Syracuse, N.Y. -- Syracuse's men's basketball team has a 565-114 record in the Carrier Dome. That means the Orange has won 83 percent of its games beneath the big bubbled roof.

The Orange wins a lot in the Dome because a) the program has been historically good (SU ranks sixth in all-time Division I basketball wins), b) as a Power 5 program it can afford to pay opponents to play there and maybe, possibly, c) because the building itself presents unique challenges for opposing teams.

We talked with a few ACC players and Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner on ACC Media Day to arrive at a completely unscientific look at why it's difficult for opposing teams to win games inside the dome.

Most of the players, except for Louisville's V.J. King, said the shooting background presented specific problems. Duke's Javin DeLaurier was the only player to mention crowd noise at the Dome as an issue. Most players said smaller arenas -- like Cameron Indoor Stadium (Duke) or John Paul Jones Arena (Virginia) -- were more difficult to play in because the intimate space amplified the crowd noise.

Every player or coach interviewed for this story said his team participates in a pre-game shootaround in the Carrier Dome. The building, in all its vastness, presents an odd backdrop behind the clear backboards. Shooting at that target can be difficult.

Virginia center Jack Salt (33) during a game against Syracuse on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018, at the Carrier Dome. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com SYR

Jack Salt, Virginia: "It's big. So you look at the backboard, and you're used to seeing seats kind of close. But imagine if you don't see seats. So it's definitely a big difference. It's an eerie feeling just because it's so big. And we're only playing in half the stadium. So it's definitely a different experience."

Torin Dorn, N.C. State: "I think shootarounds are more important there because their backdrop is just so different. Especially when you're playing in the daytime and there's natural sunlight. It's different than in all the other arenas we play in all year."

Rex Pflueger, Notre Dame: "I played there my freshman year and it was definitely really difficult, especially for my first year in college basketball to play in that huge, vast atmosphere. With the clear backboards, looking all the way back, it's really hard. But I felt more comfortable coming in there last year. I don't know what it was. Maybe it was just becoming more comfortable with college basketball. But we got more into the feel of the game. And they play their zone defense, so it's a little slower tempo, so you can kind of come into your own a little bit."

Josh Pastner, Georgia Tech: "I've played there two times and we haven't shot well there. Maybe it's the depth perception. So maybe I don't do a shootaround this time because it hasn't worked before."

Pastner and players were asked about the tiny visitor's locker room in the Dome. Compared to the relatively palatial dressing room the Orange uses, the visitor's space is cramped and filled with large young men.

Notre Dame's Rex Pflueger dunks vs. Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY, Saturday January 6, 2018. Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com SYR

Rex Pflueger: "It's small, but we got the win there and when we ran in, we were really hyped and then we had FaceTime with Matt Farrell and Bonzie Colson, who were injured and were back in South Bend. So I don't think we even thought about the size."

Jack Salt: "That locker room is up there (with the smallest in the league). The Virginia Tech locker room is pretty small and there's a big-ass pole in the middle of it. But a few of them are pretty small. You get used to them. You're on the road. You're not going to have your usual everyone waiting for you and your comfy set-up. That's what being on the road is: It's being uncomfortable. And you've got to fight it out under tough conditions to get the win."

Pastner had a lot to say in general about Syracuse as a program. He is especially enamored of Orange fans: "It's cold up there. And the fans are remarkable. They love their team. When we played there, the hotel was so packed with orange shirts everywhere. What I was amazed by was that's what happens on a Saturday football game. And it was a basketball game. It was packed. The hotel was packed. It was like a cult."

All the players said they brought their team-supplied parkas to Syracuse. ("You mean like a puffer jacket?," Salt asked. He was born in London, grew up in New Zealand.) Most, with the exception of the acclimated Notre Dame guys, complained about the extreme winter weather. ("I hate the cold," DeLaurier said.)

And Pflueger and teammate T.J. Gibbs brought up the ball situation. Depending on which shoe company sponsors the home team, visiting teams play with different balls in different arenas. Notre Dame plays with a Wilson basketball. At Syracuse, the guys play with a Nike ball.

"That's also an adjustment," Gibbs said.

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