Clemson Tigers Basketball Seeks to Keep Winning Streak Alive Against Syracuse

The Clemson Tigers will be back in action on Wednesday night at home against the Syracuse Orange.

It was a great weekend for the Tigers. They were able to win their third straight game and seventh in the ACC with a big road win against the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Even though Clemson (15-4, 7-1) came away with the win, it certainly wasn’t easy down the stretch. Despite an excellent start to the first half, the Tigers slowly saw their lead disappear. The Panthers were able to force this game into overtime, but luckily a Clemson offense that struggled down the stretch figured it out in extra time.

With that win, Clemson continued their strong play in the conference, as the Tigers stand right behind the Duke Blue Devils, who still haven’t lost an ACC game.

On Wednesday, the Tigers will play a struggling Orange team at home. Syracuse (9-9, 3-4 in ACC) is in the middle of the pack in the conference and trying to get closer to the top of the standings.

However, on the bright side for the Orange, it has won three of their its four games. Even though Syracuse might be playing a bit better of late, this is still a game that Clemson should have an advantage in.

Leading the way for Syracuse has been junior guard J.J. Starling. The talented guard leads the team in scoring with 18.5 points per game. In the middle, he is supported by big man Eddie Lampkin Jr., also having a solid season. The senior center is averaging 10.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.

Unfortunately for the Orange, they are still without Donnie Freeman, who has missed most of the month due to an injury. As a forward who can score and rebound the ball, he certainly would have been helpful against Clemson.

While the Orange deal with Freeman’s injury, the Tigers also have a talented forward banged up in Ian Schieffelin. The double-double machine has been battling with back spasms and tightness. While it didn’t cost him time against Pittsburgh, it is something that has kept him out of practice.

The hope is that he will be able to play on Wednesday, but back spasms are tricky. One player who will certainly be looking for another big game is Chase Hunter. The talented guard has been playing well for the Tigers, proving to be their go-to scorer.

This should be a comfortable win for Clemson, but the injury situation surrounding their star forward will be something worth monitoring.