Syracuse @ Clemson preview
Littlejohn Coliseum
Last Meeting ( Jan 9, 2019 ) Clemson 53, Syracuse 61
Two teams hoping to bolster their NCAA Tournament resumes square off Saturday, when Clemson hosts Syracuse in both teams’ regular-season finale. The Orange are trying to avoid playing themselves onto the dreaded bubble, where the Tigers sit with few chances left to improve their case for a spot in the 68-team field.
Clemson has kept alive its NCAA Tournament hopes by winning three of its last four games following a three-game skid. The Tigers are coming off a 64-62 victory at Notre Dame on Wednesday after missing a chance for a quality win in an 81-79 home loss to North Carolina four days earlier. Syracuse has headed in the opposite direction, losing three of its last four contests, although all three defeats were against top-five teams. The Orange have won three straight meetings with Clemson, including a 61-53 home victory on Jan. 9.
TV: Noon, CBS
ABOUT SYRACUSE (19-11, 10-7 ACC): The Orange usually are tough on defense, but their signature zone was torched in a 79-53 loss to Virginia on Monday, as the Cavaliers were 18-for-25 from 3-point range. Tyus Battle (17.5 points) is the team’s go-to player at the offensive end, but the frontcourt duo of Elijah Hughes (13.8 points) and Oshae Brissett (12.5, 7.6 rebounds) is a tough matchup. Hughes can stretch the defense, averaging 2.5 3-pointers per game, and Brissett has notched seven double-doubles.
ABOUT CLEMSON (18-12, 8-9): The Tigers rank second in scoring defense during ACC play, allowing just 63 points per game, and they held Notre Dame to 36.4 percent shooting on Wednesday. Marcquise Reed (19.3 points, 5.4 rebounds) and Shelton Mitchell (11.7 points) make up a veteran backcourt duo that can attack the defense in a variety of ways. Elijah Thomas (13.2 points, 7.9 rebounds) has scored in double figures in seven straight games and posted double-doubles in two of his last four contests.
TIP-INS
1. Both teams are assured of first-round byes in the ACC tournament as Clemson will be either the No. 8 or 9 seed and face North Carolina State in Wednesday’s second round, while Syracuse will be either No. 6 or No. 7 and face an opponent yet to be determined.
2. Syracuse is 10-0 when outrebounding the opposition and 9-11 when tying or losing the battle of the boards.
3. Reed is one two players in the country averaging at least 19 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals this season.
PREDICTION: Clemson 69, Syracuse 67