Men’s basketball: Panthers and Orange to square off in top five matchup

Three teams remain undefeated in Big East men’s basketball conference play. On Monday, though,… Three teams remain undefeated in Big East men’s basketball conference play. On Monday, though, at least one of them will fall from perfection.

No. 4 Syracuse will take on No. 5 Pitt at the Petersen Events Center Monday at 7:30 p.m. in a clash of Big East powers. Both the Orange and the Panthers have yet to lose in the conference this season, going a combined 10-0—and 35-1 overall.

The similarities don’t stop at their records. Both teams have tremendous depth and distribute the ball well, and both programs are known for their play on defense.

“That’s going to be a heck of a battle because both of them have great size and terrific guard play. They can pass the ball well,” Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard said after his team lost to the Panthers, 74-53, Saturday night. “I thought Syracuse was one of the more unselfish teams we played until I saw [Pitt].”

Pitt (17-1, 5-0 Big East) struggled to hit perimeter shots early Saturday night, but its guards fed Gary McGhee down low to ultimately swing the game in favor of the Panthers. McGhee finished with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.

The game Monday will be a quick turnaround for Syracuse (18-0, 5-0 Big East) as well. The Orange led No. 25 Cincinnati by four points at halftime but pulled away to win, 67-52, Saturday afternoon.

Syracuse’s depth shined against the Bearcats. With the game tight early in the second half, 7-foot freshman Fab Melo—10th on the team in points per game—put Cincinnati away with a block at one end and a thunderous dunk at the other.

“Once he started playing well, it even made me smile,” Syracuse guard Brandon Triche said after the game. “It’s a thing we all thought that he would be doing every game. He had four blocks. Coming into the year, I really expected him to average that every game.”

Melo said that Syracuse’s depth, not any one player, has propelled the team to its unblemished start to the season.

“Balance is always important, no question about it,” he said Saturday. “James [Southerland] has had a big role. C.J. [Fair] has had a big role. It wasn’t any surprise to them to be out there [against Cincinnati].”

Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim called on Southerland and Fair off the bench Saturday afternoon because starter Kris Joseph fell backward and hit his head on the court in the first half of the game. He did not return.

“Kris went down hard,” Boeheim said after the game. “I don’t have any idea what’s going on. We won’t know anything for sure. It’s unlikely he won’t be able to turn around. He got banged pretty good when he hit the floor.”

Joseph’s status for Monday’s game is uncertain. The 6-foot-7 forward leads Syracuse with 14.6 points per game.

With or without Joseph, though, Pitt’s McGhee will have his hands full underneath the rim. Orange senior forward Rick Jackson leads the Big East in rebounding by a sizable margin. The Philadelphia native pulls down 11.7 rebounds per game. No other player averages more than 9.2.

Jackson also averages 13.2 points in the offensive end. He, Joseph, Triche and Scoop Jardine all average at least 10 points per game.

Syracuse’s trademark in the Jim Boeheim era, though, has been without the ball, as the Orange utilize a zone defense. Jardine said Boeheim has made a relatively young Syracuse squad go from good to great this season thanks to it.

“We all knew we had a good basketball team,” Jardine said. “We were young though. I knew if we followed our leader, Coach Boeheim, and did what he wanted us to do, we’d become a great basketball team.”

Syracuse has held opponents to the lowest field goal shooting percentage in the conference this year, 36.8 percent. Its last four opponents—No. 15 Notre Dame, Seton Hall, St. John’s and Cincinnati—all scored less than 60 points against Boeheim’s zone defense.

Syracuse gives up an average of 59.3 points per game.

Pitt, though, has defeated Syracuse four straight years. Most recently, the Panthers knocked off then-undefeated No. 5 Syracuse last January, 82-72. Ashton Gibbs hit 6 of 9 three-pointers to finish with 24 points.

Pitt guard Brad Wanamaker said he knows why the Panthers have had success in the past against Syracuse’s style of defense.

“We have a great zone offense,” Wanamaker said after Pitt’s win over Seton Hall. “We pass the ball very well against their defense. We attack them in the paint and we rebound well. We give them different looks, whether it’s an open shot from outside or getting in the lane and getting an easy basket.”

Syracuse will have to deal with more than the nation’s best passing team (20.1 assists per game). The Orange also has to handle what Triche called “one of the toughest places to play in the country.”

“It is definitely a true away game,” Triche said. “I haven’t experienced anything like [the Pete] yet. It’s definitely going to be a great test for us.”

Monday’s game is the latest challenge to Pitt’s immaculate record at the Pete against top-5 teams. The Panthers improved to 8-0 at home against the nation’s best programs with a 78-63 victory over No. 4 Connecticut on Dec. 27.