Clemson, fresh off a big upset of North Carolina, visits Syracuse on Saturday afternoon for a midday Atlantic Coast Conference game that can impact the NCAA Tournament hopes of both teams.
Clemson (15-7, 5-6 ACC) never relinquished the lead Tuesday in toppling the No. 3 Tar Heels 80-76 in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Against North Carolina, Tigers center PJ Hall scored 25 points while shooting guard Joseph Girard III, who played four years at Syracuse, had 21 points. Girard hit five 3-pointers, and Hall had four.
“We didn’t want to get out of here with just a win — we wanted a domination win,” Hall said. “Come out here, set the tone, get in a rhythm. Don’t go out there scared. Come in expecting a win. … if we do that every game, we can play with anyone.”
Syracuse (15-8, 6-6) had lost two straight ACC games before squeezing past a struggling Louisville team on Wednesday, and the Orange need every win to keep their postseason hopes alive.
Forward Chris Bell scored a career-best 30 points on 8-of-10 3-point shooting in Syracuse’s 94-92 win in the final seconds.