Against the Odds: Syracuse slight favorites over Pitt

If Pitt wants to up their record, they are going to have to prove Vegas wrong again this afternoon. Pitt will travel to upstate New York to take on Syracuse today. The game will tip at noon at Syracuse’s Carrier Dome. Despite coming in with a 9-6 record, Syracuse is a 3 ¹⁄₂ point favorite over Pitt today.

The Panthers are coming off a strong upset win over the 11th ranked Virginia Cavaliers and came, oh so close, to knocking off Notre Dame before that, who are also ranked. Vegas doesn’t seem to be impressed and has shown as much with the Orange being the favorite. Syracuse has experienced some difficult losses this season, as they have fallen to UConn, Georgetown, St. Johns, and BC. Let’s hope the trend of the Orange losing to former Big East foes continue today.

One person that has to share in Vegas’ confidence in Syracuse is head coach Jim Boeheim. That’s because the coach that has tortured him so much the last several years is now gone at Pitt. Jamie Dixon is no longer in Oakland and that has to be a relief to Boeheim, whose teams always struggled against Dixon’s teams. Kevin Stallings hopes to pick the brain of his seniors to continue Pitt’s recent dominance over Syracuse.

Every win counts right now and the win over UVA has to give Pitt a lift going into this one. If they want to keep opening eyes around college basketball, and inch closer to the NCAA Tournament, they need to win games like these. The Carrier Dome is never an easy place to play and Syracuse is still a name that commands respect around the country. Pitt’s conference schedule won’t be any easier in the coming weeks, so a win today would be ideal.

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