Sandwiched around the football game at Syracuse are two basketball games in Greenville.

Clemson will host North Carolina Central on Friday at 7. Texas-San Antonio heads to The Well on Sunday for a 2 o’clock tip-off.

NCCU finished last season with an overall record of 25-8 and went through MEAC play with wins in all 16 games. However, a loss in the conference tournament forced them into the NIT.

Dante Holmes, who was voted to the preseason All-MEAC second-team, is the only returning starter.

“Anytime you play teams like NC-Central and Wofford that are consistently winners of their league and 20-game winners and have good coaches, you’re taking on programs that are used to winning,” Brad Brownell said. “When you do that, they’re going to be dangerous, and it doesn’t matter whether they have five starters back, one-starter back, no starters back.”

LeVelle Moton has won 114 games in his first six seasons as head coach at NCCU.

“The culture is established…that’s some of the reason why we’re playing them,” Brownell said.

Clemson is coming off double-overtime win over Lenoir-Rhyne in last week’s exhibition.

Brownell pointed to a number of factors that made the game a close one, citing Jaron Blossomgame’s foul-trouble and Landry Nnoko time on the bench with an injured shoulder. Shooting, Brownell said, was the biggest offender.

“A recipe for disaster is us not making shots again this year,” Brownell said. “We’re not going to be as dominant as we need to be inside. We’ll be solid. We’ll find ways to score in certain situations with Jaron off the bounce making a shot.”

Sidy Djitte could join Nnoko and Blossomgame in the low-post this weekend. The sophomore center had his knee scoped late last month.

“He’ll work his way back,” Brownell said. “It’s unfortunate, because he was playing really, really well the first couple of weeks at practice…it’s slowing him a little bit, but I look for him to have a really good year for us.”

Clemson has three games at The Well in November and five more in December, before kicking off ACC play.

“The people in marketing have done a good job of letting people up there know we’re playing that way,” Brownell said. “Season ticket sales seem to be going well. I know we’ve got some challenges in making sure we get student turn-out up there, and just reminding people that basketball season is starting, with all that’s going on and having the No. 1 team in college football.

“I think our guys are in a pretty good place right now. We’ve worked hard this summer and fall and it’s time now for us start playing people on a regular basis and see where we are.”