Syracuse closes its regular season at home against Pittsburgh

Syracuse looks to close their home schedule on a positive note with an opportunity for a season sweep over historical rival Pittsburgh. The Orange (15-15, 6-11 ACC) held off a late charge from the Panthers (11-19, 4-13) in the first meeting back in January to pick up an 83-71 win.

At this point in time, both teams have something to play for on Saturday. Wake Forest tips off at home against Cal 30 minutes before Pitt-SU gets underway. With a victory and a Demon Deacon loss, Syracuse can sneak past them in ACC Tournament seeding.

Meanwhile, the Panthers are heading into Saturday hanging on to the 15th and final seed in the conference tournament. However, they will know ahead of time if they have that spot locked or need to win to keep it, pending what Notre Dame does in their noon tip at Boston College. An Irish win means Pittsburgh must do the same to reach the postseason.

In the first meeting between the two teams, Donnie Freeman led Syracuse with 22 points while J.J. Starling backed him with 19 as they combined to shoot 15-of-24 from the field on the day. Pitt’s Brandin Cummings led all scorers by pouring in 29 points as only seven Panthers saw playing time, which is in line with their season as a whole.

The Orange get to face a shorthanded Panther squad

While Cummings is now out for the season due to an ankle injury, taking Pittsburgh’s second-leading scorer off the floor, Cameron Corhen still leads the team in points and rebounds on the campaign. Corhen, who averages 12.9 points and 7.0 boards per contest, has led the team in scoring in ten games and rebounding 13 times.

Barry Dunning Jr. and Damarco Minor average 21.5 points per game as the starting Panther backcourt. Dunning is a shooting guard who averages nearly six rebounds to go with 12.5 points per game. The 6’6” senior does a good amount of his offensive damage near the rim and leads Pitt in 2-point field goal percentage despite his size.

Minor leads the team in both assists and 3-pointers made with 54. A solid perimeter shooter at 34.8 percent from beyond the arc, Minor also does a good job taking care of the ball at the point and is an effective free throw shooter with a team-high 87.7 percent shooting mark.

Roman Suilepa is the fourth Panther to average double figures in scoring at 10.1 points per outing. While just 6’6”, the freshman forward leads Pitt’s rotational players in offensive rebounding rate and is also an effective scorer inside who mixes in the occasional 3-pointer.

Nojus Indrusaitis is the lone reserve who plays substantial minutes and offers a 3-point specialist to the rest of the roster. Indrusaitis has shot 38.4 percent from long range this season and has hit four 3-pointers in a game three times this season, all in ACC play.

Pitt has some struggles on both sides of the ball, but have been improving on one late in the season

The balanced Pittsburgh offense has not been great by any measurement. Overall, they do not shoot the ball well and are susceptible to turning the ball over. One way they offset those shortcomings is by being an effective offensive rebounding group. In the first meeting with the Orange, the Panthers grabbed almost 39 percent of all potential offensive rebounds.

Unsurprisingly, Pitt is also good at defensive rebounding, a part of their gradually improving defense. While they are just outside the top 100 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, the Panthers have been in the top 70 in the nation in their last ten games. In addition to their rebounding proficiency, they have been very good at defending without fouling, particularly in the last month of play.

Pitt presents a solid opportunity for an SU team looking to end its current four-game slide and build a little momentum going into the ACC Tournament. The Panthers, however, will likely need to keep pace with Notre Dame to ensure earning a spot in the conference tourney.

The Orange need to focus on the task at hand and play a solid game. While Pitt is dangerous, the game is at home and will be the final appearance in the JMA Wireless Dome for several players, including Starling, who spent three seasons calling that gym home. Look for him to attack on offense to power SU to a victory.

Syracuse 77, Pittsburgh 68.

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