The Syracuse Orange (12-5) will be hosting the Pittsburgh Panthers (12-5). Before the season started, the Orange were expected to be one of the top teams in the ACC while the Panthers were projected to be towards the bottom of the conference. However, this season has been filled with surprises for both sides, giving us a pretty even conference matchup.
Both teams are coming off huge victories, as both teams beat a top 11 opponent in their own conference. Syracuse is coming off one of the biggest wins in recent school history, as they upset #1 Duke on their own turf in an overtime thriller. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh defeated the #11 Florida Seminoles.
Tyus Battle was considered to be having a slight off year up until his last outing. In the Duke game, Battle proved that he can be one of the most productive players in the ACC. Battle scored a season high, 32 points. Battle will look to improve his draft stock even more against a weaker conference team. Teammates Oshae Brissett and Frank Howard will look to do the same.
One of the keys to the Orange’s recent success has been the ability to shoot from beyond the arc. Last season, the Orange struggled when shooting threes, and it showed in the tournament against Duke when it was difficult to score against a zone defense. Against Duke, Syracuse shot 44 % beyond the arc. They are not shooting just over 30% for threes on the season.
As Syracuse is still a bubble team, they will look to improve their resume today with a win against a team in their conference. Tip off will be at 2 in the Carrier Dome.