The Syracuse Orange and the Pittsburgh Panthers will be playing for Big East immortality on Thursday, as whoever wins their quarterfinal matchup at Madison Square Garden can leave knowing that they had the last laugh against the other team, as both are moving to the ACC.
Syracuse enters the game following a 75-63 win over Seton Hall on Wednesday and is looking to break the recent streak of Panther wins, as Pitt has taken 14 of the past 18 games against the Orange, including a 65-55 victory earlier in the season. The Panthers enter the game hot after winning its final four games and they will be rested after having a bye in the first round.
"Our mentality over the years has been to treat it like a second home," coach Jamie Dixon said. "That's why we schedule the games, the tournaments that we're in. We get in every one possible."
The final matchup between the two teams will give them a chance to finish their Big East rivalry in style before starting over again in the ACC. Pitt went 24-7 this season, while the Orange are 24-8 after going 11-7 in the conference.
The Panthers have won two tournaments at MSG, but haven't taken it since 2005 and have lost four of five games at the arena. The team will rely on Trey Woodall on Thursday, as he was the leading scorer the last time the two teams played, which saw the Orange shoot under 40 percent, while hitting just three 3-pointers. Woodall is originally from Brooklyn and will be motivated while playing in his home city.
"I think the double-bye has affected us in the past, but we'll be ready to go," said Woodall, who had 18 points to help the Panthers cap a 12-6 regular season in the Big East with an 81-66 win at DePaul on Saturday.
Woodall leads the team with nearly 12 points per game and the Panthers have been playing excellent defense all season, ranking first in points allowed in the conference.
"I know Pitt plays a physical game," Syracuse forward James Southerland said. "We're going to go out and be physical and move the ball around. We'll be tough to guard."
The Orange have rebounded from a 61-39 loss at Georgetown in the final regular-season game, but the Pirates did not put up much of a fight and Syracuse will have a much tougher time with Pitt, who finished just ahead of them in the Big East standings. Guard Brandon Triche added 17 points in the win over Seton Hall, while Michael Carter-Williams added 14 assists.
"Our offensive movement was the best it's been probably all year. We really moved the ball," coach Jim Boeheim said. "Mike played, I think, his best game of the year. James kept us in it when we weren't playing well. And then Brandon and C.J. got going in the second half.
The team will try to keep the ball moving against the tough Panthers defense and will need to score consistently to win. The Orange ranked 63rd in the nation in scoring and the team will also need to focus on rebounding, which they have an advantage after ranking 18th with nearly 40 per game.
Pittsburgh scored just 69 points per game, but after allowing just 55 points, the Orange will need to make sure they don't allow Pitt to attack the paint. The team ranked eighth in the nation in assists and also is 15th in field goal percentage, hitting nearly 50 percent of their shots.
In the final matchup of these two teams as Big East rivals, there can only be one winner, and that team will advance to face the winner of Cincinnati and Georgetown.
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