CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Pittsburgh believes the third time will be the charm. Both Pitt-Syracuse matchups this season have favored the Orange, but the Panthers expressed optimism Tuesday night about what will be their third game against SU this season.

On Wednesday night at the Spectrum Center, No. 14 seed Pittsburgh (14-18, 3-15 Atlantic Coast) plays No. 6 Syracuse (19-12, 10-8) at 9 p.m. The winner plays No. 3 seed Duke on Thursday night in the ACC Tournament quarterfinal.

Here’s what you need to know about Pitt, who just beat Boston College, 80-70.

All-time series: Syracuse leads, 70-45

Last time they played: After beating the Panthers 74-63 behind 46-percent shooting, Syracuse again downed Pitt, 65-56, on the road. Oshae Brissett had one of his most well-rounded, dominant games in an SU uniform, tallying 18 points and cleaning up in the paint. In many ways, the SU offense worked through him inside.

The Panthers outscored SU 34-30 in the second half, frustrating Tyus Battle (six points on 13 shots) and keeping Elijah Hughes to five points. Syracuse went 7 for 22 from deep, while the Panthers shot 5 for 22. Three Pitt scorers reached double-figures: Terrell Brown, Xavier Johnson and Jared Wilson-Frame. Pitt scored 14 points of SU turnovers.

The Pittsburgh report: In year one of the Jeff Capel era, the Panthers have tried to bounce back from a winless conference season a season ago. They’ve beaten Louisville, upset then-No. 11 Florida State and nearly upset North Carolina State. But then they endured a 13-game losing streak to end the regular season on a dismal note, until a win over Notre Dame in the final game of the regular season on Saturday. They’ve won two-straight games for the first time since late December.

On Tuesday, the Panthers pounded Boston College in the paint. Spearheaded by their freshman backcourt — Trey McGowens and Johnson finished with 26 and 23 points, respectively — the Panthers led by as many as 27 against BC.

Overall, the Panthers began the season well then slid amid conference play. They appear to have gained some momentum, however slight, against two of the weaker teams in the conference. Their next test lies against Syracuse.

“It’s a new season,” Brown said, referencing the end of the regular season last weekend. “We’re 1-0 right now and we can win again tomorrow.”

---

---

How Syracuse beats Pittsburgh: While Capel said Tuesday night that Pittsburgh is a “streaky shooting” team, they’ve managed to stay in games against SU and its 2-3 zone. They’ve held the Orange and found some success in the paint area, and along the baseline, behind the zone’s backline. For the Orange, forcing Pitt to take contested outside shots could prove to be the formula.

Getting Battle going would be good. He struggled in the teams’ last matchup. When he struggles, SU does. Head coach Jim Boeheim has pointed out repeatedly that the core of the offense runs through Battle — his playmaking ability, the defenders he draws and the versatility he possesses on the offensive end. Brown said the Pitt defense will try to stifle Battle in the way it stopped BC’s Ky Bowman: by changing looks and throwing his way a variety of defenders, not just one.

Stat to know: 42-18 — Pitt outrebounded the Eagles by more than 20 on Tuesday night in a double-digit victory to extend their season at least another day.

KenPom odds: KenPom gives Syracuse a 69-percent chance to beat Pitt and predicts a 68-63 Orange win.

Player to watch: Terrell Brown, sophomore forward, No. 21

Brown averages 5.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, but he keyed a Pitt second-half surge the last time these teams met. He scored a season-high 16 points and had six rebounds, going 8-of-13 from the floor. At 6-foot-10, 230 pounds, it’ll be interesting to see what defensive adjustments SU makes on him in round three. He has size and strength, ability to get second-chance points, and he is capable of giving SU’s fledgling bigs some trouble.

Published on March 12, 2019 at 11:08 pm

Contact Matthew: mguti100@syr.edu | @MatthewGut21