Winning an ACC Tournament game is never an easy task for Syracuse. Since joining the conference in 2013, the Orange have only won a single game in its postseason tournament.
They doubled that total on Wednesday night in Uptown Charlotte with a 73-59 win over the Pittsburgh Panthers.
FINAL: #Syracuse 73, Pitt 59
Buddy Boeheim breaks out with a career-high 20 and fuels a monster second half (after trailing by six at half) as the zone clamps down.
üçä fans were chanting ‚ÄúWe want Duke!‚Äù toward the end. They await tomorrow. üçø
— Orange Fizz (@OrangeFizz) March 14, 2019
There’s a lot to digest in this upset, but here are the main talking points:
Breakout Buddy:¬†Starting in place of the injured Tyus Battle, freshman Buddy Boeheim played a huge role in the Orange’s win with 20 points (3-7 3FG) . Boeheim deserves a lot of credit tonight. When his shot wasn’t falling, many fans turned their backs on the coach’s son. He’s proved time and time again in ACC play why he’s a valuable member of the team. Sure, he had his problems distributing the ball at times, but that’s to be expected without Battle in the lineup.
Another Shooter: Jared Wilson-Frame burnt the Orange for 24 points, with all but two of his points coming from downtown. Sound like a broken record? Shooters always seem to have their best games of the season against Syracuse. That continued with Wilson-Frame.
Resiliency:¬†Are the Orange playing their best basketball of the season right now? Probably not. But they’re still fighting. That’s what you love as a fan when the team responds from adversity. Syracuse had its backs against the wall in the first half and responded with a huge second half. That’s the kind of effort that will have the Orange on the cusp of another Sweet 16 run in a couple of weeks.
After trailing by as many as 10 points in the first half, SU made it happen at Spectrum Center. Plenty of Orange fans were in attendance to witness Syracuse’s second round victory. The next task? Fighting off the Duke Blue Devils, in front of their fans tomorrow night.
We’ll have coverage from the 2019 ACC Basketball Tournament all weekend long.
