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Five Takeaways from Syracuse's Loss to Pitt

What does this loss mean and where does the Orange go from here?

Syracuse lost to Pittsburgh in crushing fashion after holding an 18 point lead in the first half and an 11 point lead with six minutes left in the game. What does the loss mean and where does Syracuse go from here? Here are my five takeaways. 

1. GUERRIER'S FOUL TROUBLE KILLED SYRACUSE

Quincy Guerrier dealt with foul trouble all game against Pitt, and he only played 17 minutes as a result. One or two of the calls against him were questionable, but he also did not help himself. Guerrier has to be smarter, especially when Syracuse is without Sidibe and Anselem. Without those two, it hurts Syracuse's front court depth. They can't have Sidibe or Anselem play in the middle and move Dolezaj to forward. Dolezaj has to play in the middle, which means extended unplanned minutes for Newton and/or Braswell. Syracuse loses a lot on the glass when that happens. Guerrier is Syracuse's most physical player inside and is their best rebounder. 

In his absence, Pittsburgh had their way on the glass, especially the offensive boards. Not having Guerrier was a huge part of that. In addition, Guerrier is Syracuse's best interior offensive threat. Without him out there, Syracuse relies even more on the perimeter. Shots were not falling against Pitt, and it came back to bite the Orange. 

2. SYRACUSE REALLY MISSED SIDIBE

Pittsburgh outrebounded Syracuse 49-33 overall, and 20-9 on the offensive glass. That led to a 21-3 second chance points advantage for the Panthers, including the game winning basket with eight seconds remaining. Without Guerrier due to foul trouble, Syracuse lacked physicality, rebounding and size inside. Having Bourama Sidibe out there, even for only 15-20 minutes would have made a world of difference. Unfortunately, he was unable to go due to knee soreness according to head coach Jim Boeheim. 

But there is no question that his inability to go hurt the Orange on the glass. Last year against the Panthers, he averaged 8.5 points, 9 rebounds and three blocks per game. A performance like that is the difference in a win or a loss. 

3. PITT WAS THE MORE AGGRESSIVE TEAM IN THE SECOND HALF

Syracuse came out on fire on both ends of the floor to start this one. They shot out to an 11-0 lead, and were up by as many as 18 points in the first half. They looked energetic and cohesive while Pitt looked lethargic and lost. In the second half, that changed. The Panthers were the aggressor while Syracuse appeared as if they were gassed over the final five minutes. 

Pittsburgh attacked the glass, made all the hustle plays and that was enough to squeak out a win despite not having their best player. That is a tough loss for Syracuse. It felt like a game that, without the layoff, Syracuse wins easily. Without the foul trouble to Guerrier or absence of Sidibe, Syracuse wins. Yet they did not. The pause seemed to catch up to them in the last five minutes especially, but really in the second half overall.

After scoring just 18 points in the first half while shooting 21% overall and 8% from three, Pitt scored 45 points in the second half on 46% shooting overall and 38% from three. That is a stark difference as Syracuse seemed to be a little gassed as the game went along. 

4. SYRACUSE NEEDS BETTER PLAY FROM GIRARD AND RICHMOND

Point guard play is always a key for any team, and Syracuse is no different. Against Pittsburgh, its two points guards were really struggled. Joe Girard was just 3-11 shooting including 2-8 from beyond the arc. Shot selection was poor at times as he forced really long three pointers early in the shot block on a couple of occasions. Girard did have six assists, but also turned it over four times. He also left open shooters a few times in the second half. Girard has to take better care of the basketball, not force long contested shots and be better defensively. 

Richmond was better defensively, and forced several turnovers including grabbing two steals of his own. However, he also shot poorly at 0-4 from beyond the arc. Three of those four three pointers were airballs. Boeheim was begging Richmond to drive, but he settled for those shots too often. Richmond has been really good this season, those kind of struggles have not been common. He will learn, he will grow. Richmond did play well defensively, which also begs the question why was he not in on Pitt's game winning possession. Would it have made a difference? Perhaps not as Pitt missed their initial shot but got a put back. Still, perhaps he gets a deflection and causes a turnover. 

But there is no question that if both Girard and Richmond are struggling in the same game, it will be tough for Syracuse to win. 

5. TOUGH LOSS, BUT DO NOT PANIC

If this loss had been in the normal flow of the season, I may view it differently. Alas, it was not. Syracuse was without practice for two weeks before resuming activities days ago. Syracuse did get several days worth of practice in before this one, but they clearly suffered from the pause. This is the second time we have seen that impact. This Orange team needs continuity of practice. But this loss does not mean that they are suddenly a bad team or that it means sweeping extreme opinions of them. 

I want to see how they respond against Georgetown on Saturday. The Hoyas are a rival, but they are 3-7. They aren't a good team. Pitt, even though they were missing their best player, are 6-2 and have a win over a good Northwestern squad. Win that game and then you're back on track. They have Clemson, at Pittsburgh and Miami in the three games that follow. Syracuse has a shot to win at least of those if they get back in the win column on Saturday. If Syracuse is 9-3 or 10-2 after that stretch, all is well.