn't matter if we're not scoring. They can go on not scoring for a couple possessions. We've still got to take advantage of the defensive side and don't let offense stop your defense.

Q. On the offensive rebounding front, is there any communication between you guys in terms of when you attack the glass? How do you guys work together in terms of when you really want to go hard on the boards? Is it just natural for you guys?

EDDIE LAMPKIN, JR.: For me it's really natural. I just go every time. I feel like if I go every time, why not? And just how they claim I had five offensive rebounds, nobody else was just going every time, and I was just going every time, and it was just opening.

JYÁRE DAVIS: I think that I don't know how much of a strategy there is. I think we both try to be relentless and just go after the ball.

Q. Red, sort of the same question that I asked the players about J.J. When Florida State got within six points, about six minutes to go, he scores 11 of your next 12. Were you going to him specifically or was he doing that naturally?

ADRIAN AUTRY: No, J.J. is a guy, we -- they were making it very difficult to get it into the post. How we built the lead, we were kind of getting the ball in the post and Florida State kind of took that away. They made it difficult for us to get it in there. J.J. is a guy -- we knew if it had to go away, it was going to J.J., and I thought he did a really good job. And I thought our guys did a really good job of screening for him, getting him an advantage. And I thought he did a phenomenal job of getting in the lane and putting pressure on the rim. That's how we need him to play in those situations, and I just thought he stepped up big today.

But also, no one won't talk about him, but I thought J.C. was phenomenal today. Eight rebounds. He just kind of steered the ship and got everybody going and made the right reads.

Again, I'm just happy for this team. It's been a long year, ups and downs, and we've been playing better, and I'm just happy that these guys get a chance to play another game, and we get a chance to play another game together.

Q. Your team has been in a lot of games this season like this that haven't gone your way. How do you think those experiences add up to being able to close out a game like this on this stage?

ADRIAN AUTRY: Like you said, we've been in them, and I think what we talked about before, we felt like in all those games, we made some silly mistakes or didn't kind of come through. And even tonight, we couldn't make free throws when we needed to. We made a couple at the end, a couple of careless turnovers.

But I thought our defense -- I just thought today was the first time that our offense did not affect our defense. Our defense was really good today. It was really good, whether it was the zone or man-to-man. We were aggressive. We got after it, a little bit too aggressive, we were in the bonus. But I thought we did a good job of settling in, and when we gave fouls, it was much needed fouls instead of careless fouls.

Q. Adrian, how agonizing it to stand there and watch the missed free throws? What's that period like?

ADRIAN AUTRY: I don't say anything. I hope they don't look over to see me because I am agonizing. But I thought our bench was great. They kept encouraging our guys, and again, we started making one out of two. So you've got to take that instead of going 0 out of two, which we did a couple of times.

But that's kind of been the story for us this year. We've put ourselves in position to kind of win some games, started from the beginning to the year to now, and tonight I thought our defense just broke us through. I really did, the stops and the rebounds. We got the rebounds that we needed. We secured those rebounds, and we walked away with a win.

Q. Coach, it seemed like a lot of teams throughout today have struggled to hit some easy shots. Syracuse had a couple missed opportunities early on. Was that something that was just the energy? Was there too much energy going on? Was it something that you just kind of don't really care about at this point after the team really settled in?

ADRIAN AUTRY: Is that a question for my team or are you saying for the whole day?

Q. Both.

ADRIAN AUTRY: I think obviously it's the first day. This is tournament time, playoff time. Everybody is ready to go, every team is ready to go. They're excited. This is their last possible game, some -- well, these earlier games, yeah, if you lose, you're probably done.

I think that was a lot of it.

But guys were out there battling. Every game today was a battle. Teams were playing hard. Maybe they'll settle in. Hopefully we'll settle in and make some more shots today.

I just think it was the way the game is being played. Everybody was out there competing, and it's playoff time. That happens.

Q. In terms of offensive rebounding, when your team attacks the glass like that, what is it like for you to see that sort of effort, especially in that second half there was that little stretch where they couldn't keep you off the glass?

ADRIAN AUTRY: Obviously offensive rebounding is toughness. It's work. We miss a shot and then you get a chance to get an extra possession.

I just thought in that period where we built that lead, Jyáre and Eddie, they were just going after it. And I think for me, that's what we talk about, being a tougher team, being a harder playing team. And those are the things -- offensive rebounds, blocked shots, loose balls, those are all the things that we talked about, the extra effort stuff.

We've been good in that area for the most part this year. Obviously when you do that, that's kind of a punch. As a defense, you get them to miss and then you can't get the rebound, you give them another shot.

Q. Four of the five guys in the starting lineup played over 30 minutes and you only had four points off the bench. Do you think you're going to have to lean on a select few guys in this tournament to carry you through?

ADRIAN AUTRY: Yeah. That's kind of been what we've done all year, played nine guys, maybe sometimes ten. But today those guys, they had a good rhythm. I thought the guys that came off the bench gave us a good lift, as well. But I think this team is really good because we can go eight, nine guys, sometimes ten. That's a good thing to have. We do have some depth, and I'm not afraid to use them.