Men’s Basketball: Pitt faces stout defense in critical contest at Syracuse

Pitt men’s basketball hasn’t faced many 2-3 zone defenses this season, but fifth-year forward Lamar Patterson said he and his team know how to exploit one.

“I like the middle,” said Patterson, pointing to a foul line in the Petersen Events Center’s practice gym. “Right in the middle of the 2-3. That’s where we want to get the ball. If you get in the heart of that zone, then it’s going to be hard for them to stop it because we’ve got guys who are aggressive and who can score and guys who can pass the ball. 

“That’s what you want to do against their zone,” he added.

Patterson will act as the cornerstone of Pitt’s offensive attack on Saturday when the No. 22 Panthers (16-1, 4-0) take on No. 2 Syracuse (17-0, 4-0) at the Carrier Dome at 4 p.m. 

Pitt spent this past week’s practices playing against a 2-3 zone defense — one identical to the renowned 2-3 zone Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim has thrown at teams for decades. Dixon said his team has been practicing against that scheme, which exhibits the same tendencies as Syracuse’s.

“I’m going to be all over the court. I’m going to be wherever the team needs me. We want to get inside there,” said Patterson, again pointing to the free-throw line. “We don’t want to settle for outside jump shots because we know we can get in there and get better shots.”

The matchup will be the most meaningful game for Pitt’s program since the Panthers collected their 18th win of the 2010-2011 season against Syracuse. Pitt is off to its best start in league play since that season, when the team amassed a 7-0 record before losing a game.

Pitt and Syracuse now sit atop a reformed ACC with perfect records. 

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon has garnered bragging rights in the biannual rivalry, as his 10-4 record against Boeheim always attracts the question: What’s the secret to beating Boeheim and the Orange?

“We’ve been asked that question before, a number of times, especially up at Syracuse after we’ve beat them,” Dixon said. “And they want the answers. But there is no answer. It’s just that we’ve played well against them in close games and have come out with the win. 

“We’re not inventing anything or discovering anything. We’ve just played hard and won some close games at the end,” he explained.

This season’s contests will be no different than in past years. More often than not, Syracuse boasts talented forwards and at least one NBA prospect. This season, it’s 6-foot-8-inch 215-pound C.J. Fair, who is averaging 17.1 points per game.

“We’ll have different guys matching up,” Dixon said of how the Panthers plan to stop Fair. “They have so many different guys that can score around the basket — that’s a concern. The transition, the offensive rebounding, that seems to us where they get their baskets in Fair and [Jerami] Grant,specifically.”

Dixon added that Syracuse’s rotation doesn’t contain players who are “going to do this or do that.” 

“What they’re going to do is just find ways to score and come up with loose balls and come out in transition and have a nose for putting balls in the basket,” he said.

“You’ve got to have good offense, don’t give them transition opportunities. You’ve got to block out on defense and keep them off the free-throw line, and you’re in a better position,” he added.

Fair was voted ACC Preseason Player of the Year by ACC coaches. Yet, redshirt junior guard Cameron Wright gave credit to Syracuse freshman point guard Tyler Ennis for being the team’s undisputed leader.

“Ennis is doing a great job,” Wright said. “He’s doing a great job being a floor general for his team, so if I’ve got to say anybody is running their team, I would say that it’s him.”

Ennis is scoring 11.6 points per game and is second in the ACC with 5.6 assists per game.

Dixon said his team hasn’t been too shabby with racking up assists of its own. He was pleased with his team’s passing effort and patience in Tuesday night’s 81-74 win at Georgia Tech.

“We got 18 layups, which was three quarters of our baskets,” Dixon said. “We had really good offensive sets the other day against Georgia Tech, just finding second options, third options.”

Syracuse’s 2-3 zone may limit the amount of options that Pitt is given on offense, and the Panthers could struggle if they turn the ball over. The Orange’s top two in their zone — Ennis and Trevor Cooney — top the league in steals, averaging a combined 5.2 steals per game.