A week ago, Pittsburgh Basketball lost at home in OT to Clemson, extending the current losing skid to four games. At 12-6 and 3-4 in ACC play, the Panthers are in danger of falling out of the bubble picture if they continue losing. And they can’t afford to lose this next matchup at rival Syracuse (9-10, 3-5).
The Orange are coming off an 86-72 loss at Clemson and is nowhere near the NCAA Tournament picture. In fact, they’re in danger of finishing in the bottom 3 of the standings and missing the ACC Tournament. But at home against a rival, look for Syracuse to put up a good effort.
Here are the keys to the Panthers ending the losing skid.
1. Better start to the game from Jaland Lowe
On paper, Lowe hasn’t had the worst games during the four-game stretch, averaging 17.3 ppg. However, he’s been bad in the first half of each game, usually having more turnovers than points. He’s gone up against some quality defensive backcourts in his defense, but that’s not the case against the Orange, one of the worst defenses in the ACC. This would be a nice bounce-back opportunity for Lowe and not just in the second half.
2. Slowing down JJ Starling
When Syracuse is competitive, it’s because of Starling. He missed a few games due to injury but has scored 20+ points in four of his last five games since returning, including 25 in the last game against Clemson. No other guard for the Orange averages over 6.1 ppg, so they’re in big trouble when Starling is off.
3. Frontcourt battle, while watching Donnie Freeman’s status
Syracuse quietly has one of the best freshmen forwards in the country in Freeman, who’s second on the team with 13.4 ppg and 7.9 rpg. But he’s missed the last few games with an injury and is, at best, questionable for Saturday.
If Freeman doesn’t play, the Orange will play Jyare Davis (8.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg) more at the four-spot, along with freshman Petar Majstorovic. For a Pittsburgh squad that has struggled against length inside, not having to deal with Freeman would be a big boost to their chances at a road win.