Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh Prediction, Odds, Key Players for Tuesday, Jan. 16 (Take Pittsburgh)
Two teams with similar trajectories will square off in an ACC matchup Tuesday night as Syracuse battles Pittsburgh.
Syracuse is coming off drubbings from North Carolina (103-67) and Duke (86-66) over its last three games as Adrian Autry tries to keep the Orange Men competitive in the ACC in his first season since replacing Jim Boeheim.
Pittsburgh has just one win in five conference games this season and also lost to Duke and North Carolina by double figures over its last three games. If the Panthers want to build off last year’s run to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, they’ll need to start stacking conference wins in a hurry. They have a good shot on Tuesday night.
Here’s the betting preview for this conference clash.
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Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh odds, spread and total
Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh betting trends
- Syracuse is 7-9 ATS this season
- Pittsburgh is 8-7-1 ATS this season
- Syracuse is 1-5 ATS as an underdog this season
- Pittsburgh is 8-3-1 as a favorite this season
- The OVER is 8-8 in Syracuse games this season
- The OVER is 9-6-1 in Pittsburgh games this season
Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh how to watch
- Date: Tuesday, Jan. 16
- Game time: 7 p.m.
- Venue: Petersen Events Center
- How to watch (TV): ESPN2
- Syracuse record: 11-5 (2-3 ACC)
- Pittsburgh record: 10-6 (1-4 ACC)
Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh key players to watch
Syracuse
Quadir Copeland: The sophomore guard had his best performance of the season in the previous meeting against Pittsburgh on Dec. 30. Copeland posted a season-high 22 points and 9 rebounds to help Syracuse recover from an eight-point halftime deficit to beat Pittsburgh, 81-73. Copeland is coming off a 16-point outing against North Carolina and has scored in double figures in five of the last seven games.
Pittsburgh
Blake Hinson: The senior forward is Pittsburgh’s leading scorer this season (18.4) but has cooled off with the winter weather, shooting just 28.% from the field over the last five games (17-for-60). He’s averaging just 11.4 points per game in that span. Pittsburgh will need him at his best on Tuesday night. The Panthers are 8-2 this season when he scores 17-plus points. He was held to 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting and 4 rebounds against Syracuse the first time around.
Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh prediction and pick
Despite its struggles, Pittsburgh is 17 spots higher in KenPom than Syracuse (No. 86), coming in at No. 69. It’s strength-on-strength Tuesday night as both teams have been better on the defensive end.
Syracuse’s offense is ranked No. 249 in effective field goal percentage and No. 296 in shooting from the perimeter. They should continue to struggle against a Pittsburgh defense that is 40th overall in efficiency, according to KenPom, and ranks 10th in the nation in defending the three-point shot and 44th in the effective field goal percentage.
Furthermore, Pittsburgh should be able to generate enough offense through second-chance opportunities and takeaways. Syracuse is No. 172 in turnover percentage while Pittsburgh takes care of the rock (No. 26) and the Orange Men have been beaten up on the glass, ranking No. 294 as a defense in offensive rebounding percentage. That’s a big advantage for the Panthers, which rank No. 58 in offensive rebounding.
Syracuse has gone 1-3 on the road this season with all three losses by 20-plus points and Pittsburgh has thrived against the spread (8-3-1) as a favorite this year. Take the Panthers to pull away.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.