Syracuse Basketball Gives Up First Half Lead To Pittsburgh: 3 Takeaways

Another early lead dissipated right in front of Syracuse basketball’s eyes, this time at the hands of the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Syracuse’s 22-6 lead to start the game quickly became an 11-point loss after the Orange dropped their third consecutive game, 80-69.

The Orange have lost four of their last five games, and the lost to Pitt is the second double-digit loss in that frame. Now sitting on the line to make the ACC Tournament, Syracuse will have a losing record for the first time since the 2021-22 season.

Here are three takeaways from the Orange’s loss.

Takeaway 1: Syracuse’s kryptonite

If the Orange are willing to give away leads, they might give up their ticket to the postseason as well.

Syracuse has struggled to hold onto leads all season long, going back to nonconference play. The Orange opened the season with a near-loss to LeMoyne College and Colgate, both of whom teams Syracuse has handily beaten before. Then, of course, there’s the triple overtime win against Boston College on Feb. 8.

Giving up a double-digit lead to the Panthers led to one of the worst losses of the season and of the Adrian Autry era. Other ACC teams have noticed that Syracuse will flinch, and has taken advantage of it, too. Against Pittsburgh, the Orange allowed the Panthers to outscore them 48-26 in the second half.

A seven-point lead should have given Syracuse enough room to beat Pitt and split the season series. Instead, it was Syracuse’s kryptonite.

Takeaway 2: A much-needed Panthers win

Pitt needed a win just as badly, if not more, than Syracuse did.

After starting the season with NCAA Tournament hopes nearly cemented, Pitt lost eight of its last 11 games before hosting Syracuse. The Panthers went from conference title contender to middle of the pack in the span of a month, and their tournament hopes were slipping away just as quickly.

It didn’t help that Syracuse took the early lead, until the Panthers found a way to crawl back.

With four players reaching double figures, Pitt relied on the same players it leaned on during the first matchup on Jan. 25: Zack Austin and Ishmael Leggett.

The duo scored 26 points against the Orange in round one, and dropped another 38 on Tuesday night. They gave Pitt some life back when its postseason hopes were down to a prayer.

If the Panthers can keep the momentum going, particularly off the backs of Leggett and Austin, it could save Pitt’s postseason. But for now, it worked against Syracuse and that’s all that mattered for the squad in blue and gold.

Takeaway 3: Shoot the three

One positive for Syracuse was making a season-high 14 triples against Pitt. The Orange have only reached 10 or more made three-pointers two other times this season.

Chris Bell led the way with seven triples, giving him 21 of his 23 points. Bell’s season hasn’t been what the Orange expected, but he hasn’t been afraid to let the long ball fly — it worked against Pitt.

On the other hand, Syracuse allowed 10 made triples from Pitt, six of them coming in the second half. So while the Orange’s offensive long shot worked, its defense was still a weak point.

14 made triples is still a positive takeaway for Syracuse, even with that loss and everything that comes with it.

Up next for Syracuse (11-16, 9-11): vs. NC State (10-16, 3-12) – Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. EST

Up next for Pittsburgh (16-10, 7-8): at Notre Dame (11-15, 5-10) – Feb. 22 at 2:15 p.m. EST