Syracuse Orange (20-10) vs. Clemson Tigers (20-9)
March 5, 2024 7:00 pm EDT
The Line: Clemson Tigers -9.5; Over/Under: 154
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The Syracuse Orange and the Clemson Tigers meet Tuesday in college basketball action from Littlejohn Coliseum. Syracuse is fresh off a win over Louisville that improved the team to 20-10 overall. As for Clemson, they’re 20-9 so far following a loss to Notre Dame. Let’s get into our Syracuse vs. Clemson prediction. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Syracuse Orange
The Orange got off to a 14-6 run over their first 20 games. A sketchy 2-4 run came next featuring losses to Boston College, Wake Forest, Clemson and Georgia Tech. Since then it’s been four straight wins over NC State, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and Louisville.
In the Louisville game on Saturday, the Orange were up 39-28 by halftime. Syracuse cruised from there on a 48-43 run and took the win 82-76 in the end. Chris Bell led the way on 23 points with seven rebounds, and Judah Mintz added 21 points with five assists.
Clemson Tigers
Over on the Clemson side, they were 14-7 through their first 21 games. The Tigers have played well lately on a 6-2 run with wins over North Carolina, Syracuse, Miami, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Pittsburgh. Clemson’s losses in that time were versus NC State and Notre Dame.
Back on Saturday matched up against Notre Dame, Clemson was ahead by three points in the locker room. The Tigers were outscored 38-28 the rest of the way however and lost 69-62. PJ Hall was the top team scorer with his 21 points and seven rebounds in 32 minutes of work.
ANDREW’S FREE SYRACUSE VS CLEMSON PREDICTION
I’ll take a stab on Clemson, but you could make a case either way. This should be a fun matchup. The Tigers really need to get their offense going after a rough second half against Notre Dame, though. Clemson hit just 39 percent from the field and 17.9 percent from 3-point range in that one. It’s the second consecutive game that the Tigers have failed to hit 70 points.
In their last meeting, Clemson managed a 77-68 road win over Syracuse back on February 10. The Tigers got off to a very strong start in that one and ended up shooting a blistering 60.8 percent from the field with a 41-24 rebounding edge. Syracuse will be ready for the rematch, but I think Clemson will get the cover thanks to a home push. Should be a good one regardless.
