Pitt men’s basketball is on the wrong end of a four-game losing streak for the first time since late in the 2021-22 season. Early in the season, enthusiasm enveloped the Panthers’ faithful—a bid to the NCAA Tournament was on the horizon.
Now, with a 3-4 record in the ACC, the Panthers are taking a road trip to Syracuse, a team just below Pitt in the conference standings, on Saturday. Pitt will have a much better idea of what they’re capable of a few hours after the 12:30 p.m. tip-off.
To get more familiar with what stands in Pitt’s way, The Pitt News talked with Aiden Stepansky, the Digital Managing Editor at Syracuse’s student newspaper, The Daily Orange.
The Orange go as fast and far as junior guard J.J. Starling takes them
The Pitt News: “Starling is on the court about as much as he was last season but his production and shot attempts have increased. What can you say about the progression of his game?”
The Daily Orange: “J.J. did miss, I think, seven games with a broken left hand. And during that stretch, [Syracuse] just had no scoring whatsoever. [Starling] has more of a green light this year because [Judah Mintz] isn’t here anymore. If [Syracuse] is going to win games, it’s going to be because of [Starling]… He’s really found comfort in the mid-range. You assume he’d come back next year because he’s a junior. As the season has gone on, we’ve seen that the team is built to win when J.J. does well and when he doesn’t it’s pretty ugly. I think it was the Louisville game he was held to a season-low four points and Syracuse lost by 24.”
Starling doesn’t qualify for the leaderboards because he has missed so many games, but in his 12 games played, the Notre Dame transfer averages 19.2 points per game, which is tied for second in the ACC.
TPN: “Who on the roster deserves more national attention than they’ve received?”
The Daily Orange: “I think J.J. Starling is one of the more underrated guards in the ACC. It’s tough to get attention when every time Syracuse is on national TV they haven’t shown up at all. But they play on ESPN2 this Saturday, so I guess we’ll see. [Starling’s] been the glue of this team and the team goes as he goes. He’s a crafty scorer, is fun to watch, can shoot from the outside when needed and passes a little bit too… Now that this is kind of his team, it’s interesting to see what he’s been able to do… I think he should be in the conversation of the top guards in the ACC.”
Sophomore head coach Adrian Autry is already on the hot seat
TPN: “Not many programs can relate to Syracuse in the sense they are trying to get used to life without a coach tenured as long as Jim Boeheim was. How did head coach Adrian Autry’s first season go? Is there anything he struggles with? Has he improved in any regard?”
The Daily Orange: “I think last year was pretty impressive. For a first-year head coach to get 20 wins, I don’t know if it was expected from Syracuse fans or anyone outside the program. This year, people are calling for his head. That’s just the nature of college sports now. I think this year he just swung and missed in the portal. Most of the guys from the portal, especially [Jaquan] Carlos (senior guard from Delaware), have just not made the impact they expected or at least needed to have a productive year. [Autry] is a great recruiter. [Syracuse] got Kiyan Anthony (top 50 recruit in the country and son of Carmelo Anthony) and Sadiq White Jr. (another top 50 recruit) coming next year. Donnie Freeman, who is out with an injury, is a highly touted freshman—the highest-rated recruit since Carmelo Anthony at Syracuse—but the portal will be a big test this offseason what he does with it. Last year’s team wasn’t really his team, it was Boeheim’s picks.”
Boeheim coached at Syracuse for 47 years. Not many programs have dealt with replacing a coach as cemented as Boheim’s. Autry has some big shoes to fill. But the Orange have not received a bid to the NCAA Tournament since the 2020-21 season, the longest drought since 1972, so Syracuse fans have pressured Autry to succeed immediately.
TPN: “What would the season have to look like to call it a success?
The Daily Orange: “We do a podcast and we’re talking about this last week. At this point, it’s kind of hard to see anything as a success. This is the first year that not every team makes the ACC Tournament through automatic qualification and three teams will be left on the outside. I guess you could say if [Syracuse] makes the ACC Tournament and plays a tough game there, maybe it would be a success. But at this point in Syracuse basketball, I think anything less than making the NCAA Tournament is seen as a disappointment…The honeymoon phase with Autry is over. It’s not getting to the point where he should be fired, but next season, if they don’t make the NCAA Tournament with those recruits… It’s a now or never situation.”
The Orange struggle to take care of and shoot the basketball, especially without a stellar Starling showing
TPN: “Considering the Orange are around .500, you’ve seen an almost equal sample of wins and losses. Is there something that sticks out to you that leads to wins or losses?”
The Daily Orange: “To credit [Syracuse], every game, for the most part, when they get down they fight back. Against Notre Dame last Saturday, they were down 17 and came back to win. Against Boston College, they were down [and won]. Even in the games they lost, for the most part, when they find themselves in a hole they find a way to make it somewhat of a game outside of the games against top teams. Autry knows how to use certain guys for the sparks he needs.”
“Turnovers have killed this team—especially when Starling was out they didn’t have a ball-handler. When we played Maryland in mid-December, Maryland’s head coach said, ‘When they only have one ball-handler it’s pretty easy to force turnovers.’ Another huge thing is their three-point shooting and free-throw shooting has been awful all year. [Junior forward] Chris Bell ranked second in the ACC last year in three-point percentage. Had a breakout year. This year he just hasn’t found his stride at all. He got moved to the bench. “I would say [the issue] is: Turnovers, three-point shooting, free-throw shooting.”
Syracuse ranks 233rd in turnovers per game, 295th in three-point shooting percentage and 268th in free-throw shooting percentage. Because of those poor showings, Syracuse sits 122nd in the Pomeroy College Basketball Rankings. Pitt is ranked 32nd.
Two is greater than one: Lowe and Leggett could outpace Starling
TPN: “What do you think of Pitt? Do you have any concerns for Syracuse facing Pitt in particular?”
The Daily Orange: The two best players are Leggett and Lowe. I saw that Lowe ranks fourth in the ACC in assists per game. When Syracuse played two guards who were very good and efficient players—like I said earlier— there was no one to really pair with J.J., who could out-do two guards. We saw that against Louisville…From what I know about Leggett and Lowe, if they play efficiently, play off each other, then Syracuse might find itself down early and not be able to fight back.”
TPN: “Syracuse is sitting just below Pitt in the ACC standings. Syracuse is getting Pitt at a good time considering the Panthers have lost four straight. What does Syracuse have to do to win?”
The Daily Orange: “I asked coach Autry what the best parts of his team are at this point of the season. He said the team’s rebounding has been the most consistent. With Freeman out, who was a great rebounder when he was playing, [senior forward Jyare] Davis and [senior center Eddie] Lampkin Jr. are playing bigger roles and have been pretty good at rebounding. From what I’ve seen, Pitt got out-rebounded pretty badly against Duke. I think that’s an area that Syracuse can exploit to make it a close game or flip it in their favor… Like I said before, if J.J. Starling gets limited and is forced to pass more then they’re going to find themselves in trouble.”
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