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Syracuse Basketball: Orange pound Pittsburgh for second win in row

By Carmine Carcieri

Jan 7, 2017; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange forward Taurean Thompson (12) reacts from the bench against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first half at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 7, 2017; Syracuse, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange forward Taurean Thompson (12) reacts from the bench against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the first half at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /
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Despite losing to four non-tournament teams earlier this year, Syracuse basketball topped Pittsburgh for their second straight win.

This is one odd season in upstate New York.

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The Syracuse Orange began the 2016-17 season with hopes of finishing in the top four of the ACC and making another Final Four run. Jim Boeheim was gushing about his teams’ abilities before mid-November and even said, “This is the best team we’ve had in a long time.”

Instead, the Orange have been one of the biggest disappointments so far through two months of basketball.

Boeheim’s unit lost to a bad UConn team at Madison Square Garden, were smacked around by both Georgetown and St. John’s at the Carrier Dome and gave up 96 points in a loss to Boston College on the road.

Despite their shaky 10-6 record through three conference games, Syracuse has surprisingly won two straight games at home, drubbing both the Miami Hurricanes and the Pittsburgh Panthers.

While they still have a ways to go to get back into the NCAA Tournament conversation, Syracuse is 2-1 in the best conference in the country and have beaten two NCAA Tournament caliber teams. Plus, they have momentum with two of their next three games coming against ranked opponents (Virginia Tech, North Carolina and Notre Dame).

So what has led to this miniature turnaround? Improved guard play and a new rotation.

Over the last two games, Colorado State graduate transfer John Gillon has been outstanding. In his new starting role, Gillon has 28 points and 22 assists combined in his last two outings. He’s still turning the ball over (nine times combined in the last two games), but he’s been much more impactful shooting the rock from beyond the arc (seven threes).

In addition to Gillon’s production, point guard Franklin Howard, who has struggled with decision making throughout his career, has been stripped from the rotation. Boeheim has also pulled DaJuan Coleman from the rotation, inserting Tyler Roberson into a more prominent role.

Sure, the Orange aren’t very deep, but Roberson has 13 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks in his last two games. That’s been enough off the bench.

Finally, Syracuse’s best players have played up to their potential. Tyler Lydon has played inside-out and has been efficient, and Andrew White has scored 20+ points and 7+ rebounds in the last two.

No the Orange didn’t beat a team like Duke or North Carolina, or Virginia or Louisville, but this is still promising for Boeheim. They started slow last year as well and it ultimately resulted in a trip to the Final Four.

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That might not be the case in 2016-17. However, maybe they can actually hit their stride and reach their top four ACC potential after all.

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