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After erasing a nine-point halftime deficit against North Carolina State, Syracuse struggled throughout its blowout loss to Clemson on Saturday. The Tigers limited SU to just 19 points in the first half, allowing just three made shots — and two over the final 19:27.

Joe Girard III led Syracuse (10-6, 4-5 Atlantic Coast) with 19 points, while Alan Griffin added 12. But Nick Honor hit five 3-pointers for the Tigers (12-5, 6-5), even though they entered as one of the country’s worst 3-point shooting teams.

Here are three takeaways from the Orange’s 78-61 loss:

Horrendous offensive performance

Buddy Boeheim hit a 3-pointer on Syracuse’s first offensive possession, but that was the only make the Orange would have from beyond the arc until Girard hit one with 12:56 to go in the second half. But unlike other games — when Syracuse struggled from 3 yet managed successful possessions inside — Clemson’s defense suffocated the Orange into 12% shooting across the opening 20 minutes.

A large part of those problems stemmed from the perimeter, where Boeheim, Girard and Kadary Richmond struggled to turn the corners and drive into the lanes. Syracuse’s offense, which at times this season flashed quick ball movement that used crosscourt passes to find open space, stalled on Saturday.

Boeheim and Griffin led the Orange with five points each at halftime, and SU’s 12 made free throws was the only reason a 20-point deficit hadn’t ballooned to more.

Even as Syracuse doubled its offensive output in the second half, it still attempted 14 3-pointers and made just four of them. Griffin took the Orange’s first shot of the second half, turning around and elevating after a lost possession found him with his back to the basket. It bounced away harmlessly, and Clemson’s Hunter Tyson made a jumper at the other end.

Rebounds are the problem, again

Clemson’s first basket came off an offensive rebound, when Clyde Trapp grabbed the board around Marek Dolezaj and converted on the putback. And the Tigers gathered two more before Syracuse recorded its first rebound — offensive or defensive — more than five minutes into the game.

Along with defense, rebounding has been a season-long problem for Syracuse, and it continued on Saturday. Dolezaj struggled with defensive rebound positioning, and Clemson guards and forwards maneuvered around him with ease at times. By the end of the first half, the Tigers had seven offensive rebounds, while the Orange grabbed just 10 total.

Syracuse kept pace with Clemson’s rebounding in the second half, only getting outrebounded by four (18-14), but it was the gap in the opening 20 minutes that contributed to the game-long deficit SU faced. Quincy Guerrier led the Orange with six rebounds, while Richmond was the next-highest with five.

The return of Bourama Sidibe

After Griffin shot his second of three free throws, the horn sounded and Bourama Sidibe walked onto the court. Syracuse’s center had been out since the season-opener against Bryant after tearing his meniscus and dealing with setbacks that followed.

That absence left the Orange without a true center, as Dolezaj slid over in the 2-3 zone to fill Sidibe’s spot. For the next 14 games, Syracuse was forced to adapt without the senior, who ranked 59th in the country in block percentage and 42nd in offensive rating, per KenPom.

Sidibe returned to his spot at the center of the Orange’s zone and earned two free throws less than a minute after checking in. But he struggled with rebounding positioning at times and was called for an illegal screen in the first half, too.

With 4:39 left in the second half, Sidibe fouled again after Clemson broke Syracuse’s press and raced up the court. He bent his arms and lowered himself into John Newman III.

Sidibe finished with one point, one turnover, zero rebounds and four fouls in 11 minutes.

Published on February 6, 2021 at 4:21 pm

Contact Andrew: arcrane@syr.edu | @CraneAndrew