Syracuse Basketball: Predictions for ACC clash vs Clemson Tigers

Neil Adler (10-4)
Prediction: Syracuse wins 70-65

The Syracuse basketball squad puts its three-contest success streak on the line, when the Orange hosts Clemson this Wednesday evening in an Atlantic Coast Conference showdown.

SU (10-4, 1-0) is coming off a strong road triumph over Notre Dame this past Saturday to jump-start ACC competition for the ‘Cuse. The Tigers (10-4, 0-1), meanwhile, opened league play on the same day, but Clemson got smoked by No. 1 Duke in Durham, N.C.

The Tigers don’t own a ton of impressive conquests so far in the 2018-19 campaign, however, this is a solid, well-coached crew. Clemson, statistically speaking, produces more points on offense than Syracuse, but the Tigers also allow more scoring on the defensive side. Unsurprisingly, Clemson is a better shooting team, although SU has the advantage in rebounding, and the Orange absolutely must dominate the glass if it wants to win.

Another key for the ‘Cuse is to secure an edge in the turnover battle, force a good amount of steals, and land some easy buckets in transition, something that Syracuse has managed to do in several of its recent affairs. ESPN.com’s match-up predictor says that the Orange possesses a 71.4 percent chance of prevailing. I believe that the ‘Cuse will keep the positive momentum rolling, as SU notches a 70-65 victory against Clemson.