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Syracuse couldn’t pull off its second straight comeback on Wednesday, falling 86-72 on the road to Clemson. The Orange were completely dominated in the first half by the Tigers, trailing by 19 at the break after Clemson shot 58% from the field in the opening 20 minutes. J.J. Starling scored 25 points, but Eddie Lampkin Jr. was the only other SU player to finish in double figures.

Syracuse returns to the JMA Wireless Dome to face Pittsburgh on Saturday. The Panthers started Atlantic Coast Conference play with three straight victories, but haven’t won a game since defeating Stanford on Jan 4. A win over Pitt would put Syracuse a half-game above the Panthers in the ACC standings.

Here’s how our beat writers feel Syracuse (9-10, 3-5 ACC) will fare against Pittsburgh (12-6, 3-4 ACC):

Zak Wolf (16-3)
Clawed
Syracuse 72, Pittsburgh 82

Pitt may have the same amount of ACC wins as Syracuse this season, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Having a four-game losing streak is never good in any sense, yet Pitt’s losses have been more than respectable. It stayed relatively close with Duke until the Blue Devils exploded in the final 10 minutes. Losses to Louisville and Florida State shouldn’t be frowned upon either. And Clemson — which easily dispatched Syracuse this week — needed overtime last Saturday to beat the Panthers.

My point? You have to take a deeper look at Pitt’s losing streak before making any bold assumptions about it. Especially one that entails losing to Syracuse. That won’t happen. Outside of Starling, Syracuse looked lifeless against Clemson. The Tigers got whatever they wanted on offense and Pitt’s offense is just as efficient. The Panthers adjusted offensive efficiency ranks 21st nationally according to KenPom, while their backcourt tandem of Jaland Love and Ishmael Leggett accounts for 34 points per game.

They’ll simply have too much firepower for Syracuse, whose only reliable scorer is Starling. We’ve seen how that works out against the ACC’s top teams. If you’re not aware, the outcomes aren’t good. Pitt may be on a four-game skid, but it’s a much better team than Syracuse, and that will be clear Saturday.

Aiden Stepansky (17-2)
Heartbreaker
Syracuse 74, Pittsburgh 77

This is a game Syracuse could definitely win. The Panthers’ four-game losing streak has been a mix of close losses and blowouts. It’s an opportunity for the Orange to jump yet another team in the ACC.

Pitt, however, is hungry for a win due to its cold streak. As a result, SU will fall just short. The Orange have an advantage on the inside and could use their rebounding to make this game close. But SU has one fatal flaw that will result in a loss: its ability to have a second guard complement Starling.

Syracuse has proven in the past that when a team has two prolific guards, it’s unable to match. Example A: Louisville. Lowe and Leggett will be too much for SU, despite Starling likely dropping another 20-point game.

This game will come down to the wire, and Syracuse will bring the home crowd into it, but it will fall just short and lose in a last-second heartbreaker.

Justin Girshon (15-4)
Another one
Syracuse 72, Pittsburgh 79

In the words of DJ Khalid, another one. Unfortunately for Syracuse, that means another loss. Wednesday’s game versus Clemson is the epitome of what this SU squad is: a bad ACC team.

As the Orange showed against Georgia Tech and Boston College, they’re more than capable of beating the bottom teams in the conference. However, once they face a competitive team, hopes of optimism have instantly gone away.

I see the trend continuing against Pitt. Though the Panthers have been in a bit of a funk over the last several games, they’re a fringe bubble team — a caliber of team SU has significantly struggled against.

Against Quad 1 and 2 teams this season, Syracuse is 0-8. Pitt is considered a Quad 2 opponent. It’s SU’s first Quad 2 game since traveling to South Bend to face Notre Dame. And just like that day, when SU failed to hit a 3-pointer, I see it falling again.

Published on January 24, 2025 at 9:59 pm