Field Level Media
31 Dec 2025, 04:49 GMT+10
(Photo credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images)
The end of the calendar year marks the start of conference play for Syracuse and visiting Clemson, which square off Wednesday in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.
The Orange (9-4) and Tigers (10-3) both enter their New Year's Eve matchup with three-game winning streaks, although it hasn't always been pretty for either team.
Syracuse has defeated Mercyhurst, Northeastern and Stonehill in its last three contests. Naithan George has scored 22 points in each of the last two games, while J.J. Starling added 20 in the win over Stonehill.
The Orange led by six early in the second half against the Skyhawks before pulling away for a 77-48 triumph.
'Glad we got a dub, but next game we gotta dominate to build that momentum for ACC play,' George said. 'We just gotta execute.'
Still, Syracuse coach Adrian Autry was pleased with his backcourt of George, Starling and Nate Kingz, who combined for 55 points on 8-of-15 3-point shooting.
'When you talk about our backcourt, that's how we envision it,' Autry said.
Meanwhile, Clemson has defeated Mercer, South Carolina and Cincinnati in its last three games, although none of the victories came by more than seven points. The Tigers nearly blew a 27-point lead against the Bearcats in their most recent contest, but they held on to win the Greenville Winter Invitational.
Dillon Hunter made two free throws with 3 seconds left to help Clemson survive.
'I was talking to myself,' Hunter said, 'telling myself, 'I'm knocking these down and we're going to win the game.''
The Tigers had six players score in double figures -- not an easy task when the team scored only 68 points -- with Ace Buckner and Carter Welling leading the way at 12 points apiece.
Rust could be an issue, as Clemson hasn't played since Dec. 21, while Syracuse hasn't taken the court since Dec. 22.
The Tigers have won the last four meetings between the teams, including last season's matchup, 86-72 on Jan. 22 in Clemson.
--Field Level Media
Get a daily dose of Cleveland Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Cleveland Star.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks were weaker Tuesday as investors and traders pondered the latest Federal Reserve FOMC meeting minutes....
HUZHOU, China: A private Chinese rocket startup is stepping into territory long dominated by SpaceX, signaling a shift in China's space...
ROME, Italy: Amazon has shelved its bid to launch drone deliveries in Italy, pulling back from a pilot effort that had shown technical...
NEW YORK, New York - Major U.S. stock indices closed lower on Monday, pulling back from recent record levels as investors consolidated...
SANTA CLARA, California: A global scramble to secure computing power for artificial intelligence is driving a wave of multi-billion-dollar...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: When the last gifts were unwrapped, and the Christmas rush faded, a different picture of holiday shopping...
There's an invisible emergency in America: children toil in slaughterhouses, factories, and fields—night and day, unseen, unprotected,...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration's effort to bring artificial intelligence expertise into the federal workforce has attracted...
(Photo credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images) The end of the calendar year marks the start of conference play for Syracuse and visiting...
(Photo credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images) The Phoenix Suns have a chance to match their longest winning streak of the season when they...
(Photo credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images) Stephen Curry hopes for a lucky 13th homecoming when the Golden State Warriors make their...
(Photo credit: Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) Texas Tech did not win a single bowl game during...
