Syracuse men’s basketball: Jyare Davis capitalizes on matchup in critical performance

The Syracuse forward’s unique profile saw him dominate in matchup with NC State

Syracuse Orange forward Jyare Davis took it to the NC State frontcourt in Wednesday night’s home win. The Delaware-born forward put together one of his best games of the season with 15 points and seven rebounds as the Orange snapped their three-game losing streak.

Frequently matched up with smaller guard, Dontrez Styles, Davis noted after the game that “we knew we had a big size and height advantage over our matchups.” Head Coach Adrian Autry added that he was proud of Davis’ tenacity and grit.

“I thought he did a really good job of holding it down and not backing down. I thought that kind of set the tone for the those big guys, and it kind of got them going”.

Averaging eight and five on 51% from the field so far this year, Davis’ 15 and seven on 71% against the Wolfpack proved critical in widening the gap between the two teams.

When the Orange offense stagnated in the early second half, Davis scored ten in 11 minutes to maintain the lead while drawing multiple fouls and grabbing a few critical rebounds.

“Coach always tells me he wants me to impose myself on the game. We were able to do that tonight, and it feels good,” the forward said.

After playing three years at Delaware, Davis had little left to prove in the CAA after leading his team with 17 points a night to go with 7.5 rebounds.

While Davis has had some struggles adjusting to the pace and composure required to compete in ACC games, his physicality and physical traits were never really a question.

These talents were on full display against NC State. Alongside Eddie Lampkin Jr., he left the Wolfpack defense looking helpless as they bullied their way to the cup again and again throughout the night.

“He’s always going to do that. He’s always going to attack the paint. Me and him are both aggressive like that,” Lampkin noted.

Following one of his best performances in the ACC so far, Davis and the Orange will next travel down to Blacksburg for their first matchup of the season with Virginia Tech.

The Hokies do not boast an interior unit that is much stronger than NC State’s. They have averaged 33.8 boards per game compared to the Pack’s 32.1. Davis and Syracuse are third-highest in the conference with 37.8.

Tobi Lawal and Mylyjael Poteat will likely provide a slightly more difficult challenge for Davis, but he will be coming in with confidence, further fueled by SU’s need to pick up more wins to solidify their spot in the ACC Tournament.