Clemson vs. Syracuse: College basketball game preview, TV schedule

Syracuse is once again right on the bubble heading into the 2018 ACC Conference Tournament. A win over Clemson would be huge for their resume.

TV schedule: Saturday, March 3, 2:00 p.m. ET. ACCNetwork

Arena: Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York

On Tuesday night, our latest Bracketology for Busting Brackets was released. And for Orange fans, it wasn’t good news. Syracuse 18-12 (7-10) was listed as one of the “First Four Out” in our projections, after losing to both Duke and North Carolina.

Those losses were acceptable, but losing by 15 points to Boston College wasn’t. It was close in the first half, but the three-headed monster of Ky Bowman, Jordan Chatman and Jerome Robinson for the Eagles went off. As a team, Boston College shot 14/27 from three-point range, and held Syracuse to 38% shooting.

The Orange’s own three-headed monster once again provided all the shooting, with Tyus Battle (29 points), Oshae Brissett (18 points and nine rebounds), and Frank Howard (17 points) scored all but six total points for the team. Now this team is 7-10 in a good, but not supremely great ACC, and desperately needs a win on Saturday.

Their opponent will be Clemson 22-7 (11-6), who are coming off 76-63 win at home over Florida State. Marcquise Reed, whose become the clear go-to guy for the Tigers, led them to the win with 22 points. He also contributed with seven rebounds and five assists. Gabe DeVoe chipped in with 13 points on 3/12, and has been struggling as of late.

Next: March Player of the Year rankings

For ACC bubble teams, there are really just three teams that a win would be considered a “great win” – Duke, North Carolina and Clemson. Syracuse gets that opportunity on Saturday at home, where the Orange are 4-4 in league play. The Tigers have one of the better defenses in all of college basketball, and only has to guard three players. How Syracuse scores enough to win will be a mystery.

Prediction: Clemson 75 – Syracuse 66