Syracuse led on three occasions against Pitt Wednesday night. The first lead came when C.J. Fair made the opening bucket. The final Orangemen advantage came with no time left on the clock.
The #25 ranked Pittsburgh kept Syracuse on their heels, maintaining small leads throughout most of the night. The competition forced Jim Boeheim to play just six men, allowing no starter more than six minutes of rest. Nearly six minutes into the second half, the Panthers opened up their largest lead, 37-28, on a Lamar Patterson three-pointer. Syracuse kept it close. In the final minute, the Orange went on a 7-2 run.
With ten ticks remaining, Syracuse took their first lead of the game since the opening basket on two Tyler Ennis free throws. Pittsburgh answered quickly with Zalib Tanna free throws with just under five seconds remaining to make it 56-55. Syracuse faced a full court press with no timeouts remaining. Needing a timeout, the Orange inexplicably got one from Pittsburgh. After talking things over, Syracuse sent the inbounds pass to Tyler Ennis, who drove up the court. He pulled up well behind the three-point arc and launched a prayer of a shot that found netting after time had expired. The raucous Pittsburgh crowd at the Peterson Events Center stood stunned and silent for the first time all night.
The win brings Syracuse to 24-0. The Orangemen and Witchita State remain the only unbeaten division one teams in the nation. Syracuse finishes their season on a tough seven-game stretch that includes road games against #8 Duke, #17 Virginia, and Florida State.
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