Joe Girard, former Syracuse player, returns to face his old team with Clemson. Girard leads Clemson in a game against Syracuse, scoring 18 points and reaching 2,000 career points. Despite turnovers, Clemson wins 77-68, shooting 60.8% and dominating rebounds.
SU 77, UNC 72. Maliq with 1/2 at the #FreeThrowsMatter line. 1:23 to go. Timeout to review an out of bounds play here. UNC was hunting for a 3-pointer on that possession.
Syracuse had its second-worst offensive performance of the season in Chapel Hill by adjusted efficiency (79.9). At 130.9 tonight, which would be the best by anyone vs. UNC this season (Connecticut, 123.4). (Per @kenpomeroy, who's in attendance tonight.)
Syracuse 71, UNC 67. 3:38 to go. Judah Mintz has been locked in and playing his best game of the season. He has 21 points. JJ with 18. SU still over 60% from the field (64%). Hold on to your hats, kids. This is going to be a fun finish.
Gut-check time for UNC. Down 71-67 with 3:38 to play. Judah Mintz and JJ Starling have combined for 39 and Mintz is headed to the line after the timeout.
Per @SynergySST, UNC allowed Tennessee to score 1.108 PPP back in November. Worst mark of the season to date. Syracuse currently at 1.365 PPP
Syracuse hasn’t missed more than back-to-back shots all night
JJ Starling went to the bank on a no, no, no, YES 3-pointer as the shot clock was winding down. I mean...wow. SU 67, UNC 65. 6:06 to go.
Starling, off glass, from 40 feet, as the shot clock ticks down. Syracuse is making everything.
RJ Davis gives UNC a 65-64 lead at the under-8 with a driving layup. One of three Tar Heels in double figures: Ryan (15), Davis (14), Bacot (14).
Autry calls a good timeout as Syracuse was starting to get out of sorts a bit. UNC is looking for Bacot more here down the stretch. He has 14 points. UNC 65, SU 64. 7:08 to go at the Dome.
Syracuse 56, UNC 53 with 11:53 to go. UNC flirting with foul trouble up and down the lineup. Bacot hobbled (cramps?) but UNC's finding him.
Syracuse 56, UNC 53. 11:53. Orange keeping up the fight here at the Dome. Orange shooting 63% and answering the bell consistently to keep being the pace car in this one. Judah Mintz has 15 pts for SU.
Syracuse is motoring along at 1.33 points per possession. UNC not all that far behind at 1.14.
Syracuse 50, UNC 43. 15:56 to go. RJ Davis just picked up a 3rd foul for the Tar Heels. Orange shooting 65%, still attacking on offense and playing with balance. Solid on 3's as well. JJ with 13, Judah and Bell with 11. https://t.co/35JnG3ih4X
UNC starts 0-for-7 from the floor to start the second half against SU's zone. And RJ Davis picked up his third foul. 15:56 to go. Judah to the line to shoot 2. SU leads 50-43
Cadeau's coming back in but Bacot is still standing behind the bench and Syracuse is up 8-1 to start the second half and going to the line after this timeout. 50-43.
UNC -5.5 live spread at halftime is an elite bet. Syracuse is making such tough shots while UNC is getting wide open looks
SU and UNC go into the halftime locker room tied at 42. Orange played really well on offense, making 63% of its shots. Tar Heels went 15-of-27 (55%). JJ Starling with 10 points for SU; Cormac Ryan with 13 for UNC. Bacot and Maliq Brown both have 2 fouls. Something to watch.
Syracuse, which had 67 in Chapel Hill, shoots 63% and drops 42 in the first half against UNC in New York.
Halftime at the JMA Dome. Syracuse 42, UNC 42. Now that was a fun half of basketball to watch. JJ leads SU with 10 pts but there was balance in scoring. Moving the ball. Crashing on misses, but look oiut UNC starting to gel a bit. Stats below. Smoke if you got 'em https://t.co/K2JmdRs28o
It's 42-42 at the break. Whew! A lot of shots were taken, a lot of shots were made. JJ leads SU with 10. Ryan has 13 for UNC
UNC 37, Syracuse 36. 3:12 to go. SU shooting 61%, UNC 57%. Bacot, Davis, Ingram all have 2 fouls for the Tar Heels. Brown and Copeland have 2 for SU.
UNC has cut the Syracuse lead to 32-31 and Red Autry wants to talk it over with 5:03 to go. A 6-0 UNC run thanks in part to RJ Davis' first basket.
Bacot scores easily with Maliq Brown out. UNC with 11-2 run to cut SU's lead to 32-31 with 5:04 left.
Syracuse still shooting 63 percent, still up 30-22. Harrison Ingram coming back in with two fouls with 7:22 to go in the half. Cormac Ryan has a game-high 10.
Syracuse leads 30-22 at the 7:22 mark. Orange is 12-for-19 (63%) from the field. Rebounds, you say? Even at 8-all.
Syracuse 30, UNC 22. 7:22 to go. SU shooting 63% so far. Rebounds even at 8. Love the pace of this game so far. A crisp game.
Syracuse continues not to miss, up 23-13 at the under-12. UNC starting to pound it inside to Bacot with some intention. He'll be at the line coming out of the timeout. RJ Davis has taken one shot (a miss). Harrison Ingram has two fouls.
Syracuse 23, UNC 13. 11:09 to go in the 1st half. SU playing solid zone, hitting the boards and moving the ball on offense (shooting 69%). Hopping all over the UNC misses has been huge so far. https://t.co/AumcUxMJEO
Syracuse's switch to the 2-3 zone has worke as UNC has gone 1-for-5 on 3s. The Tar Heels are starting to go inside to Bacot, who draws a foul on Maliq Brown. SU leads 23-13 at the 11:10 mark.
It's 21-11 and Syracuse is making 73% of its shots.
Syracuse has gone 2-3 zone the last 4-5 possessions.
Well well well. Syracuse off to a great start as Maliq Brown hits 2 3-pointers (8 points total) and Chris Bell has 5 points with SU sporting a 13-7 lead over UNC.
Hot-shooting Syracuse up 13-7 and headed to the line after the first TV timeout. Orange opens 5-for-7 from the floor, 3-for-4 from long range.
Well well well. Syracuse off to a great start as Maliq Brown hits 2 3-pointers (8 points total) and Chris Brown has 5 points with SU sporting a 13-7 lead over UNC.
SU leads UNC 13-7 at the 15:26 mark. Maliq Brown had hit 4 3-pointers all season. He's 2-for-2 in this game and has 8 points.
North Carolina's starting 5 v Syracuse: Elliot Cadeau, Cormac Ryan, RJ Davis, Armando Bacot, Harrison Ingram.
Syracuse's starting lineup v UNC: Judah Mintz, JJ Starling, Chris Bell, Justin Taylor and Maliq Brown
Joe Girard leads Clemson to victory in his return to Syracuse https://t.co/XnlhsICll9
Last 2 wins for @ClemsonMBB -1st win at Syracuse since 2016 -2nd win EVER at UNC
Good fight for Syracuse to come back, but a veteran Clemson team made all the plays down the stretch to seal it. And JG3 now has 2,000 career points.⤵️ https://t.co/VXfF71MuOW
How do you win at Syracuse while racking up 21 turnovers? Pretty simple: You shoot 60.8 percent (to 39.1 for Orange) and own a 41-24 rebounding advantage. Two huge road wins for Clemson this week. Best four players (Hall, Schieffelin, Girard, Hunter) are playing really well.
Clemson guard Joe Girard has joined BYU's Jimmer Fredette in becoming the second Glens Falls (NY) High School graduate with 2,000+ Div. I points. Girard hit the 2K plateau moments ago, playing against his old team at Syracuse.
Clemson had about as impressive a week as just about anyone with a pair of road wins over North Carolina and Syracuse. Joe Girard III averaged 19.5 points and was 9-of-15 from 3 in the two wins.
Two big road wins for Clemson basketball this week... At No 3 UNC and at Syracuse
Clemson guard Joe Girard has joined BYU's Jimmer Fredette in becoming the second Glens Falls (NY) HS graduate with 2,000+ Div. I points. Girard hit the 2K plateau moments ago, playing against his old team at Syracuse.
Clemson tried as best as it could to give this one away with 21 turnovers but grabs the 77-68 win over Syracuse. Joe Girard leads the Tigers with 18 points in his return to the Dome.
Clemson overcomes turnovers to build some momentum with a 77-68 win at Syracuse. Joe Girard leads the Tigers (16-7, 6-6 ACC) in his return to Cuse, scoring 18 on 5-6 shooting (4-5 from 3). Also reaches 2,000 career points. PJ Hall with 15 & 10. Chase Hunter, 14 pts, 7 assists.
Joe Girard has hit 2,000 career points. Appropriate he sets that mark at the Dome. Clemson 75, Syracuse 68. :42 remain.
Clemson’s Joe Girard III just scored his 2,000th point at the Carrier Dome - where he called home for the first 4 years of his college career.
Joe Girard has been superb in his return game to Syracuse. Has 18 points on 4 of 5 three point shooting. Clemson closing on a terrific road win.
Bell hits a 3 (he's getting good at faking out defenders there) and cuts the Clemson lead to 73-68. :51 to go. Girard has been at the FT line a bunch down the stretch. They'll keep giving him the ball.
Joe Girard goes to the line with 1:02 left and Clemson up 71-65. He makes both and that gives him 18 for the day and 2,000 for his college career.
Girard, the best #FreeThrowsMatter shooter in the ACC, makes 2. Clemson 71, SU 63. 1:04 to go.
Syracuse 59, Clemson 58. Quadir with 1/2 #FreeThrowsMatter 4:14 to go. Clemson has 21 turnovers. Maliq Brown picks up a 4th foul.
Between the turnovers and the MUCH BETTER rebounding, Syracuse has had more possessions and more shots in this second half. Clemson by 4. It's gotten interesting.
We got to the U-8 timeout. Clemson leads 57-53 after being up 13 at half. SU has the ball. JJ Starling with 12 2nd-half points.
Maliq Brown picks up his third foul. Really weak call. Bert Smith, Raymie Styons and Justin Porterfield are having a rough 2nd half. Clemson 57, SU 53. 7:55 to go.
Loud boos here at the Dome. No for Girard this time, but for the refs who called a foul on JJ Starling even though it appears he was hit with an elbow. Clemson 57, Syracuse 53. They are reviewing the play. 8:56 to go.
Girard bangs home another 3-pointer. Big shot for Clemson.
Judah Mintz hits back-to-back jumpers in the paint and cuts the Clemson lead to 52-49 with 10:39 to go. SU has built back into this thing possession-by-possession, taking what Clemson gives them. Better movement on both ends. A Girard missed 3 (and attempted flop) sets up Judah
Judah Mintz with back-to-back jumpers in the lane and SU has crawled to within 52-49 with 10:39 remaining. Mintz's buckets book-ended Girard's first miss of the day. Timeout Clemson.
Clemson 51, Syracuse 45. Girard hit a 3 complete with the shush gesture directed at the Dome crowd. Clemson out-shooting SU 61-35% and Clemson has a huge rebounding edge (33-17). Yet, it's a 6-point game. SU is getting to the line more and Tigers have 17 turnovers. 11:42 to go
Rebounds are 6-6 in this half. The Clemson TOs are helping Syracuse climb back into it.
Turnovers: Clemson 17, SU 5
JJ goes 1-2 at the #FreeThrowsMatter line. Schiefflein scores inside. Clemson 48, SU 41. Tigers have 16 turnovers. Definitely more whistles this half as well after the refs took the 1st half off. 12:55 to go.
Boy. Clemson is literally trying to give this thing away. Tigers are up to 15 turnovers. Really sloppy out of halftime. Clemson 41, Syracuse 34. 15:49 to go.
Clemson has turned it over four times already in this half. Orange within 5
Just like that, it's somewhat of a game out of halftime. Clemson turns the ball over a bunch. JJ Starling and Chris Bell hit 3's (Bell missed the FT for a 4-point play). Clemson 39, SU 32. 17:00 to go.
Well, I didn't see this coming. Syracuse opens half on a 8-0 run with 3s from JJ Starling and Chris Bell. Clemson leads 37-32
Halftime at the JMA Dome. Clemson 37, Syracuse 24. SU not shooting well and the Tigers are dominating in the paint 28-10 and have out-rebounded SU 27-11. That's the story here. Smoke if you got 'em.
Halftime: Clemson 37, SU 24. Orange made 29% of its shots, while Clemson went 17-for-30 (56%). Joe Girard has 6 points on 2-for-2 3-point shooting.
Clemson 33, Syracuse 22. 1:15 to go until halftime. SU is shooting 9-of-33 and out-rebounded 27-11 so far...yet down just 11. Clemson has helped with some turnovers but it feels like that gap should be wider.
Clemson 31, Syracuse 16. 3:04 remains until halftime. Clemson is out-rebounding Syracuse 26-9 and have a 22-10 points in the paint advantage. The Tigers have 10 turnovers yet SU has just 4 points off that.
Clemson is pounding Syracuse on the boards. (Evergreen, I know). Tigers have 26 rebounds to just 9 for the Orange.
A six-minute scoring drought for SU ends with a Mintz toss to Quadir for a dunk. Clemson 27, Syracuse 14. 6:07 to go 1st half.
Syracuse scores its first FG in 6 minutes and snaps Clemson's 14-0 run with a steal that turns into a Quadir Copeland dunk. (The halfcourt offense is still stagnant)
JJ's 3 was a good, open shot. He just missed it. Syracuse is 5-for-20. Clemson is 12-for-19. https://t.co/svk8Mwsbei
Dream start for the Tigers. On a huge run, Syracuse on a long scoring drought, Girard starting to cook and nailing deep 3s. The perfect recipe to take the crowd out of the game.
Clemson 27, Syracuse 12. Joe Girard's 2nd 3-pointer puts the Tigers on a 14-0 run. Syracuse's scoring drought is at 5:29.
Girard with another 3. He's 2-for-2 with 6 points. Clemson up 27-12.
Clemson is on an 11-0 run here at the Dome and leads Syracuse 24-12. Mixed scoring from the Tigers. Clemson up 15-4 on the boards.
Syracuse has gone cold and Clemson has taken over with 11 straight points to grab a 24-12 lead. Tigers are 11-for-17 (64%) from the field.
Girard for 3. Tip in for Clark. Clemson 20, Syracuse 12.
Joe Girard just took and swished his first shot of the game, draining a 3-pointer to give Clemson an 18-12 lead.
Syracuse 10, Clemson 9 at the first TV timeout. Maliq Brown and Judah Mintz each have 5 points and each have hit a 3. Girard is getting booed by the student section every time he touches the ball.
SU takes a 10-9 lead on Judah Mintz's 3-pointer. Clemson has 4 turnovers. Joe Girard has not taken a shot yet.
Syracuse's starting lineup v Clemson: Judah Mintz, JJ Starling, Chris Bell, Justin Taylor and Maliq Brown.
Game thread: Syracuse Orange vs Clemson Tigers https://t.co/qMvzkxGfjO via @NunesMagician
Gonna be an all-time legacy week for Joe Girard if he can lead Clemson to road wins at #3 UNC and against his former team in the span of 5 days. https://t.co/BI7u2mcpQo
Syracuse vs. Clemson: Q&A with former Orange guard Joe Girard https://t.co/mC254lFrQB via @JamesSzuba
Joe Girard returns to the Dome on Saturday when Syracuse hosts Clemson. Here’s my podcast/interview with @JG3_____ https://t.co/f9UMyxV7cG