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For the 15th and final spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, Syracuse possessed a two-game lead in the win column over NC State before its second matchup against Pittsburgh. In a disappointing second year under head coach Adrian Autry, missing the NCAA Tournament for a fourth straight year has become a foregone conclusion.

SU’s only way of getting to March Madness would be running the table in the ACC Tournament, as the Wolfpack did last year. However, the Orange are still fighting for a top-15 finish in the standings.

Facing Pitt on the road, the Orange initially looked like they’d cruise to a much-needed road win, leading 22-6 nine minutes in. But, in an already embarrassing season, the Orange fittingly embarrassed themselves from that point forward en route to an 80-69 loss.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (11-16, 5-11 ACC) loss to Pittsburgh (16-10, 7-8 ACC):

Early caused turnovers

Defense has been a major thorn for Syracuse throughout its dreadful season. According to KenPom, the Orange’s 107.4 adjusted defensive rating ranked 166th in the country before facing the Panthers. Before its bout in the Petersen Events Center, SU allowed last-place Miami to score 91 points, while North Carolina scored 88 Saturday.

However, Syracuse’s defense to begin Tuesday’s contest was stout. After a missed 3 by Guillermo Diaz Graham, Jyáre Davis picked Zack Austin’s pocket on the Orange’s ensuing defensive possession. That led to J.J. Starling scoring the game’s first points via a 3-pointer.

Following Starling’s triple, Jaquan Carlos — who stepped into the starting lineup for Elijah Moore, who was out with a right-leg injury — registered a steal, leading Eddie Lampkin Jr. to score inside. While the Orange forced another turnover a minute and a half later, Carlos coughed the ball up. However, the turnover matched how many giveaways (three) Syracuse forced against Pitt on Jan. 25.

This defensive effort set the tone for the Orange to begin the game on a 9-0 run, holding Pitt scoreless for over five minutes. Around the 13-minute mark, Carlos notched a steal and scored in transition, getting SU’s lead to double digits for the first time at 16-6.

Though Syracuse forced five turnovers across the first 10 minutes, the Panthers ended the half with six. Still, it helped SU command a 41-34 halftime lead. Despite forcing another six turnovers in the second half, the Orange couldn’t string together defensive stops nor capitalize off Pitt’s errors.

This led Syracuse to surrender 80 points or more for the fifth consecutive game, en route to a third straight loss.

Chris Bell sparks 3-point success

Starling has excelled in his role as SU’s No. 1 option following Judah Mintz’s departure after last season. The junior entered the game averaging 18.7 points per game, the most on the Orange by over seven points (Lampkin averaged 11.0). Alongside Starling, fellow junior Chris Bell was supposed to be among Syracuse’s top scorers this year.

However, after scoring 12 points per game and shooting 42% from 3 as a sophomore, Bell entered Tuesday averaging 9.4 points while shooting 33.7% from beyond the arc. Against the Panthers, he gave SU much-needed scoring.

Bell entered the game six minutes in and instantly drained a 3-pointer. He drew nylon again a minute and a half later, canning a left-side corner 3. Then, after Guillermo Diaz Graham missed a triple on the other end, Bell canned another triple, giving the Orange a 22-6 lead — their largest of the game.

Free throws at the 8:31 mark increased Bell’s point total to 11 before his fourth 3-pointer late in the half — which came from the top of the arc after Pitt failed to close out — helped SU take a seven-point lead into the break. His 14 points already marked the third time in his last four games Bell scored in double figures, his first time doing so since a four-game stretch in January.

Though Bell was mostly quiet in the second half, he drained consecutive triples with around five minutes remaining, keeping SU afloat. In the final minute, he drained his seventh 3, pushing him to 23 points and seven triples, both season-highs.

3-pointers canceled out

As a whole, Bell’s struggles have coincided with the Orange’s woes from beyond the arc. Entering Tuesday, SU’s 32% 3-point percentage ranked 265th in the country. But, like Bell, Syracuse was hot from 3 Tuesday.

In the early stretch, it was Starling, just a 28.6% shooter from 3, who drilled three in the first half. However, he finished the game 3-of-11 from deep. To anchor their first-half lead, though, the Orange saw Petar Majstorovic drain just his fourth 3 of the year while Lucas Taylor added one, too.

It gave SU nine 3-point makes at halftime, just two away from tying its season-high 11 against Pitt (11-of-32) and Clemson (11-of-21). In the second half, despite setting a new season high for made 3-pointers (14-of-33), Pitt clawed its way back, finishing 10-of-23 from distance.

When the Orange did find the bottom of the net from deep in the second half, the Panthers quickly responded. First, after Carlos made a 3 to extend SU’s lead to eight early in the second half, Austin (19 points) instantly answered. When a Diaz Graham triple cut Pitt’s deficit to two a minute and a half later, Taylor got Syracuse’s lead back to five on the ensuing possession.

However, as Pitt embarked on a run where it took its first lead, SU was silenced from distance. By the time Bell hit his sixth 3, the Orange trailed by six — a deficit too large for this roster to overcome.

Lowe and Leggett percolate

When the Panthers defeated Syracuse, Ishmael Leggett and Jaland Lowe — who missed Pitt’s last game while in concussion protocol — were the engines, combining for 38 points. Yet across the first half, the guard tandem combined for just 13 points.

Pitt’s comeback went hand-in-hand with Lowe and Leggett percolating. To begin the second half, it was Leggett who took control. First, he converted an and-one, cutting the Panthers’ deficit to 45-37 after SU scored the second half’s first four points. Then, following a Taylor miss, he drained a 3, bringing the Panthers within five.

Then, the 3s from Diaz Graham and Austin got the Panthers within two. That’s when Lowe started to get going, tying the game 51-51 at the 13:15 mark after notching a steal and scoring in transition. While two Carlos free throws regained SU the lead, Lowe again got inside on the ensuing possession to tie the contest again.

Though Lampkin, who was held to just seven points while dealing with foul trouble, responded with an and-one, Lowe again torched Syracuse inside on the next possession to cut its lead to one. Following a Petar Majostorvic missed triple, Leggett drained one on the other end. It gave Pitt a 58-56 advantage, its first lead that it didn’t relinquish. A minute later, at the 8:30 mark, Leggett drilled another triple, giving the Panthers a seven-point lead.

Throughout the final stretch of the game, the guards were supported by Cameron Corhen and Austin, cruising to an 11-point win. Leggett finished with 19 points, while Lowe was right behind at 17.

Published on February 18, 2025 at 9:25 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon