The Orange went 9-4 in the non-conference portion of their schedule.
The Syracuse University men's basketball team will open up Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play on Wednesday afternoon against Clemson.
Tip-off is 2 p.m. ET at the JMA Wireless Dome. Our own Tom Goslowski will be there covering the contest, and you can follow him on social media @TomGozz.
We covered the basics of what you need to know here, but just for a recap, the Orange enter play at 9-4 while the Tigers are 10-3.
Clemson has played more a challenging schedule, earning wins over power conference foes like Cincinnati, Georgia and West Virginia. They've lost power conference games to Georgetown, BYU and Alabama.
Syracuse has lost against Iowa State, Houston and Kansas, but also suffered a bad loss at home against Hofstra. SU did beat Tennessee, who was ranked No. 13 at the time.
Who is the favorite in this game?
According to lines set by Fanduel, Clemson is favored by 1.5 points. While not a big spread, it's never a good sign when you are the underdog at home. ESPN's matchup predictor also gave the Tigers a greater than 60 percent chance to win the game.
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So how can Syracuse flip the script?
Well, first and foremost, SU can get a big boost from Donnie Freeman. The team's leading scorer at 17.8 ppg, he's missed the last nine games with a right foot injury. His ability to stretch the floor, rebound and take the heat off William Kyle III and Sadiq White will be big. He's also a 78 percent free-throw shooter, which is huge for the worst free-throw shooting team in the country.
Secondly, Syracuse would figure to benefit from a more authoritative scoring breakdown. The Orange are blessed to have six players who average in double-figures and to have six players who can all contribute offensively. That said, in this ACC opener, the upperclassmen leaders need to take over. Freeman, JJ Starling and Naithan George need to drive the engine and deliver big games.
And finally, free-throws. This is going to be a storyline for the Orange all season. They are 365th in the nation in free-throw shooting percentage at 59 percent. If the game is close, the Orange haven't shown the ability to hit those clutch shots, and that's likely one of the reasons why Clemson is favored: A lack of trust at the line.
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