Syracuse Basketball: Orange will face a stingy Pittsburgh defense

Syracuse basketball seeks to build upon its comeback win against Georgia Tech over the weekend when the Orange makes a trip to Pittsburgh.

Syracuse basketball, save for making a deep journey in the Atlantic Coast Conference post-season tournament, has virtually no shot at earning an invite to March Madness. However, the Orange can stay in contention for a solid seed in the ACC tourney, should it continue to triumph.

Up next for the ‘Cuse (15-12, 8-8) is a duel at Pittsburgh (15-13, 6-11) on Wednesday night. The Panthers are in a rut, having dropped four in a row, and Pittsburgh is really struggling to score of late.

For the entire 2019-20 campaign, the Panthers are averaging a modest 65.5 points per contest. That’s not great. On the flip side, Pittsburgh is one of the better defensive crews in the league, only giving up 64.4 points every 40 minutes.

What this means for Syracuse is that the Orange needs to remain efficient on offense, pound the glass with aggression, avoid silly fouls, and take care of the ball with precision.

Since the Panthers connect on just 40.6 percent from the field and a mediocre 29.2 percent from beyond the arc, the ‘Cuse can ill-afford to provide Pittsburgh with second-chance opportunities via offensive boards.

At times, scoring clearly can prove challenging for the Panthers, and affording Pittsburgh extra possessions is a recipe for disaster. By extension, Syracuse doesn’t want to enable the Panthers to convert careless miscues into easy transition buckets.

Overall in their long history together, the Orange is out in front, 72-45. The ‘Cuse has taken six-consecutive encounters versus Pittsburgh, including a 69-61 victory on the Hill in late January amid Syracuse’s five-affair success streak.

Since they last suited up against one another, the Panthers are 2-6, with achievements over Miami and the aforementioned Yellow Jackets. During that stretch, Pittsburgh has fallen to Duke, Notre Dame, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Florida State and Virginia.

Entering this bout, the Panthers are at No. 101 in the NCAA NET system, and that entails an 11-6 record at home inside the Petersen Events Center.

Prior to conference competition on Tuesday evening, the Orange is in a four-way tie for fifth place in the league race. Pittsburgh is paired with the Hurricanes in 12th place.

If the ‘Cuse can run the table in the remainder of the regular stanza, it’s conceivable that Syracuse could wind up with the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the ACC Tournament.

But Wednesday’s battle should prove a bruiser. For one, this game is Senior Day for the Panthers, and emotions are often high in these types of events. Moreover, Pittsburgh is 28-27 versus the Orange on its own turf, and 9-4 at the Pete.

The Syracuse 2-3 zone has to entice the Panthers into hoisting up tough looks from downtown. Additionally, the Orange defense must hone in on the three Pittsburgh guys who collect double-figures in scoring. They are a trio of guards in freshman Justin Champagnie, sophomore Trey McGowens, and sophomore Xavier Johnson.

Should the ‘Cuse have the ability to hold them at bay, then Syracuse will have put itself in prime position to conquer the Panthers.