First meeting in the Post JG3 Era
The Syracuse Orange (9-9, 3-4) are back on the road tomorrow night as they take on the Clemson Tigers (15-4, 7-1) at Littlejohn Coliseum. Tip-off is at 7:00 pm on the ACC Network and here’s what we’re watching for:
Kevin: Patience on offense
The Tigers are holding opponents under 67 points this season and the Orange get in trouble when pressured by tight defense. They become careless with the ball and often force tough shots rather than forcing the defense to move and adjust. I’d like to see Syracuse attack inside and force Viktor Lahkin and Ian Schieffelin to defend Eddie Lampkin and Jyare Davis on the blocks. If you can force some double-teams, it can free up JJ Starling and Lucas Taylor to get downhill and attack the paint. Settling for contested jumpers isn’t going to win this game.
Mike: Crowd the outside
The Tigers have a deadly combination – the best three-point shooting rotation (38.9%) in the ACC, and the conference’s top rebounder Ian Schieffelin (10.1 AVG) to control the boards on both ends. With Lampkin on his own double-double pace lately, I’m confident he can cancel out Schieffelin’s production, but can this defense find a way to make Clemson take some tough threes? Running some 1-3-1 with the right personnel could help close off the corners and keep those shots further up the wings.
Dom: Win the turnover battle
Even if Syracuse can have a Notre Dame game-like performance and shut down its opponent on the perimeter, Syracuse’s offense isn’t efficient to the point where it can simply outscore Clemson on an even playing field. The Orange winning will come down to whether they can force turnovers and get some freebies out in transition, otherwise Clemson will win this game by at least 10 points considering how solid the Tigers rotation is on both sides of the ball.
Max: Keep the Tigers off the line
While Clemson is one of the country’s best from three-point range (13th), it also excels at the free-throw line, converting over 78% of its tries (23rd). Despite this strength, the Tigers actually struggle getting to the stripe, averaging just under 17 attempts per game (T-293rd). With this in mind, there’s no excuse for careless fouls from the Syracuse defense. If Autry’s crew can just keep their hands straight up, it will quickly diffuse one of Clemson’s strengths.
Szuba: Perimeter defense
Clemson is one of the better outside shooting teams in the country, shooting 39% from outside on the season. Syracuse has struggled defending all year but in its last three wins it has limited opponents to a combined 13 threes. It won’t just be the guards and Lucas Taylor who need to lock in from the perimeter as Clemson’s Ian Schiefflin and Viktor Lahkin can knock down outside shots if left open. Can Syracuse lock in on defense or do we observe a similar outing to the Louisville game?
*****************************************************************************************************What will you be watching for tomorrow night?