Syracuse Basketball vs. Clemson: Game Preview

Syracuse basketball takes on Clemson tonight in the Carrier Dome at 8 pm. The Tigers are 8-6, but coming off a solid win over Florida State to open conference play.

Yesterday we broke down the five keys to the game for Syracuse basketball. Today, we’ll take a more in-depth look at the Clemson roster and the challenges it offers SU.

Once again, depth is a major difference between this Syracuse squad and Clemson. Clemson has nine players averaging 10 or more minutes a game, while SU has just six. They also have seven players averaging over five points per game and feature a relatively balanced scoring offense.

As mentioned yesterday, their star is junior forward Jaron Blossomgame. He’s averaging 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game on 53% shooting. He is central to the Clemson offense. They use him in the high/low post, they use him on the wing, and they give him pretty much free reign on offense. He’s been one of the most efficient players in the ACC this year, with a true shooting percentage of over 58%.

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Aside from Blossomgame, there are four other players for Clemson that all average between 8 and 11 points per game. Avry Holmes, a junior transfer from San Fransisco, is the second leading scorer at 10.2 points per game. He’s also the teams’ most deadly 3-point shooter, connecting on 41% of his attempts and launching over 4 per game.

Donte Grantham is also averaging over 10 points (10.1) and 4.2 rebounds per contest. Just a sophomore, Grantham has upped his scoring production, field goal percentage, and free throw shooting from last year all while playing roughly the same amount of minutes (30 per contest). Last year, he had 16 points against SU to help lead them to a victory.

Jordan Roper and Landry Nnoko round out the main scoring threats for Clemson, averaging 9.5 and 8.2 points per game respectively. Roper is the point guard on this team and has done a solid job in that role, boasting more than a 3:1 assist to turnover ratio. He’s also hitting 37% of his 3’s.

Nnoko is the big man on the team and second in rebounding at 5.5 per contest. He’s also averaging an impressive 2.4 blocks per contest and has done a solid job of holding down the middle for Clemson.

While Clemson has some scoring threats, their biggest issues lie in their inconsistent shooting. They are just 43% as a team from the field, and just 68% from the free throw line. The scary part is, SU is actually worse in both categories at 42% overall and 67% from the line.

Jan 17, 2015; Clemson, SC, USA; Syracuse Orange guard Trevor Cooney (10) looks to pass the ball while being defended by Clemson Tigers center Sidy Djitte (50) and guard Rod Hall (12) during the first half at Littlejohn Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports /

Another scary number that will probably surprise a lot of people is that Clemson is actually an outstanding defensive team. They are 17th in the nation, allowing just 61.4 points per game. Syracuse is a respectable 47th in that category, allowing 64.7.

Let’s also not forget what happened last year, when Clemson routed Syracuse 66-53 behind a +10 rebounding margin, 40% shooting from 3-point range, and some tough, lock down defense. Of course, that game was also in Clemson and was SU’s third in six days, so take that with a grain of salt. Still, those rebounding numbers are scary when you consider last year’s team had Rakeem Christmas in the middle.

With all these numbers leaning towards Clemson, this could be a much tougher game for Syracuse than they’d like. I’d love to just look at their record (8-6) and tell you that this should be an easy win for Syracuse, but it won’t be. Clemson is going to play us tough, and it’s going to take a good shooting night and us not turning the ball over to win.

Next: SU vs. Clemson: 5 Keys to the Game

Syracuse is definitely due for both of those things to happen. They have been mired in a shooting slump for weeks now and look to get back on track tonight. They’re also coming off their worst game of the season in terms of turnovers, coughing it up 18 times to Miami. You can bet that Hopkins has worked on ball security as much as possible in practice this week, so hopefully it will pay off.

I think Syracuse squeaks by in this one to grab their first conference win. I don’t expect it to be pretty, but I think the SU zone will confuse Clemson and finally close out a game with a 67-62 victory. Look for Michael Gbinije to have a bounce back game and lead the team.

Check back after the game for some detailed analysis and a review of what transpired. I will also be live tweeting the game tonight, so don’t forget to follow us on Twitter if you don’t get a chance to watch, or even if you just want some live commentary.

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