We’ll have more on Pitt’s defeat of Syracuse from Anson in a few hours, but in the meantime, here’s a quick recap.
This was a big statement for Pitt. The Panthers were ranked fifth in the last AP poll, and beating the third-ranked team should bump Pitt past Syracuse and Duke and up to about third. (I imagine they’ll still be behind Ohio State and Kansas, although it’s not totally unreasonable to think they’ll get past the Jayhawks.)
The first half was very strange. Pitt got off to a ridiculous start, scoring the first 19 points in the game before Syracuse’s Scoop Jardine hit a three-pointer with 12 minutes left in the first half. That started a 17-point run for Syracuse, and it was 19-17 Pitt with six minutes in the first half. Pitt entered the locker room with a four-point lead when Ashton Gibbs hit a three-pointer near the buzzer.
Syracuse held it close throughout the first part of the second half but never took a lead, and Pitt began to pull away with about 12 minutes left to play. The Orange never got terribly close after that.
Nasir Robinson led the Panthers with 21 points, while Brad Wanamaker had 15. C.J. Fair had 16 points off the bench for Syracuse.