4 takeaways from Syracuse's 99-82 loss to Pittsburgh
Syracuse was routed by Pitt, 99-82, on Saturday afternoon. Here are four takeaways from the loss.
Syracuse struggles to stop Pitt
Pitt exploded in the second half, scoring 62 points. The Panthers had whatever shot they wanted, when they wanted it, hitting 47.1 percent from the field and 16 for 41 from downtown. Pitt moved the ball well, assisting on 27 of its 32 field goals, while turning the ball over just five times. Blake Hinson and Greg Elliot combined for 11 3-pointers. Pitt also had extra possessions thanks to 18 offensive rebounds.
Jim Boeheim shuffled his lineup to mixed success
Jim Boeheim shuffled his starting lineup on Saturday, benching his previous starting wings, Maliq Brown and Chris Bell in favor of Justin Taylor and Benny Williams. Brown played just six minutes, while Bell didn't play at all despite Boeheim saying post-game that he was available. While the move appeared to work for Williams (see more on that below), Taylor had a quiet evening, going scoreless in 17 minutes. Instead, Boeheim found a spark off the bench in Quadir Copeland, who had six points and three rebounds in 23 minutes.
Benny Williams finds the range
Benny Williams, who had been demoted from the starting lineup, made a triumphant return. He had the best game of his college career, scoring 24 points and grabbing 9 rebounds, while shooting 5-6 from downtown. It was a welcome sight from Williams, who had not been in double-digits since a Jan. 16 loss to Miami, a stretch of eight games.
Postseason hopes fade further away
Barring an ACC Tournament Championship, Syracuse is not going to be considered for an NCAA bid. But an NIT bid is also in danger. The Orange came into Saturday 107th in NET, and with the loss also dropped to 0-8 in Quadrant 1 games. Syracuse also has a Quadrant 3 and Quadrant 4 loss to Bryant and Colgate, further bogging down its NIT resume. Its remaining two games against Georgia Tech (207 in NET) and Wake Forest (80) are considered Q3 and Q4 games, and are must wins if Syracuse wants to make a postseason tournament.
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