Pitt vs Syracuse Takeaways: Sharp Offense Covers for Late Collapse
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers are undefeated in ACC play after sneaking by Syracuse at the JMA Wireless Dome. They did everything within their power to give the game away, but survived nonetheless.
There is still so much to like about this Pitt team, even with the blown lead taken into account. All that has been hyped up about the Panthers - from their shooting ability to their experience to the ir chemistry - has held true 13 games into the season and has put them in a position to pounce on an unsuspecting ACC.
Confounding Game Management Late
Pitt led by 20 with 10:45 left in the second half and held a seven-point advantage with 2:15 to go in the game, but Syracuse still ended up with the ball, down just two with six seconds left. A win is a win but the Panthers let an opportunity to deliver a statement win fall through their fingers.
The Panthers' end-of-game management opened the door for that kind of collapse. First, they were passive with the ball in their hands. It's one thing to burn clock while holding a big lead but even when facing the press and when the Orange had cut their deficit inside of 10, Pitt held the ball for what felt like an eternity before even looking at the rim. At a time when they couldn't get stops, that was almost fatal.
Jeff Capel also held on to his timeouts during the brutal final ten minutes of the second half, a period during which his team played tired, he said. The Panthers might have been better served to attack and put the game away with the offense that had been so effective all game instead of leaning on their defense.
Zone Busters
Speaking of that offense - for the first time in what feels like forever, Pitt was able to completely dismantle Syracuse's trademark 2-3 zone defense. 83 is the second-highest point total a Capel-coached Panthers team has ever hung on the Orange and they did it by nailing 3-pointer after 3-pointer - 13 in all - and assisting on 77% of their total made baskets.
It wasn't like their scheme was particularly complicated. On most of their 13 made 3-pointers, Pitt found open looks by making one entry pass to the middle and kicking the ball out to the shooters, who were incredibly reliable on open looks. This was a vintage offensive performance against the zone, one reminiscent of the early years of this millennium for this program.
Emergence of Jorge Diaz-Graham
Diaz-Graham was a perfect fit against Jim Boeheim's trademark zone defense. He has the shooting ability to excel on the outside as well as the height, vision, intelligence and ball-handling skills to play right in the teeth of that zone as well. He ended the night with a season-high nine points on 2-4 shooting from the floor and 4-7 mark from the free throw line, five rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal.
The numbers don't jump off the page - just 4.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, two assists and two assists over his last two contests entering the Syracuse game but for the third straight game, Diaz-Graham played with the kind of defensive energy and sound decision-making that will be necessary for him to get on the floor with some regularity.
Unbeaten in the ACC
As of the third week in December, there are just two teams that have played multiple ACC games and remain unbeaten - Pitt and Miami. The Panthers are 2-0 in league play for the first time since 2015-16 - that's two whole coaches ago.
While the victory was ugly, this is a Panthers team capable of competing with just about anyone in this conference - this win proves that. For most of the night, Pitt outplayed a team picked unanimously to finish well ahead of them in the standings. On a night when its two top teams fell, the ACC looks somehow even more wide open than it ever has and the Panthers have a chance to strike while few are paying attention.
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