Syracuse Basketball, in need of a marquee win, hosts Clemson Saturday

The Syracuse basketball squad will wrap up its regular-season slate when it does battle with a ranked Clemson crew from the Carrier Dome.

All righty, folks, this is it.

The regular season in the 2017-18 campaign comes to a close this Saturday afternoon, when the SU hoops outfit faces off with No. 18 Clemson in Central New York.

The current stanza has proven just a tad turbulent, with the Orange notching several solid successes, like on the road versus Louisville and Miami, but also experiencing numerous heart-breaking setbacks.

The ‘Cuse (18-12, 7-10) has lost three in a row, including a 15-point defeat at Boston College on Wednesday night, during which the Eagles demolished SU’s 2-3 zone from downtown.

That needs to change against the Tigers (22-7, 11-6), which as a unit connect on roughly 37 percent from beyond the arc. Otherwise, we are in for a rough ride.

Clemson had dropped three straight contests before righting the ship, with a pair of recent home conquests at the hands of Florida State and Georgia Tech.

The Tigers, led by head coach Brad Brownell, who has done a tremendous job in this term, are presently tied for third in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings. Clemson is in position for a strong seed in the Big Dance.

Speaking of March Madness, by the vast majority of accounts, Syracuse is on the wrong side of the bubble. It’s a lucid understatement to say that the Orange, with a RPI of 49, must beat the Tigers, possessing a RPI of 8, to shore up its solid, yet not spectacular, resume.

Such an outcome would represent the first besting of a ranked foe by the ‘Cuse in 2017-18. SU doesn’t have many bad losses, but it also lacks a signature conquering.

On the year, Clemson has a bunch of impressive wins. Among them are Florida, Florida State, Louisville, Miami, N.C. State, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Ohio State.

Overall, Syracuse is 2-4 in its series with the Tigers, although the Orange did collect an 82-81 triumph at Clemson in February of 2017, when then-freshman wing Tyus Battle knocked in a

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corner 3-pointer at the buzzer.

To date this season, the Tigers are the superior offensive group, with advantages in field-goal, free-throw and 3-point shooting percentages, as well as scoring and assists. SU holds narrow edges in points allowed, rebounding, blocks and steals.

As of Friday morning on the Bracket Matrix Web site, the ‘Cuse is slotted in the “first four out” category by prognosticators projecting the field of 68.

Head coach Jim Boeheim rarely finishes below .500 in league competition, and 2017-18 is unfortunately one of those instances. Still, when it occurred in 1981 and 2006, Syracuse ended up capturing the Big East Tournament title.

Replicating that will prove daunting, considering that the Orange has never gotten a victory in the ACC Tournament since joining the conference in 2013-14. Plus, SU will either have the No. 11 or No. 12 seed in the ACC tourney that commences next week.

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Regardless, to gain some desperately needed momentum, the ‘Cuse has to bounce back and take care of Clemson if it wants any sliver of a shot at hearing its name called on Selection Sunday.