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Syracuse continues to hit new lows in 2025. In their second season under Adrian Autry, the Orange have looked lifeless. Tuesday was another chapter in their nightmare season.

SU entered its matchup against Pittsburgh with 10 Atlantic Coast Conference losses. It’s the third time in four years it reached that mark, though this season took the least amount of time to reach it. In the Orange’s first seven seasons in the conference, they had double-digit conference losses twice. After Saturday’s defeat to North Carolina, a defeat Tuesday meant the SU would tie a program record with 11 conference losses.

Syracuse (11-16, 5-11 ACC) looked like it might hold off that feat for at least a week, when it took a 16-point lead in the first half against Pittsburgh (16-10, 7-8 ACC). Even that advantage wasn’t enough to prevent the Orange from continuing to spiral. They were outscored by 18 points in the second half and allowed the Panthers to shoot 62.5% from the field, falling 80-69.

“I thought the guys battled for about 27-to-28 minutes, but it’s a 40 minute game,” Autry said postgame.

The defeat keeps Syracuse in 15th in the ACC standings, holding the last qualifying spot for the ACC tournament. With each passing game, SU is running the risk of not making the postseason tournament. As of now, it sits a game ahead of NC State in 16th place, though SU is in free fall.

Its loss to the Panthers was its fourth in five games. The only victory during that stretch came in three overtimes against Boston College, which has just three ACC wins this season.

In the opening 10 minutes, Syracuse looked like a rejuvenated team. Its defense was flying around the court and suffocating Pitt. The Panthers backcourt duo of Jaland Lowe and Ishmael Leggett, who came in averaging a combined 32 points per game, had just 13. On the flip side, Syracuse was scorching hot from 3-point range, led by Chris Bell.

The junior knocked down three early 3-pointers as Syracuse jumped out to a 22-6 advantage. Bell finished with a game and season-high 27 points, including seven triples, helping SU connect on a season-high 14.

“Our guys in the first half did a good job of doing what we asked them to do,” Autry said. “We limited them to one shot, though we flew around (and) finished possession with rebounds.”

It was an unfamiliar position for Syracuse, holding just its fourth double-digit lead in the first half all season. But as expected of Syracuse this season, good things rarely last. That started to show at the end of the first half when the Orange started getting careless with the ball. They totaled 14 turnovers, eight of which came in the first half.

“We just make those mistakes that, you know, sometimes are just kind of a head scratcher,” Autry said.

Bell had the chance to push the lead to 12 with a wide-open 3 and missed. Lowe hit a jumper on the other end, as Syracuse went into halftime up 41-34.

SU did push the lead to 11 right out of the break following buckets in the paint from Jyáre Davis and Eddie Lampkin Jr. It looked like Syracuse might blow the game open, yet Pitt battled back. Leggett, after scoring just six points in the first half, got going along with Zack Austin.

The Orange’s leaky defense, which had allowed 87 points in its previous four games, started to show its cracks. Guillermo Diaz Graham hit Pitt’s third 3 in five minutes to make it a one-possession game for the first time since the opening minutes. A Lucas Taylor 3 pushed the lead back to five, but Austin’s 3 cut the deficit back to two points.

Lowe then picked J.J. Starling’s pocket and went the other way, tying the game at 51-51 with 13:15 remaining.

Pitt claimed the lead soon after, as Leggett punished Syracuse for going under a screen two separate times with 3s. The first gave the Panthers their first lead, the second put them up 63-56 with eight minutes left.

“We didn’t guard the way we were supposed to in the second half,” Autry said.

It was a carbon copy of how Syracuse capitulated in the second half earlier in the season against Pitt. On Jan. 25, Lowe took over in the second half, scoring 20 of his game-high 22, helping Pitt win 77-73. This time it was Leggett dominating the pace of the game with his composure, finishing with 19 points.

Syracuse provided little resistance. A desperate switch to a 2-3 zone from Autry didn’t help as Pitt cashed in on its open looks. Once the Panthers gained the lead, they never gave it up.

Starling, SU’s leading scorer on the season, missed several wide-open 3-pointers. The point guard has single-handedly taken over games for the Orange this season with his offense, but Tuesday, he was quiet in the second half. Starling went just 1-of-8 in the second half (5-of-15 for the game) with two turnovers.

His first field goal didn’t come until 21 seconds left. By that point, Pitt was up 79-67 and the Orange had no hope. It was a complete 180 from the first half.

The loss was the latest in what could turn out to be Syracuse’s worst season in over 50 years.

When asked about SU’s measly conference record this season, Autry spewed out his normal coach speak. He threw out the classic cliches. “We’ll keep fighting” and “You got to battle through this stuff.” The phrases Autry repeats are ones he’s become accustomed to saying this year.

From game to game, it’s hard to differentiate Autry’s comments. The same issues come up every press conference for him. They’ve hampered the Orange all season. Tuesday, those deficiencies turned a potential positive result into Syracuse’s worst blown lead of the season.

Published on February 18, 2025 at 9:19 pm

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