No. 18 Clemson can go bye-bye by beating Syracuse (Mar 02, 2018)
While No. 18 Clemson looks to cap one of the finest seasons in program history by clinching a double bye in the ACC Tournament, Syracuse is looking for that elusive signature win to boost its fading NCAA Tournament hopes.
On the final day of the ACC's regular season, the Tigers (22-7, 11-6 ACC) visit the Orange (18-12, 7-10) at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.
On Wednesday, Clemson earned its program-record 11th ACC win and tied a school mark with its 15th home win of the season by rallying to defeat Florida State 76-63 at Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, S.C. Redshirt junior guard Marcquise Reed notched his 10th 20-point outing of the season with 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting as the Tigers recorded their 22nd win -- the most since the 2013-14 team won 23.
"Obviously something that the players will remember for a long time," Clemson coach Brad Brownell said of winning 11 ACC games. "It's good to talk about. Hopefully it's a record that will be broken again. It's not an insurmountable record, but it's significant for Clemson basketball. We don't have as much tradition as some of the places, so there's opportunity there to continue to build."
Entering Saturday's play, the Tigers are tied with North Carolina for third place in the ACC behind Virginia (16-1) and Duke (12-5). The top four teams receive a double bye for the ACC Tournament that starts March 6 in Brooklyn, N.Y.
There are several potential scenarios based on the outcomes of Saturday's games. But for the Tigers, all they need to know is that if they win, they'll clinch the double bye and it won't matter what happens with North Carolina (11-6), Miami (10-7), Virginia Tech (10-7) and North Carolina State (10-7).
"We've been talking about just trying to secure that top-four seed, just winning our games and hoping everything plays out," said senior guard Gabe DeVoe, who scored 13 points in the win over Florida State.
Despite losing at Boston College 85-70 on Wednesday, Syracuse seemingly remains on the NCAA Tournament bubble. ESPN's Joe Lunardi listed the Orange as his second team outside the field of 68 on Thursday and CBS Sports' Jerry Palm ranked Syracuse as his first team out.
Clemson gives the Orange another opportunity to fix the biggest issue on their resume: The lack of a marquee win. Syracuse is 0-6 against Top 25 teams this season. The Tigers were No. 8 in the RPI rankings as of Thursday.
To pull off the upset, the Orange will likely need to get some production from players other than sophomore guard Tyus Battle (20.1 points per game, third in the ACC), junior guard Frank Howard (15.4) and freshman forward Oshae Brissett (14.6).
Against Boston College, those three players accounted for 64 of Syracuse's 70 points, and the other four players who appeared in the game combined for six points in a combined 82 minutes.
"This team has battled all year," Orange coach Jim Boeheim said after the Boston College game. "They've tried hard. I can't even get upset. We're just limited.
"The bottom line is we have three guys that have been doing the scoring," Boeheim added. "We don't have other guys that are capable of scoring. That's really what it is."
