Syracuse basketball has its second straight Atlantic Coast Conference road game coming up, as the Orange tries to recover from an awful loss over the weekend.
The Orange, which had been 8-2 over its past 10 contests, was thoroughly outmatched this past Saturday afternoon, falling to then-No. 7 North Carolina, 103-67, in Chapel Hill, N.C.
That showing proved the largest-ever ACC setback for the ‘Cuse (11-5, 2-3 in the ACC) since it joined the league from the Big East Conference during the 2013-14 campaign.
Now the Orange roster and coaching staff have to put that debacle in the rear-view mirror and focus on the squad’s next ACC affair, which is at Pittsburgh (10-6, 1-4 in the ACC) on Tuesday night.
This will be a rematch of a conference encounter that transpired at the JMA Wireless Dome on December 30. The Panthers held an eight-point edge at halftime, but the ‘Cuse rode absolutely tremendous play from its bench to come away with an 81-73 triumph, pushing its all-time record to 75-50 versus Pitt.
How to watch Syracuse basketball at Pittsburgh.
The Orange and the Panthers, long-time rivals dating back to their Big East days, will get going at 7 pm on Tuesday, Jan. 16, with television coverage on ESPN2 from the Petersen Events Center. Coverage may also be available on fuboTV.
Neither the ‘Cuse or Pitt was appearing in bracketology projections when I wrote this article. As I noted in a column on Saturday, the Orange doesn’t have any bad losses on its resume, but Syracuse basketball remains on the hunt for some high-quality wins.
The team’s neutral-site success over Oregon in mid-December could end up as a quadrant-one triumph for the ‘Cuse, depending on the Ducks’ ultimate NCAA NET ranking.
At the time of this writing, the Orange’s NET ranking was No. 80, and Pittsburgh’s was No. 67. Should Syracuse basketball knock off the Panthers on the road, and Pitt’s NET rating stays inside the top 75, that would prove a quadrant-one victory for the ‘Cuse.
At this juncture in the 2023-24 season, both Syracuse basketball and Pittsburgh have proven relatively so-so shooting teams from the field and from beyond the arc.
The Panthers, historically, are a physical team that pounds the glass. When the ‘Cuse beat Pitt in late December, SU had a slight rebounding edge. This past Saturday, as the Tar Heels crushed the Orange, the ‘Cuse got pummeled on the boards.
If junior center Naheem McLeod continues to be unavailable due to injury, sophomore Maliq Brown and others will have to hold their own from the center spot, and Syracuse basketball as a whole must contain the Panthers in the rebounding arena.
Pittsburgh is slumping a bit. After having won four in a row, the Panthers have dropped three of four, including their most recent setback, a 22-point drubbing at home by highly ranked Duke on January 9.
After the ‘Cuse heads to Pitt, Syracuse basketball will have three consecutive ACC contests on the Hill. First up, the Orange will host Miami on Saturday, Jan. 20, beginning at 12 pm and with television coverage on ESPN2.