By james art 
PITTSBURGH – The Pitt Panthers head into their next game against Syracuse amid a recent losing streak.
It started with a 76-47 blowout of #4 Duke on Jan. 7. Then, with a chance to bounce back, Pitt went down the stretch and fell 82-78 to Louisville at home on Jan. 11, ending a 15-game hitting streak at the Petersen Center.
The streak continued with the return of junior forward Cameron Korchen at Florida State on Jan. 15, where Pitt lost 82-70, then fell at home, 78-75 to Clemson in overtime on Jan. 18.
It is the longest losing streak for the Panthers as they have lost their last five games of the 2021-22 season.
After starting the season comfortably in range to earn an NCAA Tournament bid, Pitt is now in the “Final Four In” on ESPN’s Bracketology’s Joe Lunardi. As of Jan. 24, they are a projected No. 10 seed facing No. 7 Texas Tech in the South Region.
Even though Pitt has lost four straight, Duke, Louisville and Clemson are expected to make the NCAA tournament, meaning Pitt has been up and not falling against quality competition. The Florida State loss is concerning, but maybe it was an aberration.
The players-only meeting, which began at 4:00 p.m. After the Florida State game, it could serve as what Pitt needs to get back on track. It showed as they played much better against Clemson despite falling, but they will need to use that to get a win against Syracuse.
Second-year head coach Adrian Autry has the unique responsibility of replacing one of college basketball’s most legendary and tenured coaches of all time in Jim Boeheim, who coached the Orange for 47 seasons.
Syracuse has not received a bid to the NCAA Tournament since the 2020-21 season, meaning the graduating class of 2025 could be the first since 1972 not to see a Syracuse team make the tournament if they don’t this season.
Autry has shown the ability to recruit in his shirt tenure. He earned the commitment of Donnie Freeman, the highest rated prospect since Carmelo Anthony for Syracuse, and Elijah “Chopa” Moore, a top 100 player in the country in the class of 2024.
He also earned commitments from a pair of top-50 players in the 2025 class. in Kian Anthony, son of Carmelo Anthony, and Darrick White Jr.
The Autry dialer is needed given that the transfer portal has not been a friend. The Orange lost seven players to the transfer window after last season, and star guard Judah Mintz to the NBA.
Most of the players who transferred to Syracuse in the offseason did not produce as much as the Syracuse faithful would have hoped, resulting in a 9-10 overall record and a 3-5 record in the ACC.
Syracuse runs as far and fast as junior guard JJ Starling takes them. Starling transferred from Notre Dame after his freshman season and his production skyrocketed with Syracuse. He wasn’t asked to lead, though, given that Mintz is still on the roster.
This season, Starling is the only true ball handler and is Syracuse’s primary scoring threat. He missed seven games earlier in the season with an injury, so he doesn’t make the ACC rankings, but if he did, Starling would have ranked fourth in the ACC with 19 points in his 35.2 minutes per game.
Syracuse landed senior guard Jaqan Carlos from Hofstra, who averaged 6.3 assists and 10.3 points per game last season.
They brought in Carlos as a secondary ball handler and to allow Starling to play more off the ball, but he hasn’t played above expectations this season. He leads the Orange with 4.1 assists and 0.9 steals per game.
Outside of the Starling point, Orange doesn’t have many strong points. Senior center Eddie Lampkin Jr. was a bright spot with his big rebound, leading Syracuse with 8.3 boards per game.
Freeman had an inspiring start to his collegiate career, posting 13.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, but is now out with an injury.
While Starling is effectively underrated, the Orange can keep every game close, even if it looks like a blowout early.
Syracuse gave up 16 against Notre Dame at home on Jan. 18 just minutes into the game, but rallied to win 77-69 as Starling scored 21. The game before Louisville, Starling was held to a four-point season with four points and Syracuse lost 85-61.
Syracuse struggles in several categories. As they rank 233rd in turnovers per game, 295th in three-point shooting percentage and 268th in free throw percentage.
There isn’t a knockout shooter on the roster, unless Starling or Junior Forward Chris Bell, who shot 42% from deep last season but hasn’t found his rhythm this season.
Fortunately for Syracuse, the Panthers also have a problem turning the ball over too often and have been heavily stacked in most of their losses. But the Panthers are a much more efficient team on the offensive end and can force a lot of turnovers.
If Pitt can contain Starling and force other players off the dribble, they can probably force some turnovers and score easily in transition. It’s also possible that the Panthers are simply a better three-point shooting team and Pitt is running with it.
Pitt vs. Syracuse tips off at 12:30 p.m. On January 25 at the JMA Wireless Dome. The game will be live on ESPN2.
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