Syracuse Treks South For Test Against Clemson

Game Details: Wednesday, Jan. 22, Clemson, S.C., 7 p.m.   
TV: ACC Network
Live Coverage: Stats
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Coming off a 17-point comeback victory over the weekend, Syracuse (9-9, 3-4 ACC) carries momentum into a Wednesday road test against Clemson (15-4, 7-1 ACC). Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and the game will air live on ACC Network.

Setting The Stage

Winners of three of its last four ACC games, Syracuse engineered its largest comeback victory of the season against Notre Dame at the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday, rallying from 17 points down to defeat the Fighting Irish, 77-69. J.J. Starling led the Orange with 21 points and Eddie Lampkin Jr. delivered his fourth consecutive double-double to help the Orange complete the comeback.

Clemson picked up a dramatic win of its own Saturday, holding off Pittsburgh in overtime, 78-75, at Petersen Events Center. Chase Hunter led the Tigers with 20 points as Clemson knocked down 14 triples, tied for the eighth most in program history. At 7-1 in the ACC, the Tigers are currently tied for second place in the conference standings with Louisville, who handed Clemson its only ACC loss on the campaign.

The Tigers are led by head coach Brad Brownell, who is in his 15^th season at the helm of the program. He guided Clemson to last year’s Elite Eight and has taken the Tigers to four NCAA Tournaments in his tenure.

The Syracuse-Clemson Series

Clemson holds a narrow 10-6 edge in the all-time series and has won three straight meetings versus Syracuse. The Tigers swept the Orange last season, with the last Syracuse victory against Clemson coming on Jan. 18, 2022, at the Dome.

Syracuse is 1-7 in its eight trips to Littlejohn Coliseum and has lost five straight outings there. The Orange picked up their first and only road win over Clemson on Feb. 7, 2017, when Tyus Battle hit a late go-ahead 3-pointer in an 82-81 victory.

Welcome Back, J.J.

Starling has picked up where he left off since returning from his injury, as Syracuse’s leading scorer has recorded double figures in four of his five appearances since rejoining the lineup. He is averaging 16.8 points per contest over that span.

In Syracuse’s win over Notre Dame, Starling led the Orange with 21 points, 16 of which came after halftime. He knocked down a season-best three 3-pointers and went 5-of-11 from the field in the second half to help close out the win. Starling has now eclipsed 20 points in three of his five appearances since hie return.

Starling is averaging a team-high 18.5 points per outing on the campaign. His 38 points from the Orange’s double-overtime victory against Youngstown State were the second most by any ACC player in a game this season.

Four For Four

Lampkin Jr. has registered a double-double in four consecutive contests, a streak he extended Saturday in Syracuse’s victory over Notre Dame. He now has a team-best seven double-doubles on the campaign.   

Against the Fighting Irish, Lampkin Jr. recorded 13 points and 11 rebounds. After a quiet first half, he ramped up his performance in the second, going 5-of-8 from the field while grabbing seven boards. In addition to his double-double, Lampkin Jr. also had team highs in assists (4), steals (3) and blocks (2).

The double-double streak began against Georgia Tech, when Lampkin Jr. had 10 points and 12 boards. The center then matched his season high with 13 rebounds at Boston College and added 10 points in that encounter. An 11-point, 10-rebound effort against Louisville prolonged the streak to three games.  

The center has amassed double-digit rebounds in seven of the last eight games and has led the Orange in boards on 10 occasions.

Clutch Cuffe

Kyle Cuffe Jr. was a key contributor in Syracuse’s comeback bid versus Notre Dame, as the guard complimented Starling and Lampkin Jr. with 13 points of his own. The guard went 10-of-10 from the free throw line, with all 10 makes coming in the second half.

 

Cuffe Jr. has now reached double figures in scoring in six of the last 10 contests while averaging 8.1 points in that stretch.  

 

Davis Doing It All

Davis made his seventh start of the season against Louisville in place of the injured Donnie Freeman. He finished with eight points, four rebounds and a pair of assists.

He has nine games this season with at least five points and five rebounds, which he has accomplished in five of the Orange’s seven ACC contests. The forward is third on the team for season in rebounding with 5.6 per game and is shooting 53-percent from the field while averaging 8.7 points.

Crashing The Glass

As a team, Syracuse grabs 38.2 rebounds per contest, the fourth most in the ACC. The Orange boast a plus-31 margin on the season and have recorded double-digit offensive boards 11 times on the campaign.

Three different Syracuse players have pulled down 10 or more rebounds in a game this season – Lampkin Jr. (nine times), Freeman (seven times) and Davis (one time). Lampkin is fourth in the conference in rebounding (8.2 per game) and has double-digit boards in seven of the last eight outings, while Freeman has hit double figures in two of his last three appearances.

Scouting Clemson

Hunter is Clemson’s leading scorer this season, as he averages 17.6 points per contest. Ian Schieffelin (13.0) and Jaeden Zackery (10.8) also average in double figures with Viktor Lakhin (9.9) close behind. Hunter has made 50 3-pointers on the season, tied for the second most in the ACC, and is the third most efficient free throw shooter in the conference at 89-percent (58-of-65).

 

Schieffelin averages a double-double, as his 10.1 rebounds per outing lead the Tigers and sit second among all ACC players. Zackery ranks No. 3 in the ACC with 41 steals while Lakhin’s 31 blocks are atop the conference.

 

Clemson boasts the fourth best scoring defense in the conference, allowing just 66.7 points per contest. The Tigers shoot 38.9-percent from beyond-the-arc, the best clip in the conference, and are No. 2 in the conference in free throw shooting at 78.1-percent. Clemson ‘s 143 steals this season rank No. 3 in the ACC.

 

Freeman, Lampkin Jr. Make Preseason Watch Lists

Freeman is one of 20 players to make the preseason watch list for the 2025 Karl Malone Award, which recognizes the top power forwards in Division I men’s basketball. Freeman, a McDonald’s All-American and the second-highest Syracuse recruit in program history, is one of two freshmen to make this year’s Malone Award watch list. 

Freeman, who has missed the three two games due to injury, has registered six double-doubles on the campaign and is averaging 15.3 points over his last nine appearances. He has scored 15 or more in six games over that stretch.

Lampkin Jr. is one of 20 preseason watch-list candidates for the 2025 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, which goes to the top center in men’s college basketball. Lampkin Jr. is in his first year with the Orange and is averaging 9.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest with six double-doubles.

The list for both awards will be narrowed to 10 in late January, and then to just five in late February. In March, the five finalists for both awards will be presented to Abdul-Jabbar, Malone and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee where winners will be selected. 

Orange fans are encouraged to participate in three rounds of Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, on hoophallawards.com.

Tickets

Syracuse men’s basketball tickets are available online (cuse.com/tickets), by phone (1-888-DOMETIX) and at the Dome Box Office (Gate B).

For complete coverage of Syracuse men’s basketball, follow the team on X (@Cuse_MBB) and Instagram (@cuse_mbb).