Teams: Syracuse Orange (12-5, 3-1) vs. Pittsburgh Panthers (12-5, 2-2) Day & Time: Saturday, January 19 at 2 p.m. EST. Location: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY. Line: N/A. ESPN’s BPI gives Syracuse an 82.6 percent chance of beating Pittsburgh. TV/Streaming: RSN (check your local affiliate)/ACC Network Extra Radio: Syracuse IMG Network, WAER 88.3, SiriusXM: 956 (Syracuse) | 974 (Pitt) Pitt blog: Cardiac Hill Rivalry: 68-45, Syracuse Current Streak: 2, Orange First Meeting: You know how everyone associates Chris Webber with that timeout he called while playing for Michigan against North Carolina in the national title game all those years ago? Well, it was Pittsburgh which actually started that whole brain-fart fad. As OrangeHoops tells it, Pitt led Syracuse 28-27 with 16 seconds left in a 1914 contest. However, Pitt received a technical for calling an extra time out. The Orange would eventually tie the game at 28 to force OT, then win 36-29 in overtime. Lew Castle scored 20 points for SU. Last Meeting: Hello, Bourama Sidibe! The freshman big, who had missed significant time due to a left knee injury, came back to record a career-best 18 points and 16 rebounds in Syracuse’s 60-55 win at Pittsburgh. Sidibe, who many thought might even miss the rest of the season with the bum knee, played 31 minutes off the bench for Jim Boeheim’s team. The Hall of Fame coach must have suffered a head injury of his own, because Boeheim said something positive, calling Sidibe’s play “spectacular.” What’s more, Syracuse’s other front-court members were a combined 6 of 26 from the field. Sidibe, meanwhile, hit 6 of his 8 attempts—albeit mostly from at or near the rim. A spectacular indeed. Sophomore Tyus Battle added 14 points in what was the Orange’s third straight victory. A win that came despite Syracuse’s only having scored 22 points in the game’s first twenty minutes. In other words, it was a classic Pitt rock fight. Head Coaches: Head Coaches: SU: Jim Boeheim (43rd year, 1,036-375); Pitt: Jeff Capel III (1st year at Pitt, 12-5—183-113 overall) Coach Bio: Jeff Capel III has been a fixture of the college landscape for years. Capel first burst on to the scene as a key player for Mike Krzyzewski at Duke from 1993 through 1997. In his time playing for the Blue Devils, Capel racked up over 1,600 points, 430 assists and finished in the school’s top ten for minutes played, three-point makes, three-point percentage, field goals made and assists. After moving on from playing, Capel joined the coaching ranks as an assistant at Old Dominion (bah) in 2000, and moving to VCU the following season. Capel took over the Rams as head coach in 2002 and had moderate success. His VCU team nearly upset Wake Forest in the NCAA Tournament in ‘04. From there, Capel moved on to Oklahoma which saw him rise to national prominence and fall from grace with lightning quickness. The kid born and raised in North Carolina suddenly was getting big-time recruits to sign on to play in Norman, Oklahoma. The biggest? Blake Griffin, who helped Capel and the Sooners get to the Elite Eight after beating Syracuse in the Sweet 16 back in 2009. Ultimately, Capel flamed out at OU, having five players leave his program before the ‘10-’11 season. His time there ended after the the program was found to have violated two NCAA rules—Capel was not tied to the issues, but with two straight losing seasons, he was shown the door. That led to his going back to Duke to assist Coach K. In fact, after some time, it looked as though Capel could be Mike Hopkins to Coach K’s legacy. But Capel surprised a lot of people in the college basketball world by agreeing to take over Pitt this past offseason. Last Year: Year two of the Kevin Stallings experience at Pittsburgh somehow went worse than the first. Pitt absolutely bottomed out, going 8-24 overall and 0-18 in the ACC. Yuck. The craziest stat to me is that the Panthers broke 70 points in an ACC game just one time last year—that was a 75-88 loss at Florida State. You would like another sad stat from that Pitt-iful (see what I did there!) team? Pitt freshman Trey McGowens has already attempted more free throws (113) than any player on the Panthers' roster during all of last season. Most attempted was 112. — Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) January 16, 2019 Last season was a train crashing into a garbage fire full of tires and grease for the Panthers. Last Game: Syracuse might be flying high after winning at Duke, but don’t count your wins before the buzzers have sounded. The Panthers have been feisty this season, especially so as of late. Pitt ripped into No. 11 Florida State, 75-62. Trey McGowens tallied 30 points, Xavier Johnson 16 and Au’Diese Toney chipped in 9 points and 8 boards for the Panthers in the upset victory. Jeff Capel’s team took a two-point game at half and ran away with it in the second. That despite the Seminoles having a 30 to 20 scoring advantage in the paint and having 18 second-chance points. It was the Panthers relentless drives to the hoop on offense in the game’s final twenty minutes that proved to be the difference. Pitt held off a late rally as Johnson connected on a two-pointer and then hit a layup. Despite having five losses already this season, the Panthers have beaten Louisville, barely lost at N.C. State and took out the ‘Noles in the last three contests. ”Fear Me, I’ve Killed Hundreds of Timelords”: Freshman Xavier Johnson leads Pitt in scoring at 17 points per game. The guard also is tops for the Panthers in assists (4.7 per) and shoots 84 percent from the free-throw line. Johnson struggled from the field against Florida State, but still scored 18 points and previously had 25 at N.C. State and 21 against Louisville. Trey McGowens is also a special player. Another frosh, McGowens made 18 of his 19 free throws against the ‘Noles.<doc-sep>Syracuse basketball (12-5, 3-1) returns to the Carrier Dome after knocking off the number one team in the country on Monday. They topped Duke 95-91 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Pittsburgh (12-5, 2-2) comes in off of a 13 point win over Florida State. Here's how you can watch the game. TV: ACC Network/YES (local channel 53/321 on Spectrum; 76/576 on Fios; 631 DirectTV) Stream: WatchESPN (requires cable login, may be blacked out in some markets) or FOXSportsGo (requires cable login) Radio: WTKW 99.5 FM (local), Cuse.com, Syracuse IMG Radio Network Time: 2:00 p.m. Eastern (Saturday, January 19th) Syracuse is a solid 7.5 point favorite (SportsLine.com) in a matchup with an old rival. The Panthers have been a thorn in the Orange's side over the years, but that was under former head coach Jamie Dixon. After Kevin Stallings took over last season, Syracuse dominated both games while Pittsburgh had one of its worst seasons in program history. Stalling was let go in the offseason and Jeff Capel was hired. Under Capel, Pittsburgh has enjoyed getting back to competitive basketball. They play elite level defense, forcing 17 turnovers per game. Without any big wins in the nonconference, Pitt has earned two in conference play with a victory over Louisville and No. 13 Florida State. They are looking for their first impressive road win in this one. Syracuse wants to continue playing high quality basketball after upsetting Duke. Prior to that, they fell at home to Georgia Tech in what was viewed as a disappointing setback. A big response against Duke has set the Orange up for a strong conference performance. That starts Saturday against Pittsburgh. The Panthers are a good basketball team, and anyone in the ACC can beat anyone, but this is a game Syracuse should win. In games against quality opponents other than Louisville and Florida State, both home games, Pittsburgh lost by 10 at West Virginia, by 25 to North Carolina, by one at Iowa and by six at NC State. Syracuse has to come out and assert itself while playing with tempo. When they push tempo, they play much better offensively. See the 50 point second half against Georgetown or a quality win at Notre Dame and then the big win at Duke. Another big key for Syracuse was getting more consistent play from the center position as well as Frank Howard. Howard had 16 points and five assists against Duke while Paschal Chukwu added 10 points and 18 rebounds. When Syracuse gets production like that from their center, they become a completely different team. Howard getting back to his form from last season gives Syracuse four legitimate offensive weapons with Tyus Battle, Elijah Hughes and Oshae Brissett. A win over Pittsburgh would put Syracuse at 4-1 in ACC play. ESPN's Matchup Predictor gives Syracuse an 82.7% chance to win. TeamRankings.com gives Syracuse an 81% chance to knock off the Panthers.<doc-sep>Two teams fresh off upsets of nationally-ranked opponents will meet on Saturday when the Syracuse Orange hosts the Pittsburgh Panthers at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse (12-5 overall, 3-1 ACC) is coming off its upset of No. 1-ranked Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Monday. The Orange toppled the top-ranked Blue Devils 95-91 in overtime. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh (12-5, 2-2) is taking the court for the first time since shocking No. 13 Florida State 75-62 on Monday. After going 0-18 in ACC play last season, Pittsburgh has turned things around this year under first-year coach Jeff Capel. In addition to its upset of Florida State, Pitt has also beaten Louisville in ACC play. Syracuse and Pittsburgh are scheduled to tip off at 2 p.m. The game will be televised on the ACC Regional Sports Network (YES Network in Syracuse). Below is the list of channel numbers for YES Network in the Syracuse area: Spectrum: 53 and Channel 321 (SD & HD) Verizon Fios: Channel 576 (HD) and 76 (SD) DirecTV: Channel 631 (SD & HD) Dish Network: Not available New Visions: Channel 762 (HD) and 76 (SD) You can also watch online or through tablets, mobile and streaming devices using FOX Sports GO. You'll need the online sign-in info for your cable or satellite provider to access FOX Sports Go. You can watch online through Watch ESPN or by using the Watch ESPN app for tablets, mobile devices and streaming devices. However, the game will be blacked out on Watch ESPN in certain markets. These are the channels within the ACC’s regional sports network scheduled to broadcast the game. FOX Sports South (North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia) FOX Sports Florida FOX Sports Midwest (delayed broadcast 4 a.m. ET, 3 a.m. CT) NBC Sports Washington Plus NESN Plus AT&T Sportsnet Pittsburgh SportsTime Ohio FOX Sports Detroit Plus FOX Sports North FOX Sports Wisconsin FOX Sports Southwest Plus (Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana) FOX Sports Arizona FOX Sports San Diego FOX Sports Prime Ticket AT&T Sportsnet Rocky Mountain Root Sports Northwest You can also listen to the game on the radio in Syracuse by tuning in to TK99 (99.5 FM) or WAER (88.3 FM). Follow Syracuse basketball on Twitter and Facebook<doc-sep>Syracuse, N.Y. -- The Syracuse Orange broke open a close game with an impressive defensive effort to beat Pittsburgh 74-63 in front of 24,466 fans Saturday at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse ended the first half on a skid, but the Orange came out of the halftime break and shut down the Panthers. Syracuse held Pittsburgh to just two points in the first 5 minutes and 57 seconds of the second half. The sturdy defense allowed the Orange to go on a 12-0 run, which increased its lead to 40-27. >> Box score | SU schedule That one stretch of defense proved to be the difference in the game even as Syracuse saw a 20-point lead dwindle to nine points in the game’s final minutes. Syracuse improved to 13-5 on the season and 4-1 in the ACC. Pittsburgh’s record dropped to 12-6 overall and 2-3 in the ACC with the loss. Syracuse hurt itself, and kept the game close, by making just 12 of its 23 free-throw attempts. Syracuse took all 23 of its free throws in the second half. Tyus Battle put the game away with five straight points midway through the second half. Battle drained a 3-pointer and then turned a steal into a breakaway slam-dunk for a 50-31 lead with 9:45 remaining in the game. Battle finished with a team-high 22 points. Paschal Chukwu returned to the starting lineup after his 10-point, 18-rebound performance in the Orange’s win over No. 1 Duke on Monday. Chukwu started the first 11 games of the season but had been coming off the bench for the six games prior to Saturday. He didn’t play at all in SU’s win over Clemson on Jan. 9. Chukwu responded with an excellent performance. He was active on both ends of the floor, finishing with six points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots. Syracuse freshman Buddy Boeheim scored a career-high 13 points off the bench. Boeheim went 4-for-5 on 3-pointers, hitting his first four of the game. Syracuse led 28-25 at halftime, but the Orange should have been up by much more. Syracuse led 28-16 after Battle’s jumper with 2:33 remaining in the half. But Pitt out-scored the Orange 9-0 from that point on. Syracuse committed turnovers on three of its last five possessions of the half to allow the Panthers a chance to get back into the game. Syracuse made six of its 12 shots from 3-point range in the first half. However, the Orange hit only five out of 18 shots from inside the 3-point line. Syracuse’s next game is on Thursday against Miami at the Carrier Dome. Follow Syracuse basketball on Twitter and Facebook.<doc-sep>
The excitement of Monday’s win is still running through the fan base, but the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team (12-5, 3-1) is flipping to the next page on this season as they prepare for the Pittsburgh Panthers (12-5, 2-2) to come into the Carrier Dome on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET. Both teams are coming off of wins against ranked teams in the ACC (Pitt just beat the No. 11-ranked Florida State Seminoles), so this has the potential to be a letdown game for either team. Coach Jim Boeheim has said numerous times that there will be zero easy wins in conference play this year, and that includes this game where Syracuse will need to play aggressive from the start if they want to avoid another loss in the Carrier Dome. Is Frank Howard back? Yeah, I know I claimed that Frank Howard is back after his breakout game against the Duke Blue Devils on Monday, but the Orange need to see those kinds of outings consistently if the senior point guard is truly back. Howard looked aggressive and had his quick first step back against the Blue Devils, as he was able to get inside the lane off the dribble. The best thing that Howard showed on Monday was his burst in his jump shot, as he was able to rise over his defender and sink multiple jumpers. Howard is the quarterback to this offense, and he’ll need to play that way the rest of the season if they’re going to reach their full potential. Was Monday’s performance just a one-time thing for Paschal Chukwu? Paschal Chukwu has really struggled this season, but the 7’2” center had his best game of the year in Cameron Indoor Stadium, where he finished with 10 points, 18 rebounds, and three blocks. The Orange needed a big man inside to step up and clean up the glass with all of Duke’s high flyers, and Chukwu came through in a massive way. Syracuse needs Chukwu to play like the big man his size would indicate if they want to limit teams to one shot per possession. The Panthers come into the Dome as the fifth-best rebounding team in the ACC with 41.6 boards per game, so the Orange are going to need Chukwu to dominate the glass once again if they want to come away with the win. Perimeter shooting The three-point shot will be a question for the Orange all season long, but Syracuse used the long ball to their, dare I say, advantage against Duke, as they shot 11-of-25 from deep. Five different players for the Orange hit a three on Monday, and they’ll be looking for that same type of production from their perimeter players on Saturday. Look for the Orange to try to get their sharpshooter Elijah Hughes going from deep early, as they look to create a quick lead against the Panthers. Can Syracuse guard the perimeter? Not only will the long ball be important for the Orange on the offensive end, but they’ll also be focused on containing Pittsburgh’s shooters on the defensive side of the ball. The Panthers are led by Xavier Johnson and Trey McGowens who combine for 31.5 points per game, and they use the long ball to their advantage. Both players can stroke it from deep which could stem trouble for the Orange, but Syracuse should be okay if the top of zone is locked in from the tip. It’s Tyus Battle’s time Tyus Battle exploded for 32 points against the Blue Devils, as he carried Syracuse to a road win over the number one team in the country. With 14 games remaining in the regular season for the Orange, the time is now for Battle to make games like his last one a common regularity. SU will go as far as Battle carries them this year, so look for Syracuse’s leading scorer to have the ball early and often Saturday afternoon. The one caveat here is similar to what was included above on Howard, however. Battle’s most effective when driving the lane, which creates more space for his at-times lethal jumper. If Syracuse is going to run at anything resembling the tempo we saw against Duke, Battle will be integral in that.