Pitt hosts Syracuse at the Petersen

Much has changed in one month’s time. The foot of snow has melted, and so has Syracuse’s No…. Much has changed in one month’s time. The foot of snow has melted, and so has Syracuse’s No. 13 ranking. Pitt, on the other hand, has moved up to No. 3 in the polls since the Panthers routed the Orangemen 66-45 at the Carrier Dome on Jan. 24.

But one thing has not changed, and that is the danger that Syracuse poses to Pitt’s 40-0 record at the Petersen Events Center.

Pitt (25-2 overall, 11-2 Big East) will have to play two solid halves against Syracuse (18-6, 8-5). Against Georgetown, Pitt played a poor first half, scoring only 20 points – the lowest first-half total for the Panthers all year.

“We have guys who believe in each other and believe in what we are doing and I think that has a lot to do with [how Pitt overcomes tough times],” Panthers head coach Jamie Dixon said, when asked about his team’s poise through adversity.

Syracuse players have also shown poise, not giving up despite their tough losses. The Orangemen are on the bubble for the NCAA tournament, and every game is a must-win for them. That is why they are a dangerous team to play.

Another reason to fear the Orangemen is because of players on their team who are stepping up, like forward Hakim Warrick, who won co-Big East Player of the Week honors – an honor that he shared with UConn’s Emeka Okafor. Warrick posted game highs in scoring in both of last week’s games against Notre Dame (28) and Georgetown (19).

However, Warrick has made mistakes over the season. He averages three turnovers a game, and had five against Georgetown. According to The Post Standard, Orangemen head coach Jim Boeheim still has faith in Warrick.

“His turnovers are going up the last couple of games because he’s got to make plays for us,” Boeheim said. “There’s going to be times where he’s going to take it in traffic. He’s going to make some mistakes.”

Against Pitt, he scored 16 points and pulled down 10 rebounds. His 19.8 points per game have him tied for the team lead in scoring with teammate Gerry McNamara, who is also a threat to Pitt.

Although McNamara had a sub-par game against Pitt in January, scoring only eight points, he can still nail three-pointers in the clutch – like he did against Georgetown as time expired, giving Syracuse the 57-54 win.

McNamara has hit 77 three-pointers this season, as compared to the 29 three-pointers the rest of his team, combined, has made.

Pitt’s presence from behind the arc has not gone unnoticed either.

In fact, Pitt has hit 126 three-pointers this season – 20 more than Syracuse. Carl Krauser and Julius Page lead the way with 41 and 49 threes, respectively.

Despite Pitt’s success with its three-point shooting, the Panthers beat Syracuse with 44 of the 66 points coming from the paint in the first matchup. Forwards Chevon Troutman and Mark McCarroll, as well as Chris Taft, all finished in double-digit scoring in that game. They were forces to be reckoned with, and Syracuse had no answer for them.

The one thing that they will have to look out for is committing fouls. Against Syracuse, Troutman, McCarroll, and Taft all had four fouls in the game. Center Toree Morris received three foul calls in his eight minutes off the bench.

The game will boil down to whether Pitt can control the paint. If the Panthers do, like they did a month ago, they should head to the locker room with their 41st win at the Pete.

Pitt will host Syracuse at 4 p.m. on Sunday and the game will be televised on CBS.