Can Syracuse get its second road win in a row?
Teams: Syracuse Orange (10-12, 3-9) vs. Pittsburgh Panthers (11-12, 2-10)
Day & Time: Sunday, February 13, 2 p.m.
Location: Peterson Events Center, Pittsburgh, PA
TV/Streaming: ACC Network
Radio: Cuse.com, ESPN 97.7
Rivalry: Syracuse, 48-19
Current Streak: Syracuse, 20
First Meeting: Pittsburgh won the first meeting 83-65 at home on Jan. 30, 1980.
Last Meeting: You only have to go back a couple of weeks to find the last meeting between these teams. The Orange won 80-72 on Jan. 30 to end a lengthy losing streak. All five starters went into double figures as Syracuse was able to close the deal down the stretch.
Head Coaches: Syracuse – Vonn Read (1st year, 10-12) | Pittsburgh – Lance White (4th year, 32-72)
Coach Bio: White didn’t play basketball in college, graduating from Texas Tech with a degree in exercise and sports science in 1996. He was a student assistant on Tech’s national championship team in 1993 and became a full-time assistant in 1998. He spent five seasons on the staff in Lubbock before taking an assistant role at Florida State in 2003.
White spent 15 seasons with the Seminoles, earning the National Assistant Coach of the Year honor in 2017. His four seasons at Pitt haven’t been great, and it seems like he needs to get some positive momentum rolling to keep his job.
Last Year: The Panthers had a disappointing 2020-21 campaign. They finished 5-14 with a 3-12 record in the ACC, losing in the first round in Greensboro.
“Fear Me, I’ve Killed Hundreds of Timelords”: Jayla Everett leads the Panthers in scoring with 13.7 points per game. She’s not a very efficient shooter, only at 33 percent from the floor and 30 percent from three. Still, she’s going to have the ball in her hands when it’s crunch time. Syracuse held her to 5-of-18 shooting in the first matchup and will need a similar performance on Sunday.
If Syracuse Wins: The Orange get another win on the road and improves their position in the ACC standings.
If Syracuse Loses: It’s a disappointing loss for Syracuse and another example of how difficult it is to string together wins in ACC play
Fun Fact: The Orange have won 20 straight against the Panthers, with their last loss coming in January 2009 when the teams were still Big East rivals. When you win 20 straight against a team, there must be a lot of pressure to keep the streak going. We’ll see if Syracuse makes it 21 consecutive wins on Sunday.