Syracuse blown out at Clemson, 78-61 (full coverage)

Clemson clamped down on Syracuse defensively and squeezed the pulp out of the Orange in a 78-61 win at Littlejohn Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.

The Tigers’ physical and harassing defense forced Syracuse into a season-low 30 percent field goal shooting as the Orange made just 18 of 60 field-goal attempts. Syracuse went 5-for-20 on 3-pointers.

Clemson entered the game ranked second in the ACC in points allowed at 62.7 per game and proved its defensive might against the Orange.

The Tigers held Syracuse to just 19 first-half points and only three made shots in the opening 20 minutes.

Syracuse’s record dips to 10-6 overall for the season and 4-5 in the ACC.

Syracuse is now 9-1 at home this season and 1-5 on the road. Syracuse is also 0-4 in Quadrant 1 games, leaving a gaping hole in its NCAA tournament resume.

Clemson improved to 12-5 for the year and 6-5 in the conference.

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JIM BOEHEIM’S POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE:

MEDIA:

Final from Clemson pic.twitter.com/IIXikrUNXV

— Syracuse Men’s Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) February 6, 2021

Clemson routs Syracuse and the Orange drop to 10-6, 4-5 ACC. SU really has its work cut out for a shot at the NCAA Tournament.

The Orange are on pace to miss out on the Big Dance for the fourth time in the last seven years.

Seven games left on the schedule before Greensboro.

— Matthew Gutierrez (@MatthewGut21) February 6, 2021

GAME PREVIEW:

Syracuse plays three of its next four games on the road starting Saturday, Feb. 6 with a contest at Clemson. The squads tip off at 2 p.m.

Syracuse unexpectedly had Wednesday off after its game against Louisville was postponed following a positive test, subsequent quarantining and contact tracing with the Cardinals’ program.

The Orange were last on the court on Sunday, Jan 31 against NC State. Syracuse (10-5, 4-4) battled back from a nine-point halftime deficit to defeat the Wolfpack, 76-73. Alan Griffin led the way with 19 points while Buddy Boeheim (17), Kadary Richmond (14), Marek Dolezaj (11) and Quincy Guerrier (10) each finished with 10+ points. Guerrier also pulled down 10 boards to secure his seventh double-double of the 2020-21 campaign.

Clemson is coming off a 63-50 win against North Carolina at Littlejohn Coliseum on Tuesday night. The victory improved the Tigers’ record to 11-5 overall, 5-5 in ACC play.

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