Pitt at Syracuse: Panthers Open ACC Play

The Pitt Panthers return to action with a road trip to Syracuse.

PITTSBURGH -- It has arrived - at the end of a long layoff for the Christmas holiday, the Pitt Panthers are back in action this week to open ACC play. 

The gauntlet of league play begins with a road trip to face rival Syracuse and it will be crucial for the Panthers to get off on the right foot as a difficult month of January awaits. 

Game Info

Opponent: Syracuse (9-3 overall, 0-1 ACC)
Time: 12:05 p.m. EST
Location: JMA Wireless Dome; Syracuse, New York
Broadcast: The CW and 93.7 The Fan

Odds
Oddsmakers have this game set as a pick ‘em right now, according to Action Network, with the point total line set at 146.5.

Three Storylines

Young Stars Battle at the Point
Judah Mintz and Bub Carrington are two of the best point guards in the ACC and true professional prospects after excellent starts to both of their college career. Mintz is the more polished product - older and with gaudier numbers - but Carrington has made a name for himself as well just 12 games into his freshman season. 

Those two will likely be matched up on one another early and often in this game and will test each other on both ends. Known for their skills on the offensive end, both Mintz and Carrington have size and opportunistic hands on defense that make them dangerous turnover creators. 

There's added intrigue to their matchup because of how Mintz's recruitment ended. He was originally a Pitt commit before flipping to Syracuse and it's a battle between "what if?" and "what is."

Playing in Space
The Orange rank 43rd in adjusted tempo and 37th in defensive turnover rate among all Division I basketball teams. They are not a world-beating offensive team but win similarly to Pitt - with defense turning to offense and creating easy opportunities at the rim. 

Their achilles heel is on the defensive glass, where they surrender offensive rebounds at the 284th-best rate in college basketball. Winning the battle for rebounds will determine just how much the Orange are able to play in space and get a team with some size, but not high-end size in the frontcourt, a chance to outrun a bigger team like Pitt. 

Entering the Gauntlet
A brutal stretch of games greets the Panthers as they open ACC play with the calendar turning from 2023 to 2024. 

This road trip to Syracuse is followed by a home game against North Carolina, another road trip to Louisville, two more home games against Duke and Syracuse, then three of four on the road to close out January. Four of their next eight come against teams receiving votes in the latest AP poll and five are on the road. 

That makes getting off on the right foot against the Orange critical for Pitt. According to KenPom, the Panthers have a greater than 60% chance of winning in three of their next eight games - few free-bees are coming up, so they need to capitalize on their current momentum, built by a four-game winning streak to close non-conference play, right now. 

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