Tomorrow at 2 pm, Syracuse basketball takes on the Pittsburgh Panthers in the Carrier Dome in a crucial game for the Orange.
After losing badly to Louisville, the Syracuse basketball team needs to turn things around quickly against Pitt on Saturday and come out with a win. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh has been an Achilles heel of the Orange over the past 12 years under head coach Jamie Dixon. SU, after losing at Pitt in December, are now 6-13 against Pittsburgh in the Dixon era.
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Pitt is just one of those teams that understands the intricacies of the zone and seems to know exactly how to beat it at all times. While some teams can get hot from the outside, or occasionally beat SU along the baseline, Pitt just seems to always put the ball into the right position to get easy, uncontested shots.
Syracuse, after losing by 14 to Louisville on Tuesday, desperately needs to win this game. While they are no longer a fringe “bubble watch” team, that could easily change if they lose on Saturday. Two straight losses puts them right back into scary territory and puts doubt into the minds of the selection committee.
Syracuse basketball needs to leave no doubt. They need to finish the season strong. With four games left, every single contest is at a premium, especially when you consider one of the remaining games is at UNC and another is on the road at FSU. Those will not be easy victories. In fact, none of the games remaining for SU will be.
So what exactly do the Orange need to do to win? Let’s break down the four keys to the game for Syracuse basketball and exactly how they can accomplish each to come away with a victory.