With five straight conference wins, Syracuse (16-9, 8-4) travels to the Steel City for a showdown with Pittsburgh (13-11, 2-9). Currently at opposite ends of the conference, this seems like a favorable matchup for the Orange. 'Cuse also won the previous game between the two in a 77-66 win back in early January.
However, Pittsburgh has been a house of horrors for Syracuse. They have beaten the Panthers on the road once since joining the ACC, back in 2013 on a crazy buzzer-beater from former point guard Tyler Ennis. Before then, 'Cuse's last win in Pittsburgh came back in 2004. Among those leading the way for Syracuse that day were Gerry McNamara and Hakim Warrick.
Since that 2004 victory, Syracuse is an abysmal 1-7 at the Peterson Center. A win for the Orange on Saturday means it is going to have to exorcise some demons.
SU @ Pitt starts at 1 pm. Count Down to Tipoff starts at 12:30 on WAER 88.3.
Leading the charge for Head Coach Jim Boeheim's group will be senior Andrew White. The Nebraska transfer has scored at least 23 points in every game of Syracuse's five-game run. White has also scored in double digits in every game this season outside of the loss to St. John's.
Pittsburgh counters though with the ACC's top two leading scorers in seniors Jamel Artis and Michael Young. The pair are scoring 20 points per contest each, accounting for more than half of the Panthers' offensive output. Artis should be cleared to play after missing most of the Panthers' win over Boston College on Wednesday.
Both will have their hands full though against the Syracuse zone. Boeheim's famous defensive setup currently has the Orange leading the conference in steals per game and sitting fourth in blocks.
One player looking to get back on track is freshman Tyus Battle. It sounds a bit odd to say about the guy who hit the game winning shot to beat Clemson and dropped 23 points on Virginia, but over the last five games, Battle has struggled to find his shot. He is shooting 38.6 percent from the field over that stretch and only reached double figures in scoring once. The New Jersey native is hitting on just 25 percent of three point attempts during this winning streak as well. It might not seem that bad, but when you compare it to his season averages, 44 percent from the floor and 39 percent from three, it is clear that Battle is in a bit of a funk.