Syracuse men’s basketball (11-5, 5-10 Atlantic Coast Conference) finds itself on the cusp of missing the ACC tournament following recent losses to Miami and North Carolina. The Orange just fell to the Tar Heels 88-82 on Saturday, dropping them to 15th in the conference standings. SU can try to improve its standing against Pitt (15-10, 6-8 ACC) on Tuesday.
After upsetting a top-10 @UNC_Basketball squad a year ago, @Cuse_MBB couldn't repeat its performance a year later in an 88-82 loss.@AndrewSelover and @IanNicholasTV had the call from the JMA Wireless Dome. pic.twitter.com/ZjwNMezSMa
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) February 16, 2025
Syracuse’s defense has been virtually nonexistent in recent matchups. Last week, the Orange gave up a staggering 91 points to Miami, a team that had won just one conference game prior to facing the ‘Cuse. Just days later, SU nearly gave up 90 points again to UNC. The Tar Heels exploited the Orange’s defensive weaknesses and shot nearly 50% from both the field and beyond the arc.
After North Carolina started heating up in the first half, head coach Adrian Autry made the decision to revert to the old-fashioned 2-3 zone which briefly breathed some life back into the Orange’s backcourt. But before Syracuse’s defense could even get settled SU shifted back to man-to-man defense, allowing UNC to regain its momentum. “It had its moments you know it got us back into the game…but those possessions when we needed to get the rebounds we didn’t get them,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry on how the lack of boards influenced his decision to convert back to man defense.
Pitt’s offense poses a threat to this struggling ‘Cuse defense as the Panthers sit right on the edge of being a top-five offensive team in the ACC. Pitt has also already taken down Syracuse earlier this year in a 77-73 win.
The Panthers had a hot start to the season going 12-2, even ranking as high as No. 18 in the country at one point. Despite a fall off in conference play, Pitt’s offense remains a force to be reckoned with. The Panthers' pair of guard, Ishmael Leggett and Jaland Lowe, rank among the ACC’s top 15 scorers, each averaging over 16 points per game.
”He was incredible on both sides of the floor… he steps in and makes plays and plays with poise,” Pitt head coach Jeff Capel said about Leggett after the Panthers’ win over Miami on Saturday.
Lowe did suffer a concussion against SMU last week but is expected to play against Syracuse. “I would think that there’s a really good chance that he’d play on Tuesday…he’s been shooting… he just hasn’t been able to do contact stuff,” Capel said about Lowe’s injury status.
The contest between Pitt and Syracuse gets underway on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. WAER’s coverage on 88.3 FM or waer.org begins at 6:30 with McClurg Remodeling Countdown To Tipoff.