Syracuse Basketball Has Eyes Set On Second Road Win In Clash With Clemson

The Syracuse Basketball team will try to double their road win totals tonight against the Clemson Tigers and add to their tournament resume.

The blazing-hot Syracuse basketball squad seeks to keep its positive juices flowing when it visits Clemson this Tuesday night in a pivotal ACC match-up at Littlejohn Coliseum.

The Orange (15-9, 7-4 in conference competition) comes in having won four straight, including triumphs against two top 10 teams, as well as its first victory of the 2016-17 campaign outside of Central New York.

Not too long ago, SU sported an 11-9 overall mark, the worst in head coach Jim Boeheim’s 41-year tenure after 20 contests. The outlook for an NCAA Tournament invite, to put it lightly, appeared bleak.

Since then, the ‘Cuse has rattled off Carrier Dome successes versus Wake Forest, then-No. 6 Florida State and then-No. 9 Virginia, along with a road achievement over N.C. State. The performances against the Wolfpack and, most recently, the Cavaliers this past Saturday afternoon, proved spectacular.

N.C. State led by 16 points with about eight minutes to go in the second half, and the Orange gutted out a win. On Feb. 4, UVA held a 12-point halftime advantage, before Syracuse mounted a massive comeback, helping to secure Boeheim’s 1,000 career victory.

Now, the Orange finds itself only two games out of first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings. Talk of a possible Big Dance berth is heating up, although the ‘Cuse still has plenty of work left to do.

Clemson (13-9, 3-7), meanwhile, is currently sitting at 12th in the ACC. However, don’t let the Tigers’ record fool you. This is a formidable foe.

It’s true that Clemson has dropped seven of 10, but that includes a bunch of close outcomes. It fell by three to now-No. 8 North Carolina and by four to now-No. 12 Virginia, both at home, by five on the road to then-No. 23 Notre Dame, by six on a neutral-court to then-No. 11 Xavier, and also by one at home to Virginia Tech.

Furthermore, the Tigers are probably a bit pissed off following their latest effort, a 48-point

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drubbing in Tallahassee, Fla., to the Seminoles, who are now ranked No. 14.

I expect Clemson to come out firing on all cylinders on its home floor, especially considering that the Tigers, similar to the Orange, are firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble at this juncture.

In terms of its resume, Clemson to date has a strong road decision over now-No. 19 South Carolina, which as we all know destroyed Syracuse on Nov. 26 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The Tigers have also bested Alabama, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest on the road, as well as Georgia, Georgia Tech and Nebraska in Clemson, S.C.

Clemson holds a 4-1 all-time edge against Syracuse, including a 74-73 overtime triumph at the Carrier Dome on Jan. 5, 2016, in which the Orange held the lead toward the end of regulation but couldn’t put the Tigers away. The setback represented the final contest of Boeheim’s nine-game suspension, when SU went 4-5.

Brad Brownell is in his seventh stanza at the Clemson helm. His previous head-coaching stops are UNC Wilmington and Wright State. So far with the Tigers, he has garnered one NCAA Tournament and one NIT bid.

As for offensive and defensive statistics, Clemson and Syracuse are fairly even. The Tigers average 75 points per contest, while allowing 71. They shoot 45 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point land and 70 percent from the free-throw line.

The Orange, on the other hand, generates 77 points a game and gives up 69. SU connects on 46 percent from the field, 39 percent from downtown and 71 percent from the charity stripe.

Clemson collects 34 rebounds, 13 assists, five blocks and eight steals. Syracuse sweeps 36 off of the glass, tallies 17 dimes, blocks five shots and totals nine thefts.

The Tigers commit 11 turnovers, versus 12 for the Orange.

Senior Jaron Blossomgame paces a balanced Clemson attack with 18 points a game, one of eight guys who average at least six. Like SU graduate transfer Andrew White III, Blossomgame is one of the conference’s premier scorers, and our 2-3 zone has to key in on him.

This is a critical battle for both schools. The Orange occupies the momentum, but Syracuse remains lackluster in away duels. Clemson is reeling a tad, although the Tigers own an 8-3 home record.

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Each program has plenty of post-season aspirations. I think SU has a legit chance to win, but it cannot take Clemson for granted. Another victory on the road, undoubtedly, would amount to the latest step toward a March Madness inclusion.

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