What to know before Syracuse’s ACC opener against Clemson
Looking to build an NCAA Tournament-worthy resume, Syracuse begins ACC play with a New Year’s Eve showdown against Clemson. Christian Calabrese | Staff Photographer
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The Atlantic Coast Conference is one the deepest leagues in Division I hoops. Out of the top 68 teams in the NCAA’s NET Rankings, the ACC boasts 11 of them, the second-most in the nation behind the Big Ten’s 12.
More than half of the ACC is currently in a position to make the NCAA Tournament. Syracuse, sitting at No. 89 in the latest NET Rankings, is not.
After an up-and-down nonconference slate — which included a marquee victory over then-No. 13 Tennessee, an 0-3 trip to Las Vegas and a stunning defeat to Hofstra — SU begins ACC play against Clemson Wednesday. With the Orange trying to construct a March Madness-worthy resume for the first time under head coach Adrian Autry, they face an uphill battle that starts versus the Tigers, who made the last two NCAA Tournaments under head coach Brad Brownell.
Here’s everything to know before Syracuse (9-4, ACC) battles Clemson (10-3, ACC) in a New Year’s Eve showdown at the JMA Wireless Dome:
All-time series
Clemson leads 10-6.
Last time they played …
Autry’s Orange lost to the Tigers on the road on Jan. 22, 2025, prolonging Syracuse’s losing streak to Clemson to four straight games. SU is 0-3 against the Tigers under Autry and hasn’t defeated them since Jan. 18, 2022, during Jim Boeheim’s penultimate season at the helm.
In last year’s matchup, the Orange fell 86-72 after trailing by 19 points at halftime. Despite J.J. Starling’s game-high 25 points on 5-of-10 3-point shooting, Syracuse had no answer for Clemson’s Chase Hunter (23 points) and Viktor Lakhin (16 points, 10 rebounds). SU also turned the ball over 14 times to the Tigers’ seven.
With a better supporting cast around Starling this time around, another 20-plus point night from the guard could pay major dividends.
KenPom odds
Syracuse has a 42% chance of winning, with a projected score of 72-70.
The Tigers report
Currently rated as the nation’s No. 38 overall team in the NET Rankings, Clemson is well in contention to qualify for its third consecutive Big Dance under Brownell. According to KenPom, its adjusted offensive efficiency (118.6, 46th-best) and defensive efficiency (99.7, 35th-best) numbers prove it’s a well-balanced team.
Much like the Orange since losing Donnie Freeman to injury, the Tigers don’t have a top-dog scorer. Senior forward RJ Godfrey leads the team with 11.3 points per game while senior guard Jestin Porter (10.5) and junior forward Carter Welling (10.5) also average double figures.
Notice a theme? Clemson is one of the oldest teams in the country. The Tigers’ top-five scorers are upperclassmen. Besides freshman guards Ace Bucker and Zac Foster — two solid options off the bench — Clemson doesn’t play underclassmen often.
Some of that elder wisdom is paying off, as the Tigers don’t make many mistakes. They rank 13th-best in the country with a 13.6% turnover rate, per KenPom, make 73.9% of their free throws and hold opponents to a measly 27.3% 3-point shooting percentage (eighth-best in D-I).
Two of Clemson’s three losses came against ranked opponents, Alabama and BYU, and it earned a solid victory in late November over Georgia. But the Tigers’ lowest moment came in a 79-74 loss to unranked Georgetown on Nov. 15, showing their vulnerability.
How Syracuse beats Clemson
Getting Freeman back would be a start, or ending its free-throw misery, but if the Orange are going to have a shot at upsetting Clemson, they need to dial in from deep.
Syracuse has not been the up-tempo, gas-you-out team that Autry wants it to be. Its offense has lived in the half court and its wins and losses have often relied on its interior defense. To win going forward, though, SU needs to improve upon its 30.8% 3-point clip, the 279th-best total in D-I.
The Tigers are outstanding at limiting the 3-ball. But, with the Orange facing an offense they likely won’t stop in their tracks, they need to pull ahead off the shooting hands of Nate Kingz, Starling, Tyler Betsey, Kiyan Anthony and others. They aren’t getting the necessary “kill shots” — runs of 10 or more points — to get victories, partly because they struggle to shoot 3s. That’ll have to change against Clemson.
Stat to know: 15
If you haven’t heard, the Orange are terrible at shooting free throws. Last time out against Stonehill served as the latest example. Despite a blowout win, SU missed a whopping 15 free throws, its second-most misses from the stripe in any game this season. It finished 14-of-29 at the line, good for a measly 48%.
Syracuse currently ranks as the worst free-throw shooting team in the nation with a 59% overall clip. That figure is simply not sustainable if the Orange want to win ACC games and carve out an NCAA Tournament resume.
Player to watch: Donnie Freeman, forward, No. 1
Let’s be honest: this game won’t be about anyone on Clemson in particular. It’s all about Freeman — Syracuse’s star forward and points per game leader (17.8) who has missed the Orange’s last nine games, a stretch they went 5-4 in. If Freeman returns from his lower-body injury versus the Tigers, he would likely provide SU a boost it, frankly, needs in order to win.
SU has struggled to initiate a consistent half-court offense without Freeman’s presence on the block and greatly misses his stalwart defense — per EvanMiya, Freeman’s 2.6 defensive player rating is within the nation’s 98th percentile. He’s Syracuse’s best player and its most highly-touted recruit under Autry; the Orange likely can’t make March Madness without him.
