Syracuse Need to Play Massive Tonight Against Pitt With Kris Joseph Out

What a match up tonight in Pittsburgh between your fourth-ranked Panthers and No. three Syracuse. The Orange are 18-0 under head coach Jim Boeheim for the second time in 35 many can tie a school record having a rare win in the Peterson Events Center. Syracuse leads the all-time series 61-37 but has struggled lately against Jamie Dixon's Panthers. Pitt has won 12 of its last 15 games against the Orange, such as 4 straight. This is a massive week for Syracuse which plays at fourth-ranked Pitt nowadays then hosts seventh-ranked Villanova on Saturday.

The Orange picked up the plan's 1,800 victory last week over Saint John's and makes tonight's match up winning 48 of its last 53 games. Syracuse already has some good quality wins this season over teams like Michigan State and Notre Dame, but victory at Pittsburgh could be by far its very best win about the year. It won't come simple at the Pete, particularly with leading scorer Kris Joseph out for that Orange. Joseph was restricted to just 10 minutes Saturday against Cincinnati before leaving the overall game with a head injury. That's 15 points and 5 boards the Orange need to constitute against a really physical and stingy Pitt defense.

Guard play is going to be huge for the Orange, particularly with Joseph out of the lineup. The backcourt continues to be inconsistent up to this point but indicates large improvement lately with the increased scoring efforts of Brandon Triche. Right after having just one double-digit game by way of his very first nine contests, Triche has seven in his final nine.

If Triche and Scoop Jardine (13 ppg) can consistently hit shots from the outside then that ought to open things up for Rick Jackson. Jackson is emerging as 1 of the top forwards, not only in the Massive East, but also inside the country. He picked up his second straight double-double over the past weekend and at present has 11 on the season. His play on the interior is crucial to Syracuse's good results, specifically on the boards, where Pitt is plus 13 about the glass. If the 2-3 zone can force Ashton Gibbs (16 ppg) and Brad Wannamaker (13 ppg) into taking tough shots and at least break even within the rebound battle then Syracuse will certainly solidify itself as a true Final Four contender.