Syracuse Basketball: Clemson loss hurts, but it is not season-ending at all

Syracuse basketball came up just short on the road versus Clemson on Tuesday night, but the key is how the Orange responds against Duke.

Syracuse basketball fell in heartbreaking fashion on Tuesday evening at Clemson, and Orange fanatics are equal parts frustrated with the ‘Cuse for missing a juicy opportunity to secure another triumph away from Central New York, and with the officials for making what many of us believe amounted to some questionable calls.

Here’s my take.

Yes, a few calls seemed off. Sure, Syracuse’s two primary centers fouled out way too early, unfortunately. Perhaps redshirt junior forward Elijah Hughes got undercut on a short-shot attempt in the final 15 seconds that could have stretched the Orange edge to two or even three points.

Despite all of that, I’ll pass on blaming the officials for this setback, which snapped a five-contest success streak for the ‘Cuse (13-8, 6-4). Syracuse had a double-digit advantage over the Tigers (11-9, 5-5) after intermission but couldn’t seal the deal. Once Clemson retook the lead, I credit the Orange for hanging tough and not folding in a hostile environment.

Ultimately, the ‘Cuse couldn’t contain the Tigers’ graduate-transfer wing, Tevin Mack, who shredded the 2-3 zone for 32 points and 10 rebounds. Neither squad connected at a high clip from the field, but Clemson dominated on the glass, and Mack played a critical role in fouling out Syracuse big men Marek Dolezaj and Bourama Sidibe.

Once Dolezaj and Sidibe headed to the bench, it became extremely difficult for the Orange to prevent the Tigers from scoring in the paint. I acknowledge that maybe a foul or two against the ‘Cuse centers proved iffy, but those guys have to compete a tad more cautiously moving forward. It’s clear that Syracuse needs them on the court.

Following this affair’s conclusion, I read a ton of commentary from Orange fans and media types about how this result versus Clemson is monumental. I think that’s a bit over-stated.

The ‘Cuse has 10 meetings left in the 2019-20 regular stanza, and then the ACC Tournament. Syracuse is presently tied with Virginia for fourth place in the league standings.

Of course, the Orange would find itself in a better position for a possible March Madness invite if it had defeated the Tigers. However, I look at it this way. Syracuse won tight encounters at the Cavaliers, Notre Dame, and Virginia Tech. The Orange got beat in close games versus the Fighting Irish, the Hokies and now Clemson. That’s a wash in my book.

What’s imperative is for the ‘Cuse to immediately put this 71-70 stunner in the rear-view mirror, as Syracuse hosts a top-10 crew in Duke this Saturday. The Orange has a chance to notch a pivotal quadrant-one achievement against the Blue Devils. This season, from my perspective, is far from over.