After going 9-4 in the non-conference, the Syracuse University men's basketball team will open up Atlantic Coast Conference play on Wednesday afternoon against Clemson at the JMA Wireless Dome.

The New Year's Eve showdown will be played at 2 p.m. ET. Our own Tom Goslowski will be there in person, so follow him on social media @TomGozz. 

--Syracuse went 9-4 in the non-conference, suffering losses against Houston, Kansas and Iowa State in the Players Era Championship. They also lost a home game against mid-major Hofstra. The Orange were 8-1 at home in non-league play. They beat Stonehill in their most recent game, Dec. 22.

--The Tigers went 10-3 in non-conference play, but they were just 0-2 away from home. They've played a challenging schedule, defeating West Virginia of the Big 12, Georgia of the SEC and Cincinnati of the Big 12. They lost close contests against Alabama of the SEC, BYU of the Big 12 and Georgetown of the Big East.

--ESPN's Matchup Predictor gives Clemson a 61.6 percent chance of winning, compared to just 38.4 for the Orange. 

--Syracuse scores 74.6 ppg and allows just 64.8. Clemson scores 79.7 and allows just 65.8.

--Syracuse features a balanced scoring attack, with six players averaging in double-figures. Clemson has just three, with RJ Godfrey leading the way at 11.3 ppg.

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--The Orange are expected to get leading scorer Donnie Freeman back injury on Wednesday. He's missed the last nine games because of a right foot injury. He's averaging 17.8 ppg for the year and we addressed the biggest questions about his return here.

--The Orange's problems at the free-throw line are well established. They enter play at 59 percent for the season, tied for last in the entire country (365th). If the game is close, especially late, the Orange just don't measure up. The positive? Freeman is a good free-throw shooter, so having him back will be big.

--The Orange rely on three young players to play significant minutes (Kiyan Anthony, Tyler Betsey and Sadiq White Jr.). They'll need at least one of them to step up and contribute in a meaningful way in this game.

--Given the holiday, and the snowstorm in Syracuse, there's a chance that the attendance could suffer again. Falling attendance has become a recent source of conversation. 

Syracuse was beaten 86-72 by Clemson a season ago.

The college football transfer portal opens up later this week and Syracuse continues to feel the affects. On Monday night, top receiver Darrell Gill Jr. announced he was hitting the portal. This came after he said in November that he was returning to school.

The Orange went 3-9 this season. 

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