Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh Preview
PITTSBURGH, PA (AP) – Among four remaining unbeaten Division I teams, Syracuse is on the verge of matching the best start in team history. No. 5 Pittsburgh is standing in the way again, and presenting the Orange with their toughest test yet.
Fourth-ranked Syracuse will attempt to improve to 19-0 by handing Pittsburgh just its second home loss in nearly three years Monday night.
Syracuse (18-0, 5-0 Big East) needs one win to equal a school-record 19-0 start set in 1999-2000.
Current college basketball odds and oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made Pittsburgh -4.5 point spread favorites for Monday’s game against Syracuse. Current college basketball betting information shows that 67% of more than 478 bets for this game have been placed on Pittsburgh -4.5.
The Orange haven’t had an easy schedule by any means, posting wins over then-seventh-ranked Michigan State, then-No. 15 Notre Dame and Saturday’s 67-52 victory against No. 25 Cincinnati. They join No. 2 Ohio State, third-ranked Kansas and No. 6 San Diego State as the nation’s lone remaining unbeatens.
Syracuse is in for a major challenge against Pittsburgh (17-1, 5-0), which ended the then-No. 5 Orange’s 13-game season-opening winning streak a year ago with an 82-72 victory at the Carrier Dome on Jan. 2.
That was Syracuse’s seventh loss in eight meetings, and fourth in a row.
The Orange have lost five of six at Petersen Events Center, where Pittsburgh is 50-1 since February 2008. The Panthers’ lone blemish in that stretch is a loss to No. 12 Georgetown on Jan. 20, but they’ve followed that up with 19 straight wins by an average of 19.9 points.
Pitt has won eight straight at home against teams ranked in the top five of the AP poll.
“It is definitely a true away game,” sophomore guard Brandon Triche said. “I don’t expect to see too much orange in the stands. Blue and gold will be in full effect. I’ve heard Pittsburgh is one of the toughest places to play in the country. I haven’t experienced anything like that yet. Definitely going to be a great test for us.”
The Panthers’ kept their home streak intact Saturday and extended their overall run to seven with a 74-53 win over Seton Hall. After the victory, coach Jamie Dixon was already looking ahead to facing Syracuse.
“Obviously they’re good, but we pretty much know what we’re going to get from them knowing their returning players and knowing what they’ve done year-after-year,” he said. “There’s a lot of hype about it. I’m looking forward to it.”
Syracuse would benefit from continued success from 3-point range after making 1 of 13 attempts against Pitt last season. The team has connected on 44.1 percent (15 of 34) from long range over the last two games.
The Orange, though, may be without leading scorer Kris Joseph, averaging 14.6 points per game. The junior forward slammed the back of his head on the court on a drive to basket in the first half Saturday and didn’t return after scoring two points.
If he’s unable to play, forward James Southerland would likely get his first start. The sophomore had eight points and eight rebounds in 25 minutes while filling in for Joseph against the Bearcats.
Rick Jackson, the Big East leader with 11.7 rebounds a contest, is looking for a much better effort against Pitt after being held to 14 total points and 11 boards over three meetings. The senior forward made 7 of 8 shots for 15 points while pulling down 11 rebounds Saturday.
Pittsburgh will likely need to see improvement from Ashton Gibbs, who scored a season-low eight points against Seton Hall while making 3 of 13 from the field and 2 of 9 from beyond the arc after totaling 41 points the previous two games. The junior guard leads the team with an average of 16.3 points and scored 24 against Syracuse last season.
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