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Since falling to Clemson on Feb. 10, Syracuse has gone 5-1 — featuring its first AP top-10 win since 2019 — and is currently on a four-game win streak. The Orange now sit in sole possession of fourth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Most recently, Syracuse traveled to Louisville, withstanding another comeback attempt and earning an 82-76 win at the KFC Yum! Center. Chris Bell and Judah Mintz led the way with 23 and 21 points, respectively, as all five starters scored in double figures. The victory gave SU its most ACC wins in a single season since 2013-14.

“When you have (five) guys in double figures, that means the ball is being moved around and shared,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said. “So, offensively I was pleased with that.”

The win has set up a pivotal matchup with Clemson to close SU’s regular season. Here’s everything to know about the Tigers (20-9, 10-8 Atlantic Coast Conference) before they take on Syracuse (20-10, 11-8 ACC):

All-time series

Clemson leads 8-6.

Last time they played…

More than three weeks ago, Clemson faced SU at the JMA Wireless Dome in Joe Girard III’s homecoming game. He reached 2,000 career points and led all scorers in a 77-68 win for the Tigers.

Syracuse dug itself into a 15-point hole early, trailing 31-16 in the first half. It was a tale of two halves for Syracuse, who shot under 30% from the field and the 3-point line, tying its fewest amount of points (24) in a first-half this season.

But when J.J. Starling, who tied with Bell for a team-high 16 points, converted a deep 2 to tie the game at 60-60, it was the first time the game was tied since 7-7. Down the stretch, Clemson pulled away, taking advantage of a 7-0 run after Starling’s jumper.

“Our last four minutes, when we battled so well to get back in, our discipline on both sides of the game was not there,” Autry said.

Miranda Fournier | Design Editor

KenPom odds

Clemson has 79% of winning, with a projected score of 81-72.

The Tigers report

Clemson sits just one game back of Syracuse in fifth place in the ACC, though the Tigers will have one more game at Wake Forest on March 9 — SU has a bye that day.

Since defeating the Orange, Clemson has had some strong wins over Miami, Georgia Tech and Florida State, but recently fell 69-62 at Notre Dame. The Tigers have maintained strong offensive form, ranking 23rd in adjusted offensive efficiency, per KenPom, a small drop compared to being 18th entering their first matchup with Syracuse.

Clemson distributes its scoring well, with three players — PJ Hall, Girard III and Chase Hunter — all averaging double figures. In the first matchup versus SU, the Tigers had four double-digit scorers. Collectively, they average 77.8 points per game, fourth-best in the ACC.

How Syracuse beats Clemson

Syracuse lost its first matchup against Clemson after falling behind early and being reliant on a six-man rotation. Autry felt his team lost the game themselves, and wasn’t particular to Clemson’s game.

Now that the Orange have more depth in the front court, the key to defeating Clemson is stopping easy buckets from Hall and Ian Schieffelin underneath and winning the rebound battle — Clemson outrebounded SU 41-24. Maliq Brown will be leading the charge, and has to stay out of foul trouble. Syracuse also returns Peter Carey, who was out with illness versus Louisville.

Clemson dropped a few 3-pointers part of a 14-0 run to build its early lead last time against the Orange. But Syracuse has the effective scoring options — Bell, Mintz, Starling — to keep up with the Tigers and pull away with a road win.

Stat to know: 53.9%

Clemson torched Syracuse by shooting over 60% from the field and making more than 40% of its 3-pointers. The Tigers, per KenPom, rank 46th in the country with a 53.9% effective field-goal rate — a metric which adds value to the 3-pointer. Hall shoots at a 49.3% rate, and Schieffelin converts 58% of his shots. Syracuse’s key to win this game is defense, which wasn’t present in the first half during the first matchup.

Player to watch: Ian Schieffelin, forward, No. 24

It’s already known that Hall, Girard and Hunter will be key to Clemson’s success, but Schieffelin fits the X-factor role for the Tigers. In the first meeting, Schieffelin notched 13 points, and six rebounds. On the season, he almost averages a double-double with 9.7 points and 9.4 rebounds, including consecutive double-doubles versus Notre Dame and Pittsburgh entering Tuesday’s game. Schieffelin is one of the team’s most efficient shooters at over 50%, and was crucial to the team’s dominant performance on the boards.

Published on March 4, 2024 at 10:12 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini