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The Syracuse University men's basketball team will play its final game of the regular season on Saturday (March 7), hosting the Pittsburgh Panthers at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse. The matchup tips off at 4:30 p.m. and will be televised on CW Network, giving fans one more chance to watch the Orange before postseason play.
Syracuse, currently holding a 15-15 overall record and 6-11 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, is looking to break a four-game losing streak after falling to Louisville earlier this week. According to ESPN, the Orange have performed well at home with a 12-5 record but have struggled against teams with winning records.
The Panthers arrive with an 11-19 overall record and are 4-13 in conference games. They are coming off a narrow 75-74 loss to Florida State, where Barry Dunning Jr. led Pittsburgh with 26 points. In their last meeting on January 10, Syracuse defeated Pittsburgh 83-72, with Donnie Freeman scoring 22 points for the Orange and Brandin Cummings leading the Panthers with 29 points.
Key players for Syracuse include Nate Kingz, who is shooting 37 percent from three-point range, and Freeman, who averages 14.9 points and seven rebounds over the last 10 games. For Pittsburgh, Cameron Corhen has contributed 12.9 points and seven rebounds per game, while Nojus Indrusaitis has averaged nearly two three-pointers over his last 10 games.
Statistically, both teams have experienced challenges lately, with each going 3-7 over their past 10 games. Syracuse has averaged 74.9 points per game in that stretch, while Pittsburgh has averaged 65.1 points per contest. More game details and analytics are available from ESPN Analytics.
The Orange hope to use the energy of the home crowd to end the regular season on a positive note and build momentum heading into the ACC tournament.