After beating its second top 10 team this year, Syracuse (15-9, 7-4 Atlantic Coast) carries a four-game winning streak into its road game against Clemson (13-9, 3-7) Tuesday at 8 p.m. The Tigers are fresh off a 48-point loss to Florida State, a team SU beat by 10, and are dragging through conference play.

Head coaches Jim Boeheim and Brad Brownell joined the ACC coaches teleconference Monday morning. Here’s are three notable things they said.

Clemson might be the ACC’s biggest victim so far

Contrary to the blowout against FSU, the Tigers have played tight games with some of the country’s (and conference’s) best teams. Clemson took North Carolina to overtime and lost, fell by only five points to Notre Dame and lost by only four against Virginia. Earlier this season, SU combined to lose by 35 in consecutive matchups with UNC and UND.

“I think (Clemson’s) a good team,” Boeheim said. “They’ve just got a bad record because they’re in a good league.”

Currently the Tigers sit in the lower rung of the ACC standings with NC State, Boston College and Pittsburgh. Meanwhile the Orange finds itself sandwiched between the conference’s five ranked teams.

From an outsider’s perspective, Syracuse fits together well

Boeheim is usually averse to making starting lineup changes, but that’s not been the case this season. As the team’s depth has dwindled with injuries and lackluster performances, SU has unveiled a handful of starting lineups. The group Boeheim is sticking with includes John Gillon, Tyus Battle Andrew White, Tyler Lydon and Taurean Thompson.

That’s the squad that has reeled in four consecutive victories, and after a very disjointed start to the season, Brownell’s perception is that the Orange is finally coming together.

“They’ve settled into a nice groove,” Clemson’s head coach said. “Guys fit together, they’re playing well, they’re playing with confidence.”

Brownell dished out individual compliments to all five of the Syracuse starters, generally honing in on the team’s shooting ability. He specifically highlighted SU’s high ranking free-throw and 3-point shooting percentages, which the Orange rank first and second in, respectively, during league play.

Too many isolated Tigers

In trying to diagnose the root of his team’s struggles, Brownell spent a few minutes running through Clemson’s poor defense and turnovers against the Seminoles. SU has been plagued with similar problems throughout parts of this season. But, Brownell said, the overarching theme with his team’s struggles is a lack of cohesiveness.

“I think what’s happened to our team is we (break off) a little bit and guys go do their own thing,” Brownell said, “especially offensively.”

It will be interesting to watch how the Tigers attack Syracuse’s zone, especially star forward Jaron Blossomgame. The 6-foot-7 senior is a force in the paint, leading his team with 17.7 points per game.

Published on February 6, 2017 at 2:57 pm

Contact Connor: cgrossma@syr.edu | @connorgrossman