Opponent Preview: What to know about Pittsburgh ahead of 2nd matchup with SU

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After suffering the program’s worst loss since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference against North Carolina on Jan. 13, Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry quickly shifted the focus to the team’s road matchup versus Pittsburgh.

“We got a game on Tuesday,” Autry said to his players following a 103-67 road loss to No. 7 UNC.

The Orange looked lethargic on Saturday. On multiple turnovers, no SU players ran back to try and stop the Tar Heels from scoring. If there is any hope of sniffing the NCAA Tournament, Syracuse has to gather some road wins against conference opponents.

SU has a bounce back opportunity Tuesday night at the Petersen Events Center, a venue it hasn’t won in since Feb. 26, 2020. But the Orange already have found success against the Panthers this season, beating them 81-73 at the JMA Wireless Dome on Dec. 30.

Here’s everything to know about Pittsburgh (10-6, 1-4 ACC) before it takes on Syracuse (11-5, 2-3 ACC) for the second time this season:

All-time series

Syracuse leads 74-50.

Last time they played…

The Orange hosted the Panthers on Dec. 30, 2023 for their second conference game of the season. After Pitt went on a 14-4 run to end the first half, Syracuse, then without a win in conference play, trailed by eight.

But the Orange went on to outscore the Panthers 51-35 in the second half to seal the 81-73 victory. Benny Williams, Quadir Copeland and Maliq Brown combined for 52 points and the team as a whole shot 47%. Judah Mintz capped off the comeback by throwing up an alley-oop to Williams, who finished the play with a thunderous dunk.

KenPom odds

Pittsburgh has a 67% chance of winning, with a projected score of 74-69.

The Panthers report

Since their loss to SU, the Panthers have failed to win consecutive games as they lost to North Carolina 70-57 on Dec. 2 and to No. 11 Duke 75-53 on Jan. 9. Pittsburgh did defeat Louisville – who sits in last place in the ACC – 83-70 on Dec. 6.

Guard Blake Hinson leads the ACC in 3-point field goals but has struggled recently against the conference’s top teams. Against the Tar Heels and Blue Devils, Hinson scored just a combined 30 points.

But the Panthers are still one of the most effective teams at maintaining possession, holding the 24th-best turnover rate in the country (14.5%) and the 59th-best offensive rebounding rate (33.7%).

Timmy Wilcox | Assistant Digital Sports Editor

How Syracuse beats Pittsburgh

On Dec. 30, Syracuse needed to keep up with Pittsburgh’s rebounding to earn its first ACC win. And it did, winning the rebound battle 40-39. Copeland and Brown combined for 17 boards, leading the way for the rest of the team. For SU, winning the rebounding battle again could also mean winning the game again.

One issue for SU in the win over the Panthers on Dec. 30 was its 3-point shooting. After the Orange went 3-of-17 from beyond the arc against Pitt, SU has continued to struggle from deep. Granted, the Panthers have the 10th-best 3-point defense in the country. But if Syracuse can crack that defense just a smidge, then it could cruise to another victory.

Stat to know: 79 inches

While Syracuse beat Pitt in rebounds last time, its opponent’s average height could become an issue. The Panthers are on average 79 inches tall, a mark that ranks sixth in the nation. The Orange are more significantly hurt this go around as SU is now without its 7-foot-4 center Naheem McLeod for an unclear amount of time.

While Brown will still scratch and claw his way to around 10 rebounds, Pittsburgh could use its height to crash the boards more efficiently.

Player to watch: Carlton Carrington, guard, No. 7

While Hinson is still the focal point on offense, Carlton “Bub” Carrington has been one of the Panthers’ better secondary options. And when Hinson struggles, Carrington takes over. Against Syracuse, Carrington was Pitt’s leading scorer with 17 points, slashing his way through defenders throughout the contest. He also was the team’s leading scorer against the Tar Heels, tallying 20.

Carrington, a true freshman, has averaged 14 points per contest and has made the second-most 2-pointers on the team. He also has made the second-most boards, just four behind Ishmael Leggett.