Pitt vs. Syracuse: Open Gamethread

Pitt basketball gets another test tonight as well as their first ACC game of the season when they take on Syracuse at The Pete. The game comes right after the Panthers slipped into the Coaches Top 25 poll at No. 25 on Monday.

The Panthers should get a challenging game from the Orange. Syracuse doesn't look like a top ten team, but they have hung in there pretty well with a very difficult schedule. The Orange own two Top 25 wins against Connecticut and Texas A&M while enduring tough losses against Georgetown, Wisconsin, and St. John's. For a P5 school to play five teams of that caliber already just isn't something you see all the time. Syracuse escaped that gauntlet with a very manageable 2-3 record.

Still, Pitt is a relatively big favorite when you consider they don't yet have a marquee win and this is a conference game. The line opened at 9 1/2 points and as of Tuesday night, was still holding at 7 1/2.

The Panthers were tested by Top 15 Purdue and couldn't pick up a win. The Panthers should have a better chance at this game. As was the case with Purdue, they get the game at home. Syracuse also has far less size than Purdue and not much depth - the Orange have only six players averaging more than ten minutes a game compared to the Panthers' 11. That's not to say this is a slam dunk, but Pitt has the horses to win a game like this.

Tip off is at 9:00 p.m. on ESPN2 - comment here live during the game.

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