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Syracuse dropped its second straight game Saturday, falling to North Carolina 88-82. The loss came after an embarrassing midweek defeat to Miami in which it allowed 91 points. The back-to-back defeats have the Orange sitting in 15th place in the ACC, meaning they’d be the last place seed in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.

SU’s next test is a road bout with Pittsburgh Tuesday. The Orange already lost to the Panthers earlier this season. Pitt started the season hot but lost eight of its last 10 games prior to defeating Miami on Saturday.

Here’s how our beat writers feel Syracuse (11-15, 5-10 ACC) will fare against Pittsburgh (15-10, 6-8 ACC) in the second meeting of the season:

Zak Wolf (22-4)
Keep the losses coming
Syracuse 71, Pittsburgh 78

Syracuse put together a respectable offensive display Saturday against North Carolina. Once again, it was let down by its defense. Who would’ve guessed? Well, anyone who’s watched this team consistently this season — especially the last couple of weeks — could’ve seen it coming.

The Orange have been flat-out embarrassing on defense recently. Across the past four games, they’ve allowed 87 points per game. You’re not going to win basketball games playing that way. That’s why I’m marking this one down as another loss.

Pitt’s guard play is going to be the difference here. Ishmael Leggett and Jaland Lowe are a dangerous one-two punch, combining for over 32 points per game. Lowe missed Pitt’s last game, but head coach Jeff Capel confirmed at his weekly media availability that the point guard will be available Tuesday.

The Orange’s deficiencies on the defensive end make me question if I’ll pick them in any game the rest of the way. It’s not getting to the point where it’s do-or-die for Syracuse to make the ACC Tournament, but it could be at some point. Tuesday’s loss will only add more pressure as SU continues to spiral and hit new lows with each passing game.

Aiden Stepansky (22-4)
Steel City sweep
Syracuse 67, Pittsburgh 76

While the Panthers have just one win in their last five games, facing the Orange has served as a “get right” game for everyone. I would say its only win through this stretch — a nine-point victory over Miami — was unimpressive, but SU allowed 91 points to the same squad.

This clash could be repeated in Charlotte in a few weeks based on the two squads’ current standing as the No. 10 and No. 15 seeds. I have no reason to believe Syracuse can go on the road and capture a conference win against a formidable squad. A 2-6 road record with its sole wins over Boston College and California, both near the bottom of the conference with SU, hasn’t proved anything for this squad. After Pitt’s victory Tuesday, we’ll see a Steel City sweep, with the Panthers sweeping the season series for the second time in three years.

As Zak pointed out, Syracuse’s offense hasn’t even been terrible recently. The Orange are averaging 87 points per game over their last three games, but Pitt has allowed just two of its last seven opponents to score 75 or more points. In a battle of a formidable offense and a strong defense, I’ll take the defense here.

Justin Girshon (20-6)
Just like football
Syracuse 70, Pittsburgh 82

When Syracuse football traveled to Pittsburgh in late October, a top-25 ranking was on the line. While the Orange eventually cracked the rankings after upsetting Miami, that night at Acrisure Stadium was extremely disappointing.

And I see SU having another disappointing — albeit much less surprising — outing in the Steel City. As already mentioned by Zak and Aiden, Syracuse’s defense has been a huge cause for concern lately. After SU’s loss to North Carolina, head coach Adrian Autry said offense wasn’t the problem for his squad.

Unfortunately for the Orange, Pitt isn’t much of a get-right spot, especially not on the road. The Panthers’ 118.1 adjusted offensive efficiency ranks 35th-best in the country, and with them fighting to get toward the NCAA Tournament bubble, I see their offense easily taking care of business Tuesday.

Combined with Pitt’s defensive success, I’d be shocked to see SU leave the Petersen Events Center with a single-digit loss.

Published on February 17, 2025 at 9:13 pm