Syracuse vs. Clemson Predictions & Analysis 2/22/23

Syracuse (16-11 SU 14-12 ATS) vs. Clemson (19-8 SU 11-15 ATS)
When: Wednesday, February 22nd: 7:00 ET
Where: Littlejohn Coliseum Clemson, SC
TV: ACCN
Point Spread: SU +4/Clem -4
Total: 143.0
Money Line: Syracuse Orange +149/Clemson Tigers -188

The Syracuse Orange travel to Clemson, SC, to take on the Clemson Tigers in Wednesday’s ACC action. The CBB betting board has the Tigers as a -3.5 home favorite with a total line of 142.5.

Line Movement:

The spread line opened with Clemson as a -3 home favorite, but early betting has driven that line up to -4 at some sportsbooks. The Total opened between 142.5 and 143.5, depending on the sportsbook. Making shopping lines an important task before getting your bets down.

Last Game Info

Syracuse lost to Duke in their last game by a score of 77-55. But because the Orange were +1.5 point underdogs, they finished with an ATS win. The combined 132 points did not surpass the 141.5 total line.

Going into their last game, Clemson was the betting favorite at -10.5 but fell to Louisville by a score of 83-73. The combined 156 points finished above the 140.5 total line.

Current Form

Syracuse
Over their last five games, Syracuse has a straight-up record of 3-2 while going 3-1-1 vs. the spread. Over this stretch, the Orange offense averages 69.0 points per game while hitting 44.8% of their shots from the field. On the defensive end of the floor, they have allowed opponents to shoot 44.5% from the field while allowing 70.2 points per contest.

Clemson
In their previous five contests, Clemson is 1-4 straight-up and 1-4 vs. the spread. In these five games, they have a scoring average of 73.2 points per game on a shooting percentage of 45.4%. Defensively, they allow teams to hit 45.3% of their shots while giving up 73.6 points per game.

Average Power Rating Of Opponents Played

This season, the combined power rating of Syracuse’s opponents comes in at 80.7. Conversely, Clemson’s combined opponent power rating sits at 80.1.

How Does Syracuse Fare On The Road?

For the season, the Orange have played ten road games and have a record of 5-5. In these contests, Syracuse is 6-4 vs. the spread. Offensively, they have averaged 69.2 points per game on a shooting percentage of 44.2%. On defense, the Orange allows 71.7 points per contest when playing away from home. So far, opposing teams have a field goal percentage of 41.9% in these games.

How Does Clemson Fare At Home?

In their 16 games at home, Clemson has a 7-8 record vs. the spread while going 14-2 straight-up. On offense, the Tigers are shooting 48.8% on their home floor, leading to 77.1 points per game. Defensively, opponents are shooting 40.4% in these contests. The Clemson defense is allowing 64.8 points per game at home.

Offense vs. Defense

For the season, Syracuse is averaging 77.4 points per game (48th) while posting an overall field goal percentage of 45.0%. In today’s game, they will be matched up against a Clemson defense that has allowed an average of 68.1 points per contest. This year, opponents have hit 40.8% of their shots vs. Clemson. On the other side, the Clemson Tigers are coming into the game averaging 71.7 points per game on a shooting percentage of 45.6%. The Tigers will be facing a defensive unit allowing an average of 70.6 points per contest. So far, teams have hit 42.3% of their shots vs. the Orange.

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Three-Point Shooting

From beyond the arc, Syracuse has a shooting percentage of 37.7% while ranking 240th in attempts per game. The Orange will be facing a Clemson defense that has a 3-point field goal shooting percentage allowed of 33.0%. Clemson enters the game having hit 36.3% of their looks from deep while averaging 7.76 made 3’s per game. On the other end, Syracuse has allowed opponents to hit 33.8% of their shots from beyond the arc.

Injuries Of Note

Syracuse

• Peter Carey (Out) Knee

Clemson

• No Reported Injuries

Pick Against The Spread

It’s evident that Syracuse wasn’t ready to play in their game against Duke, so that’s troubling, but I think that’s more an outlier than a true indication of their attitude. The Orange have a positive record on the road in conference games, going 5-3 straight up and 6-2 against the spread. Overall, this season, they are just 16-11, but they’ve had a lot of tight losses, with five of those defeats by four or fewer points. Clemson comes in ice-cold, losing four of five, but does play exceptionally well at home with just one loss on the campaign and a decent spread record of 5-2-1 as a host against ACC competition. That said, the Tigers’ defense has fallen off in recent games, allowing 45.4% from the field, which is up over five percentage points from their seasonal average. I’ll take ‘Cuse and the points, and hopefully, the dud against Duke helps motivate them.