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After winning consecutive games on the road against Miami and Virginia, Syracuse reached its third winning streak of at least five games this season. But when the Orange returned to the JMA Wireless Dome to face Duke on Thursday, they were stifled.

The Blue Devils, who entered the game allowing the fewest points per game (57.8) in the Atlantic Coast Conference, forced SU to shoot a season-low 25.0% en route to a season-low 45 points in a 58-45 loss.

Despite the loss, SU retained the second-best record in the ACC. On Sunday, the Orange look to get back in the win column and complete the sweep of Pittsburgh, who bolsters the second-worst record in the ACC. The contest will be SU’s last home game of the regular season.

Here’s everything to know ahead of No. 17 Syracuse’s (22-5, 12-4 ACC) match-up versus Pittsburgh (8-20, 2-13 ACC):

All-time series:

Syracuse leads 52-16.

Last time they played:

Syracuse traveled to Pittsburgh to face the Panthers on Jan. 21 coming off back-to-back thrilling comebacks against Clemson and then-No. 15 Florida State. The Orange started slowly, trailing 17-12 in the first quarter before cruising over the last three quarters to a 72-59 win.

Despite struggling in five of SU’s six prior games, Georgia Woolley shined in the win. She scored 20 points on 8-for-18 shooting and made three of SU’s 10 3-pointers. Despite a shaky 36.8% clip from the field, Syracuse’s 10 3s compared to Pitt’s two helped SU win its 25th consecutive game against the Panthers.

The Panther report:

To put it simply, Pittsburgh isn’t strong in many areas of the floor. The Panthers effective field goal percentage of 43.6% ranks 236th in Division I while its opponents’ 47.8% clip ranks 273rd, according to HerHoopStats.

Pitt is 2-13 in ACC play, having only beaten Virginia on Jan. 25 and Clemson on Feb, 18. Outside of Liatu King, whose 17.7 points per game ranks seventh in the ACC, the Panthers struggle to score with nobody else reaching double figures.

While King dominates offensively, all of her buckets come from inside the arc and the free throw line. The senior forward hasn’t attempted a 3-pointer this season, an area the Panthers struggle to a 27.9% from behind the arc as a team.

How Syracuse beats Pittsburgh:

The Orange don’t need to shoot 60% from 3 as they did in their win over Virginia, but Syracuse needs to be competent from distance against the Panthers. In games where SU shoots at least 30% from behind the arc, it is 15-1. Even if it struggles to a clip around that benchmark, it will be enough to be Pitt.

In the first match-up between the two teams, Syracuse jacked up 31 3s only making 10 of them, but it was more than enough to propel the Orange to a 13-point win. If SU can establish itself from the outside early on, it will open lanes inside the paint where Dyaisha Fair and company can beat Pitt off dribble drives and pick and rolls.

Stat to know: -10.0

The Panthers’ -10.0 margin per 100 possessions ranks 277th in D-I, per HerHoopStats. Meanwhile, SU’s 13.8 clip ranks 53rd. The Orange have at some points struggled to start games strong this season, but if they can do that on Sunday, it should be a comfortable wire-to-wire win.

Player to watch: Liatu King, forward, No. 2

Against SU last month, King scored 27 of Pitt’s 59 points, getting into the paint with ease. She was 12-for-19 from the field, making easy work of Syracuse’s forwards — who are coming off a poor performance versus Duke.

King gradually improved across her first three seasons with the Panthers, but has emerged as a star as a senior. After averaging 9.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in 2022-23, she is averaging 18.6 points and 10.4 rebounds while shooting 54.2% from the field this season.

Published on February 24, 2024 at 6:16 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon