Clemson seniors help build the Tigers resume with a critical win over Syracuse at Littlejohn Coliseum on Saturday.

The 67-55 victory could possibly earn them a bid in the NCAA Tournament.

Guard Marcquise Reed was the frontrunner for the senior class in Saturday’s win. The graduate student led Clemson with 24 points. He also had 10 rebounds and two assists.

Not a bad way for the senior to go out in his final game at Littlejohn Coliseum.

“I left out with a bang,” Reed said with a smile after the game.

Now the question is have the Tigers done enough to impress the selection committee next week. Clemson finished with a 9-9 record in the ACC, winning eight of their final 13 conference games, including four of their last five.

The lone loss was a two-point loss at home to No. 3 North Carolina, a game in which they lost on a controversial no-call in the final seconds.

“I’m not sure,” Reed said. “We’ve got the ACC tournament coming up and that’s another chance for a good run.”

Clemson, the No. 9 seed in this week’s tournament, will play No. 8 NC State on Wednesday at noon. The ACC Tournament is being held at the Spectrum in Charlotte.

Reed was not the only successful senior on Saturday. Center Elijah Thomas totaled 13 points and had a team-high 11 rebounds.

Before Reed, Thomas, and the rest of the Tigers’ seniors got hot, Clemson shot 25 percent from the field. The Tigers shot 42.9 percent from the field in the second half.

“We wanted to get those senior jitters out,” Reed said. “We were playing well on defense. On offense, we could have been a little bit more patient.”

Reed contributed some of their early struggles based on what Syracuse was doing with its zone defense.

“It’s not going to be a high possession game when you’re going against the zone,” he said. “You’ve got to take care of the ball and take what the defense gives you. Whether it be a three or you’ve got it at the half post.”

However, Clemson’s experience took over in the end and it rallied to outscore the Orange by 19 points in the second half. It was a performance that will look good in the eyes of the committee members.

“We’ve been in these situations before. Back in my sophomore year, we were fighting for the NCAA Tournament. It’s the same thing now, but I think we are in a better position. Any game can be our last game.

“Every game is basically an NCAA Tournament game for us.”