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Syracuse returns to the court on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. against Pittsburgh, its first game following a 17-day break in schedule that included three games canceled due to COVID-19. Although the game was originally scheduled to be against Florida State, COVID-19 issues within the Seminoles’ program forced the schedule to adjust. 

Syracuse (6-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast) last played Dec. 19, a 107-96 home overtime win against Buffalo that featured a game-saving, last-second block by Alan Griffin. Now, they’ll continue ACC play with familiar foe Pittsburgh (5-2, 1-1).

Here’s what you need to know about the Panthers before Wednesday’s game:

All-time series

Syracuse leads 73-45

Last time they played

Syracuse swept the two-game season series with the Panthers in 2019-20, including a 72-49 road win at Pittsburgh in February. The Orange were led by 25 points by Elijah Hughes and a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds by Bourama Sidibe. Joe Girard III made 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, and the Orange jumped out to a 16-point lead at half before cruising to the 23-point victory. 

Syracuse’s defense held the Panthers to 6-of-26 from 3-point range and won its seventh consecutive game against Pittsburgh.

KenPom odds

Syracuse has a 77% chance to beat Pittsburgh, by a projected score of 75-67. 

The Pittsburgh report

Pittsburgh’s opening night defeat to Saint Francis (PA) at home remains one of the worst nonconference losses by any high-major team in the country this season. They have rebounded well from that 10-point home loss, though, winning at both Miami and Northwestern. Both of those teams are in KenPom’s top 70, and the emergence of star Justin Champagnie appeared to be quite the boon for the struggling Panthers. 

On Dec. 22, though, Pittsburgh announced that Champagnie would miss six-to-eight weeks with a knee injury. He’s not available for the Panthers now, and he was out for their 10-point loss to Louisville on Dec. 22. The Panthers have not played since, so they’re also dealing with a long hiatus over the holiday period. 

Pittsburgh is a solid defensive team — they rank 26th in the nation in effective field goal percent allowed and 22nd in 3-point field goal percentage allowed. The Panthers are above average at blocking shots and generating steals, too. 

The team has issues in scoring points, though. The Panthers rank 225th in 3-point shooting, 321st from the free throw line, and they turn over the ball more than average. The Panthers have struggled offensively against this SU zone for multiple years, but junior guard Xavier Johnson should have plenty of experience against it. They’ll also have forward Au’Diese Toney, back from injury after he also missed the Louisville game.

How Syracuse beats the Panthers

Syracuse’s defense has matched up well with Pittsburgh’s offense in recent years, and that needs to continue Wednesday afternoon. Syracuse has started slow in three of its last four games, against Buffalo, Northeastern and Rutgers. It’ll need to avoid a slow start and keep the Panthers off the offensive glass if it wants to grab its second ACC win to start conference play. 

The Panthers don’t apply a ton of ball pressure with their guards, so it could be a good opportunity for Girard to find his form as both a point guard and a jump shooter, even after the long hiatus. The Orange need to start well and force the Panthers to play from behind early. If they do that, they should win this game.

Stat to know: 36.3%

Pittsburgh ranks 61st nationally with 36.3% of minutes played by bench players. Without Champagnie, Pittsburgh head coach Jeff Capel could go even more to his bench to try to replace the scoring and production. The Orange, on the other hand, rank in the bottom 30 nationally in minutes from bench players.

Published on January 4, 2021 at 6:41 pm

Contact Anthony: amdabbun@syr.edu | @AnthonyDabbundo