Preview: Syracuse vs Pittsburgh

The Orange returns to the court on Wednesday and welcomes a rival to the Dome.

Syracuse returns to the court on Wednesday when they host the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Orange were originally scheduled to face Florida State, but due to a positive COVID-19 test within the Seminoles program, the opponent was changed. 

Here is everything you need to know about the matchup. 

HOW TO WATCH

Matchup: Syracuse (6-1, 1-0) vs Pittsburgh (5-2, 1-1)

Location: Carrier Dome - Syracuse, N.Y.

Time: 4:30pm Eastern - Wednesday, January 6th.

Television: ACC Network

Stream: WatchESPN (requires cable login), Sling, YouTubeTV, Hulu Live

Radio: TK99, WAER, Cuse.com, TuneIn App

SERIES HISTORY

Syracuse leads the all-time series 73-45 including winning the last seven, and eight of the last nine, games. Syracuse has completely dominated the series outside of the Jamie Dixon era at Pitt. When Dixon was the head coach, Syracuse was just 6-15 against the Panthers. In all other games, the Orange is 67-30. 

ESPN MATCHUP PREDICTOR

ESPN's Matchup Predictor likes Syracuse's chances in this one. They give the Orange a 79.6% chance to win.

PANTHERS MISSING PLAYERS

Pitt will be without at least three scholarship players on Wednesday, including leading scorer Justin Champagnie. Champagnie is averaging 17.8 points per game along with 12.3 rebounds. He is out due to injury. There are two others, and potentially three, that could be out due to contact tracing according to head coach Jeff Capel. Capel would not identify the other players that could be out, but did say the loss of Champagnie is a big one especially against Syracuse. 

"Obviously for Syracuse, with their zone, he’s a guy that we feel like is very comfortable in the middle of the zone, which we think can be a point of attack and also along the baseline," Capel said. "Justin also has the ability to step out and make a three. But his biggest strength this season is rebounding, especially offensive rebounding. It’s a huge loss for us."

Champagnie averaged 13.5 points and 13 rebounds against Syracuse last season.

PITTSBURGH'S ZONE KILLERS

Pittsburgh is not a great three point shooting team, but they do have players capable of hitting the outside shot. The three players to keep an eye on from the outside are guards Au'diese Toney (40.9%), Xavier Johnson (34.3%) and Ithiel Horton (33.3%). Johnson and Horton lead the team in three point attempts and makes. 

Not having Champagnie is a big loss because he is the perfect player to put at the free throw line and either score himself or find his teammates for good looks. In his absence, look for Toney to fill that role. At 6-6, Toney can be physical, is a quality finisher, has a smooth jumper and is a willing passer. Toney averages over 16 points per game and nearly three assists, so look for him to take on a bigger role with Champagnie out. 

Xavier Johnson will be critical to how Pittsburgh attacks the zone as well. His ability to penetrate will be a key to how successful the Panthers are in breaking down the Orange defense. If he can get inside, he forces the forwards to collapse or the center to step up, leaving large gaps and an opportunity for an easy look at the basket. Johnson is averaging more than 14 points and five assists per game. He did struggle against Syracuse last season, shooting just 4-19 (21%) in two games but did average six assists per game.

THE RETURN OF SIDIBE

This is a big development for Syracuse. As expected, Bourama Sidibe will be back for Syracuse in his first game since the season opener. At 6-11, he will be the tallest player on the floor. Pittsburgh only has three players who play significant minutes above 6-7. They are forward John Hugley (6-9), Abdoul Karim Coulibaly (6-8) and Noah Collier (6-8). Syracuse should have a size advantage with Sidibe in there. Hugley, however, is a physical player at 240 pounds. How ready Sidibe is for physical play inside remains to be seen. But having him back and providing front court depth is enormous. Boeheim mentioned during Tuesday's ACC media call that he will ease Sidibe back in, so do not expect him to play 35 minutes. But anything they get from him will be helpful. 

THE RUST FACTOR

Syracuse has not played since December 19th and Pittsburgh has not since December 22nd. How rusty will the teams be as a result? Whichever team gets back into regular game flow sooner will have a big advantage. Everyone responds to extended time off differently, so this could end up playing a big factor in the outcome. 

SYRACUSE HAS FULL ROSTER AVAILABLE

Jim Boeheim stated on Monday that Syracuse will have its full roster available for Wednesday's game against Pittsburgh. That includes the return of Bourama Sidibe, and also means they do not have any other contact tracing issues within the program. This is good news for the Orange not only for this game, but also moving forward.