by Nick Roby
Syracuse 10-5 (4-4) @ Clemson 11-5 (5-5) 2pm ACC Network
The Tigers got a huge win on Tuesday night over North Carolina 63-50. They look to build on that momentum today with a home game against Syracuse. The Orange are coming off a win back on January 31st against NC State and are right behind the Tigers in the ACC Standings.
Here are some keys to the game I will be watching:
1 – Clemson Offense vs. Syracuse Zone
When you play Syracuse, the first thing you tend to think of a Jim Boeheim team is the infamous zone they play. More often than not, teams play man-to-man defense with some different coverages they can switch too. The Orange play zone almost exclusively and they play it well. The biggest key I see in this matchup is can the Clemson offense penetrate and breakdown the Syracuse zone. Clemson needs to look to break the zone on the inside with the likes of Simms and Trapp and not settle for 3’s right away. The 3 point shot will be there, and the Tigers just need to be patient and make the defense collapse to get those open shots.
2 – Depth
Clemson and Syracuse play two different styles of depth. Clemson this year likes to play with more players and try to wear you down over the course of 40 minutes. Syracuse has their starters and only a couple players they go to off the bench. The key for Clemson is using their depth to make Syracuse work hard for everything on both ends of the floor. The Tigers need to look to attack Syracuse and force them to get out of their usual rotations through foul trouble and/or because of fatigue.
Minutes Per Game (10 minutes +)
| Clemson | Minutes | Syracuse | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| C. Trapp | 27.4 | B. Boeheim | 36.1 |
| A. Simms | 27.4 | M. Dolezaj | 35.8 |
| A. Dawes | 26 | Q. Guerrier | 33.7 |
| N. Honor | 23.1 | A. Griffin | 32.5 |
| J. Newman | 20.1 | J. Girard | 30.5 |
| J. Baehre | 18.1 | K. Richmond | 20.8 |
| C. Hunter | 14.9 | ||
| H. Tyson | 14.8 | ||
| A. Hemenway | 13.9 | ||
| O. Prosper | 10.9 | ||
| P. Hall | 10.9 |
3 – Defensive Rebounding
Clemson did a good job against the Tar Heels in the rebounding margin and limiting them to one possession many times. In the same way, they need to do that again against Syracuse today. The Tigers should look to force the Orange to settle for long jump shots and not let them get 2nd chance opportunities. They also need to be aware of someone like Buddy Boeheim who has the capability to get hot from long range. If they can make the Orange settle for long, contested jump shots, it can lead to fast break opportunities and times where the Orange cannot get their zone defense set.