Just when it seems like Syracuse men’s basketball has hit the lowest of lows, the group digs itself into a deeper hole. The Orange (9-11, 3-6 ACC) fell to Pittsburgh (8-12, 3-6 ACC) 64-53 on the road on Tuesday, splitting the season series against the Panthers.
It was another glaring example of what’s been hurting SU all year long: build a lead in the first half, waver just before the break, and then completely fall apart in the second half. Syracuse carried a 28-24 lead into the locker room, but were outscored 40-25 by Pitt in the latter 20 minutes.
After a 59 point showing against Duke on Saturday, the Orange offense had a great opportunity to get things back on track against a team they had already beaten. Absolutely nothing went right on the offensive end though. The ‘Cuse as a team shot an abysmal 31% from the field and 20% from deep, and Buddy Boeheim’s 25 points was the only mark in double digits.
Joe Girard III, the team’s third-leading scorer, didn’t make a basket until the final minute of the game, finishing with three points on 1/8 from the field. Jimmy Boeheim, the second-leading scorer, finished with 8 points on 3/10 from the field. The guys who are relied on to be the complimentary options to Buddy Boeheim have failed to show up throughout this tough stretch for the Orange.
After the 64-53 loss to Pittsburgh, Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim says he doesn’t know why Joe Girard is struggling. The point guard went 1-9 from the field.
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) January 26, 2022
Pitt didn’t even have to play lights out in order to get the win. The Panthers shot a marginally better 34% from the field and 27% from three, which shouldn’t win a lot of basketball games, but it was good enough to get it done against the struggling Orange on Tuesday.
SU’s NCAA tournament hopes are deep in the rearview mirror at this point, and Jim Boeheim is well aware of that. When asked if he was concerned about the team missing out on March, Boeheim quickly replied, “I’m concerned about winning a game. Do you see anything that looks like a tournament team out there?”
Boeheim is 100% right. The Orange have dropped five out of their last seven and resemble nothing close to a tournament team. For a team that lives and dies by the three, 20% from deep is, simply put, very dead. SU needs more out of players not named Buddy Boeheim, and it’s anyone’s guess who that might be on any given night.
Syracuse’s next chance to get back on track comes on Saturday, when SU returns home to take on Wake Forest. The Orange and Demon Deacons are set to square off at 8 p.m., coverage starts on WAER with GZA Countdown to Tipoff at 7:30.