Syracuse @ Pittsburgh preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 25, 2020 ) Pittsburgh 61, Syracuse 69

Syracuse had to be feeling great the last time it faced Pittsburgh. Now just over a month later, the Orange aren't feeling nearly so well as the teams get set for a Wednesday rematch on the Panthers' home court.

Syracuse topped Pittsburgh 69-61 in late January to earn its fifth straight win, but since the team is 2-5 - albeit three of those losses came against top 15 teams - and now its NCAA Tournament hopes are dim, at best. The Orange did slip past Georgia Tech 79-72 their last time out despite trailing by 11 points at intermission. "At halftime, this was a very hard game to win," coach Jim Boeheim said. "After you lose three in a row, it's even harder. They just went out there and ignored what happened and just played, and it's a tremendous tribute to those five guys. This is one of the best second halves we ever played. Anywhere. This was a tremendous win." The earlier loss to Syracuse, meanwhile, sent Pitt on a 2-7 stretch that the team hopes to snap Wednesday in its final home game.

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: ACC Network

ABOUT SYRACUSE (15-12, 8-8 ACC): Marek Dolezaj and Elijah Hughes each scored 20 points in the win over Georgia Tech, while Joe Girard III added 15 points and Buddy Boeheim contributed 13 points. The Orange also got a lift from Bourama Sidibe, who provided 10 rebounds to go with six points and three steals. "This is what Bourama can do. He can do what he did today," Coach Boeheim said. "It may not look like much but he can do that on a consistent basis. He makes us different when he can do those things."

ABOUT PITTSBURGH (15-13, 6-11): The Panthers trailed by 14 in the second half against Virginia their last time out before a rally ultimately fell short in a 59-56 setback. "They are the best defensive team in the country," said Pitt head coach Jeff Capel, whose team shot poorly from the field (38.6 percent), the 3-point line (3-of-15) and the foul line (9-of-14). "I think a lot of it had to do with them. They're a hard team to score against." Justin Champagnie averages a team-best 12.3 points and a team-high 7.1 rebounds, but he has shot below 36 percent from the field in four straight games and has shot 4-of-21 from 3-point land in the last four contests.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Pitt's bench accounted for one point against Virginia, as the reserves missed all nine of their shots from the field.

2. In his last nine games, Girard's best single-game shooting percentage is 40.9 percent.

3. Buddy Boeheim (21 points) and Dolezaj (17) led the way in the first matchup against Pitt.

PREDICTION: Syracuse 71, Pittsburgh 70