The Syracuse Orange are set to take the court for the first time against the ACC on Wednesday, and the first in-conference matchup will see the team looking to grab a key resume-building victory in the JMA
Wireless Dome.
Going forward leading up to an ACC game, you’ll be hearing from the writers that cover the opponents the Orange will face from now until the end of the season. To get our readers prepped for this conference play opener, we brought in Drew Schneider from Shakin the Southland to answer some questions we had:
TNIAAM: Clemson enters its upcoming game versus Syracuse with a 10-3 overall record. Is that win total higher, lower or about where most fans reasonably expected the team to be heading into the ACC slate?
STS: I thought the Tigers would be 9-4 or 8-5 headed into conference play, so I’m pleasantly surprised.
As for the fan base at large, not sure. The football team’s loss to Penn State reminded them that Clemson has a basketball team. I’m going to guess they are pleased with 10-3 and think they have an outside shot at playing in the Outback Bowl.
TNIAAM: Who have been the key players driving the results on the court for the Tigers so far?
STS: This is a “sum of the parts is greater than the whole” situation. RJ Godfrey is Clemson’s leading scorer, putting up 11.3 PPG. Ace Buckner is Clemson’s sixth leading scorer, putting up 7.7 PPG.
Clemson has eight KenPom MVPs in their ten wins.
- RJ Godfrey – 3
- Ace Bucker – 2
- Nick Davidson – 1
- Carter Welling – 1
- Dillon Hunter – 1
In their win over Cincinnati, six players hit double figures, with no one scoring more than 12 points for the Tigers.
The good news for teams playing Clemson is that there isn’t an elite player on this roster.
The bad news is that the Tigers are an impossible scout because Brad Brownell has no idea who might emerge to lead the team on any given night.
TNIAAM: Clemson has three players in double-figures, with no one scoring more than 11.3 PPG. How do the Tigers typically put the ball in the basket?
STS: I should have read ahead because I touched on this answer in the last question.
Honestly, it depends on who is hot and what the defense is willing to give up since this team isn’t reliant on any one (or two, or three) guys to score. Generally speaking, Clemson beats good teams by hitting their outside shots. In their two biggest wins of the season, they hit 10/20 from deep against Cincinnati, and they went 11/25 from deep against Georgia.
Keep in mind, though, RJ Godfrey is Clemson’s leading scorer, and he is currently 0-3 from three on the season. They need to hit shots to win, but have enough on the interior to keep them in games until the shooting catches fire.
TNIAAM: For Syracuse, what’s the key to stopping Clemson?
STS: Remain calm on defense and don’t over help. Clemson has five guys who are comfortable with putting the ball in the basket at all times. When one of those guys is left open, the ball tends to find him.
Snug up on the Clemson guards and turn them into drivers instead of shooters. Challenge them to finish contested twos at the rim instead of collapsing and giving them easy catch-and-shoot opportunities from the perimeter.
Essentially, guard your own man and don’t turn a tough two into a wide-open three by overhelping at the rim.
TNIAAM: Switching sides of the court, what’s the best way for Syracuse to attack the Tigers on offense?
STS: My main suggestion is to kidnap AJ Dybantsa or Labaron Philon and make them play for your team, since Clemson didn’t have an answer for either of them. That makes Donnie Freeman’s return all the more intriguing because he’s the type of player the Tigers don’t have an answer for on the roster.
Much like the offense, Clemson’s defense is a team endeavor, and it can be overwhelmed by elite individual talents. I’d give the ball to Donnie, tell him AJ went for 28, and see if he can get 30 in his return to the lineup.
In more general terms, you have to get the ball moving downhill against Clemson. When the defense is connected, it’s solid. When it’s scrambling, it lacks the athletes to keep up. Starling needs to get a piece of the lane on every possession and let things fall into place after that.
TNIAAM: Most notable x-factor player on each side heading into this contest?
STS: On offense, it’s Jestin Porter. He’s been on a heater from deep over the last four games, connecting on 11 of his previous 21 attempts. He’s been a big game player for the Tigers, hitting 4-9 from deep in their overtime win against Georgia and hitting 5-9 in their close loss to BYU. He’s the type of player who can go on a 9-point run on his own in two minutes and then disappear for the next 20.
On defense, Carter Welling’s rim protection can be a difference maker. The 2024-’25 WAC Defensive Player of the Year transfer from Utah State is an elite weak-side help defender. He’s not nearly as good as a primary defender, but the Syracuse guards should think twice before tossing up anything weak because Welling will go up and get shots that most big men don’t attempt to block.
TNIAAM: With college eligibility in the spotlight over recent days, are there any thoughts from fans on that topic specifically, and does Clemson plan to reach out to alumni like KJ McDaniels? Syracuse certainly has plenty of familiar names it can get back on the court.
STS: One advantage of not recruiting at an elite level is that your team doesn’t lose many players early to the NBA. This is totally a strategy employed by Clemson and Brad Brownell. I was relieved when Zion Williamson picked Duke over Clemson after the Tigers appeared to be the leader in the clubhouse for the corpulent, only to have Duke swoop in and pull the rug out from under us at the last moment. I want everyone reading this to know that I’m not at all bitter about the situation, which is why I’m bringing up something that happened in 2018.
If you’re reading between the lines, you probably already realize that KJ McDaniels is the only player to leave early during Brad Brownell’s 14 seasons in Clemson.
TNIAAM: Final score and prediction?
STS: KenPom thinks this game is a toss-up, and who am I to argue with math?
This game boils down to Clemson’s ability to hit outside shots. If the shooting travels, the Tigers win. If the shooting stays home to avoid the frigid temps, Syracuse takes it and potentially runs away.
I’ll take Clemson to win 69-67, but only because I graduated from Clemson.
Thanks again to Drew Schneider for taking the time to provide some added perspective on the Tigers and this matchup! For more Clemson Tigers content, be sure to check out the Shakin the Southland site.
