Syracuse (13-7, 6-3 Atlantic Coast) held on to its lead to beat Pittsburgh (13-7, 4-5), 67-61, on Saturday afternoon. The Orange built a 20-point lead five minutes into the game, but Pitt fought back in the second half. The Orange’s early lead, while it dwindled, was enough to stave off the Panthers.

Here are three takeaways from Syracuse’s fifth-straight victory: 

Timing is key

Syracuse blocked five shots in eight minutes and five of the Panthers first 11 shot attempts. Elijah Hughes, who typically times his jumps well on shot-contests, blocked three shots over that same stretch and finished the game with six blocks. When the Orange started to lose control of the game, however, it was because of Pitt’s ability to get shots off inside and get fouled. 

The Panthers offensive ineffectiveness was clear all game, but the most glaring issues showed when SU’s 2-3 zone pushed it beyond the free-throw line. Side-to-side ball movement around the perimeter, without willing shooters, led to multiple shot-clock violations as the Panthers tried to figure out effective ways to get the ball to its bigs down low.

Buddy Buckets

Though Hughes didn’t score until the second half and the rest of the Orange struggled to find its range all game, Buddy Boeheim bounced back from an 0-for-5 performance against Notre Dame and strong-armed a first half run that established SU’s cushion. Buddy scored 18 points in the first half and hit a slump-busting 3-pointer in the second frame at a point of the game when Hughes and Joe Girard III had only combined for seven points.

The Orange’s scoring came from few others in the game, but they happened to be playing in a game where strong play on offense wasn’t very necessary.

Home sweet home?

Syracuse started its four-game winning streak largely by playing its best offense of the season. It burst in overtime against Virginia’s dynamic defense, played ahead of Virginia Tech, dominated Boston College and gathered a large enough offensive cushion to stave off a Notre Dame comeback. Three of the wins, and the offensive explosions, have come in road games. In the Orange’s return to the Dome, its shooting fell off significantly.

In front of the largest on-campus crowd in college basketball this season, SU hit just five of its 21 3-pointers and shot 43.6% from the field in the game. Girard had just two points until a 3-pointer with under seven minutes in the game, and Hughes finished the game with 10 points.

Published on January 25, 2020 at 2:16 pm

Contact Michael: mmcclear@syr.edu | @MikeJMcCleary