After winning three straight Atlantic Coast Conference games, including an upset of then-No. 23 N.C. State, Syracuse basketball has looked dreadful in its past two encounters.
Over the weekend, before more than 31,000 fans at the JMA Wireless Dome, the Orange fell by 22 points to Duke, as the Blue Devils were hot from deep and smoked the ‘Cuse on the glass.
On Wednesday night at the Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson easily handled the Orange, 91-73. The Tigers entered this ACC clash having lost four of their past five games, but they totally outmanned Syracuse basketball on the boards in this contest.
What impressed me the most about Clemson on Wednesday evening was the team’s interior passing against the ‘Cuse zone defense, as the Tigers frequently shredded the Orange in the interior.
In the rebounding department, Clemson held a 38-28 advantage. And the Tigers shared the ball with precision, racking up 28 assists to just nine dimes for the ‘Cuse. Additionally, Clemson only committed seven turnovers, as compared to 11 miscues for the Orange.
Syracuse basketball had a fairly lackluster effort versus Clemson.
For much of this ACC collision, the ‘Cuse did a poor job of getting senior center Jesse Edwards touches on offense. He did ultimately finish with 12 points and 10 rebounds, but he didn’t have a significant impact on the outcome of this game.
Sophomore forward Benny Williams did contribute a solid nine points, two boards, one assist and one steal, which I was glad to see.
And freshman point guard Judah Mintz was easily the best player out there for Syracuse basketball in the squad’s setback to Clemson. His 3-point shooting, which has proven sub-par for much of the 2022-23 season, has come on strong lately.
Mintz had a team-high 23 points versus the Tigers (20-8, 12-5 in the ACC). He connected on 8-of-15 from the field as a whole and 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. If he can consistently knock down shots from deep, that will drive his NBA Draft stock further up.
Both Clemson and Syracuse basketball shot relatively well from the field in general. The Tigers hit on about 52 percent. The Orange made roughly 47 percent of its field-goal attempts.
And the teams made an identical 38.9 percent from 3-point land. However, Clemson was 14-of-36, while the ‘Cuse was just 7-of-18. That’s your ballgame, folks.
Next up, Syracuse basketball (16-12, 9-8) will hit the road again. This Saturday, beginning at 5 pm on the ACC Network, the Orange will battle long-time rival Pittsburgh inside the Petersen Events Center.
Hopefully, the ‘Cuse can regroup and get back into the victory column, although the Panthers are one of the top squads in the ACC at present.
Plus, it was really disappointing that Syracuse basketball allowed 91 points to a Clemson team that had gone 1-4 over its previous five games.