Matthew Gutierrez (17-3)

Tough as Steel

Syracuse 63, Pittsburgh 55

Expect a relatively low-scoring, fairly close one Saturday afternoon, because Syracuse will be on the road against a slightly-improved Pitt team. The Panthers almost edged North Carolina State at home Wednesday night, and the Wolfpack is a team that beat Wake Forest and almost beat Miami last weekend. The bottom line: Winning on the road in this conference is not easy. With that aside, we should get another look at how Marek Dolezaj fits into the SU scheme, given starting forward Matthew Moyer’s game-time-decision status. SU should skate to a win and improve to 4-4 in conference play.

 

Sam Fortier (16-4) 

It’s the Pitts

Syracuse 69, Pittsburgh 57

Syracuse’s three players who can score — Tyus Battle, Oshae Brissett and Frank Howard — are top three in the conference in minutes per game, and they got to actually chill for a seven-day stretch. After looking the best it has all season against BC, Syracuse has now geared up for a crucial stretch in the rest of its slate. Beat the Panthers and Syracuse earns its first conference road win. Lose and it becomes the biggest NCAA Tournament resume shiner in recent memory. There’s every reason to believe, though, that the Orange will beat the Panthers handily even though it’s an ACC game on the road: Lock down Parker Stewart, get Battle and Howard going early, out-rebound maybe the least-physical team in the conference. Syracuse needs this one, and they know it.

 

Tomer Langer (15-5)

Out of the Pitt

Syracuse 68, Pittsburgh 49

The Orange exploded offensively against Boston College on Wednesday, scoring 81 points on a season-high 60.4 percent from the field. To me though, the Orange also looked different, playing with a swagger that seemed to be gone when the team was mired in the 1-4 stretch. Playing a really weak Pittsburgh team is just what Syracuse needs to keep the good times rolling, as the Orange picks up an easy win and climbs back to .500 in ACC play.

Published on January 26, 2018 at 9:18 pm