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Syracuse suffered a program worst-ever loss to No. 7 North Carolina on Jan. 13. The 103-67 defeat also marked SU’s largest since a 39-point loss to DePaul in 2006.

Just six minutes into Saturday’s contest, the Orange trailed by double-digits and never recovered. They fell on the wrong side of a 52-30 deficit at halftime. They conceded 22 second-chance points and allowed 58 inside the paint. They had no answer to RJ Davis’ game-high 22 nor Armando Bacot’s sixth double-double this season.

“We just didn’t do a good job defensively, and that’s the bottom line,” said Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry. “We didn’t do a good job in any aspect.”

Come Tuesday, SU seeks a return to the win column on the road at Pittsburgh — a team it defeated 81-73 on Jan. 30, 2023. Since then, the Panthers have picked up losses to UNC and Duke but chalked a 83-70 win over Louisville.

Here’s how our beat writers believe Syracuse (11-5, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) will fare at Pittsburgh (10-6, 1-4 ACC):

Cole Bambini (15-1)
Season split
Pittsburgh 76, Syracuse 73

Syracuse is looking a lot different than it did when it defeated Pittsburgh at the end of 2023, earning its fifth-straight win. SU has struggled, getting blown out by Duke and North Carolina, and coming from behind to defeat Boston College. Similarly, Pitt has also lost to UNC and Duke since that first matchup versus Syracuse.

Pitt currently has the third-best defense in the conference, limiting opponents to just 66.1 points per game. And the Panthers will look to leading scorer Blake Hinson, who had 11 against SU last time.

The first outing wasn’t an easy victory for the Orange, relying on a season-high 52 bench points to come back from an early 11-point second-half deficit. If Syracuse plays the way it did against UNC or Duke, Pitt will win. And though the Panthers are not as difficult of an opponent compared to the Tar Heels, SU’s performances on the road hasn’t justified that it’ll sweep the season series.

Henry O’Brien (15-1)
315 > 412
Syracuse 74, Pittsburgh 72

Syracuse absolutely needs this win. It cannot come out with another weak road effort like it had against then-No. 7 North Carolina and then-No. 11 Duke. The Orange are in need of another conference to win to stay near the bubble.

Pitt is nowhere near the caliber of the Tar Heels or Blue Devils, so a win is certainly attainable. If Quadir Copeland, Maliq Brown and Benny Williams can perform like they did against the Panthers on Dec. 30 (52 points between them), then SU has a much better chance of winning.

There are two things to change from the last outing against Pitt, though. First, Mintz has to score more than just 12 points. Second, the Orange have to do better from beyond the arc. They only made three 3-pointers against the Panthers, who have one of the best 3-point defenses in the country. Syracuse doesn’t have to be perfect, but if it can improve just enough from 3, then another win over the Panthers is likely.

Tyler Schiff (14-2)
Regroup and reorganize
Syracuse 82, Pittsburgh 75

Following 20-point ACC losses to Virginia, Duke and UNC, Autry has repeatedly vocalized his want for Syracuse to move on quickly. No matter how difficult, forget about the prior defeat and concentrate on what’s next.

Syracuse has all the tools to defeat Pittsburgh. In the last matchup on Dec. 30, a season-high 52 bench points for SU paved the way to an 81-73 win. Its defense held opposing star forward Hinson to 11 points on 3-for-12 shooting and forced the Panthers into 15 turnovers. Pitt, meanwhile, had no answer for Copeland’s career-high 22 points and the Orange’s quick pace of play.

But to beat Pittsburgh for the second time will be tough. The fact that this is a road contest makes it even tougher, as Syracuse has won just once away from home. Still, I think the Orange can pull this one out. Chris Bell has returned to form, totaling 33 points in his last two outings. And though Brown struggled against UNC’s Bacot, he should have no problems dealing with Pitt’s Guillermo Diaz-Graham and Federiko Federiko. Expect Judah Mintz to pour in upwards of 15 again and J.J. Starling to find his rhythm opposite a middling ACC side.

Though a victory over Pitt won’t necessarily alleviate the Orange of all their embarrassment suffered at the Dean Smith Center, it sets SU on the right path for another crack at a resume-building win Saturday against Miami.

Published on January 15, 2024 at 8:17 pm