Panthers open Big East with Orange

In the past, zone defenses created problems for Pitt’s offense, forcing mid- and long-range… In the past, zone defenses created problems for Pitt’s offense, forcing mid- and long-range jump shots, something that never played to the Panthers’ advantage.

At the outset of a rigorous Big East Conference schedule, Pitt travels to Syracuse, N.Y., tonight to face Syracuse’s infamous 2-3 zone defense.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The game will be nationally broadcasted live on ESPN.

Pitt (No. 10 AP/ESPN/USA Today) rebounded from back-to-back road losses over the university’s winter break with a pair of home victories, knocking off Dayton Dec. 23 and Florida A’M Dec. 30.

The Panthers (12-2) are 2-1 on the road this season, with their second loss coming against Oklahoma State in a virtual road game in Oklahoma City at the All-College Classic, just an hour away from the Cowboys’ main campus.

“We played the toughest schedule in the conference, and we played more road games than anyone else,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said. “I think we put ourselves in a very good position, and we got better as the season went on.

“I think we’ll have the toughest overall schedule in the country when you factor in the road games, so we really feel good about where we are.”

Syracuse (11-3) has been home since Dec. 9, winning four of its last five games in the Carrier Dome on its main campus. The Orange are 0-2 against ranked opponents this season, dropping consecutive decisions to then-No. 22 Wichita State and then-No. 25 Oklahoma State.

Orange head coach Jim Boeheim’s zone defense causes problems with its constant movement and on-the-ball pressure. The guards extend off the high elbows and into passing lanes while the forwards slide from their block positions to the wings, often double-teaming shooters on the wings while cutting off cross-court skip-pass options.

Pitt got its first taste of a zone defense this season in its last game against Florida A’M, so the Panthers will not be surprised by Syracuse’s style of play.

“Syracuse’s zone will be much more aggressive,” Levance Fields said. “We’ve got to be ready for that. The guards will extend out more and get into the passing lanes, so we have to use a lot of ball fakes and penetrate into the zone.

“Syracuse is long and athletic, they jump up and try to block everything, so we are definitely going to have to penetrate, look to kick, then knock down the open shots to be successful.”

Pitt’s offense uses its ball movement and constant motion to create open looks, looking to find its 7-foot center Aaron Gray in the middle on every possession. The Panthers will look to isolate Gray in the post while providing multiple options from the wing to stretch the zone.

This season, opponents average just 65.2 points per game against Syracuse, shooting 37 percent from the field and 31 percent from the 3-point line.

Yet, the Panthers are shooting 50 percent from the field coming into tonight’s game, including 38.5 percent from beyond the arc. Leading scorers Gray and Mike Cook are shooting 62 and 57 percent respectively, while guard Ronald Ramon has hit 44.3 percent of his 3-pointers thus far.

Tonight, something has to give.

“They [Syracuse] are going to be more aggressive out on the perimeter, which means you have to try and get the ball more on the inside,” Dixon said. “You also have to get some offensive rebounds.

“We still have to knock down 3s, though, because any zone is successful if you don’t make open 3s.”

Pitt relies on Preseason Big East Player of the Year Gray for much of its scoring, as the senior totals 15.6 points per game in just 28.1 minutes per contest. After struggling several weeks with strep throat, Gray will be fully healthy tonight.

Wing players Cook (12.1) and Antonio Graves (10.7) are the only other Panthers scoring in double digits. Graves, a 6-2 senior, leads Pitt in 3-point shooting, toting a 48-percent clip from long range, hitting 21 of his 44 attempts.

Syracuse forward Demetris Nichols, who, along with junior guard Josh Wright, is one of two Syracuse regulars to start every game, posts 19.8 points per game from the small/power forward position. The combo forward shoots 48.8 percent from 3-point land and 50.5 percent from the field, leading all scorers in the Big East entering conference play.

Sophomore guard Eric Devendorf (11.9) and freshman Paul Harris (11.3) are Syracuse’s other double-digit scorers.

As is always the case in Big East contests, the rebounding war will be intense, with Syracuse’s big four – Harris, Nichols, Terence Roberts and Darryl Watkins – battling Pitt’s Gray and Levon Kendall for paint supremacy. In Pitt’s two losses, it was out-rebounded by a 10-plus margin.

The senior Roberts leads the Orange in rebounding, averaging 8.4 rebounds per game, while Harris pulls in 7.4 rebounds in just 25.5 minutes per game off the bench. Gray averages a Big East-leading 10.9 rebounds a game for Pitt while seven other Panthers average two or more.

Dixon is 33-15 against Big East opponents in his years on the Panther bench, the best career winning percentage (.679) among Big East coaches in league history, and is 2-1 in Big East openers.

The Panthers defeated Syracuse 80-67 at the Petersen Events Center last season and have won two of the last three meetings in the Carrier Dome. Pitt looks to avenge its 65-61 defeat at the hands of the Orange in the Big East Conference Championship.