Beat writers split on if Syracuse will defeat Clemson

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In its penultimate game of the regular season, Syracuse defeated Louisville 82-76 Saturday. The Orange featured five scorers in double-digits — led by Chris Bell’s 23 and Judah Mintz’s 21 — to string together their fourth consecutive win.

To round out Atlantic Coast Conference regular season play, SU plays Clemson on the road. In their first meeting on Feb. 10, Syracuse lost 77-68 despite overcoming a once-15-point first-half deficit. J.J. Starling tied the contest at 60-60 with 3:37 remaining but the Tigers rallied behind former SU guard Joe Girard III’s 18 points and PJ Hall’s 15.

As of Monday, Clemson sits at No. 5 in the ACC standings following its 69-62 loss to Notre Dame. Syracuse, meanwhile, is one spot ahead at No. 4 after its victory over Louisville clinched the program’s most ACC wins in a single season since 2013-14, and the most overall since 2018-19.

Here’s how our beat writers think SU (20-10, 11-8 ACC) will fare against Clemson (20-9, 10-8 ACC):

Cole Bambini (23-7)
Buzz kill
Clemson 81, Syracuse 79

To me, this game is a toss-up. Syracuse has rattled off four wins in a row and is 6-2 since losing to Wake Forest by 29. The Orange, sitting in fourth place in the ACC, have a lot on the line at Clemson Tuesday if they want to build their NCAA Tournament chances.

But similarly, Clemson, also vying for an NCAA Tournament bid, has just as much to play for. It sits in fifth place in the ACC and comes off a bad loss to Notre Dame on the road. The Tigers also have two games remaining, compared to the Orange’s one.

I think this game will come down to the wire, and possibly the final possession. Clemson is 11-4 at home this season, and Syracuse has struggled on the road but picked up a win at Louisville recently. I think the team’s matchup well — Hall vs Maliq Brown will be the key to this game.

It wouldn’t come as a surprise to me if Syracuse won at Littlejohn Coliseum Tuesday, but I think Clemson, with balanced scoring from Hall, Girard III, and company will lift the Tigers Tuesday and play spoiler.

Henry O’Brien (21-9)
Don’t forget Joe
Clemson 85, Syracuse 81

Girard III did not shoot much against SU. He just so happened to make all but one of his six attempts en route to a game-high 18 points. Like with Clemson’s win at the Dome last month, Girard will be the difference in stopping the Orange’s win streak in its tracks. Along with Girard III being a threat from 3, Hall will dominate down low against Brown. It’s hard to hold Hall off for long and I think he will dominate.

But it will be a much closer, higher-scoring contest than the last time the two teams played. Syracuse is shooting 54.5% from the field in its four-game win streak and will have more success. Bell has been a strong factor over these past four games and he will shoot proficiently once again.

This is another matchup that will come down to a few missed shots. My final score indicates that this game should be a toss-up. Which brings me back to Girard. He has been Clemson’s sharpshooter and when it comes down to the final moments, I don’t think he will come up short.

Tyler Schiff (24-6)
Out with a bang
Syracuse 86, Clemson 80

For Syracuse, everything’s clicking at the right time. It rides a four-game win streak into Littlejohn Coliseum as a rejuvenated side — not the same team that suffered appalling away losses at North Carolina and Wake Forest.

Though worries about SU’s ability to sustain comfortable first-half leads persist, the Orange have played their best basketball in February. Mintz has notched 20-plus points in three consecutive outings while Starling hasn’t scored in single figures since Jan. 13. Brown registered his third double-double this season at Louisville and continues to assemble tremendous all-around performances.

While Cole identifies Tuesday’s key matchup as Hall vs. Brown, I’m interested to see how Justin Taylor plays Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin. SU’s lack of a stable frontcourt often pits Taylor against larger, more physical forwards, resulting in easy looks inside. If Taylor can limit Schieffelin’s production in the post — an outcome entirely possible given his recent confidence — more weight is placed on Hall and the Tigers’ guards to produce.

Remember, if Syracuse beats Clemson, and Wake Forest loses either of its last two regular season games, that once-far-fetched No. 4 seed is clinched. And — at the very least — I see the first of these two crucial outcomes materializing on Tuesday.