The Pitt Panthers take on the Syracuse Orange in Syracuse, NY. Tip-off is set for 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Pitt is favored by 7.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -325. The total is set at 150 points.
Here are my Pitt vs. Syracuse predictions and college basketball picks for January 25, 2025.
Pitt vs Syracuse Prediction
My Pick: Over 149.5 (Play to 151)
My Pitt vs Syracuse best bet is on the over, with the best odds currently available at BetMGM. For all of your college basketball bets, find the best lines using our live NCAAB odds page.
Pitt vs Syracuse Odds
| Pitt Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7.5 -110 | 150 -108 / -112 | -325 |
| Syracuse Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7.5 -110 | 150 -108 / -112 | +260 |
- Pitt vs Syracuse spread: Pitt -7.5
- Pitt vs Syracuse over/under: 150 points
- Pitt vs Syracuse moneyline: Pittsburgh -325, Syracuse +260
- Pitt vs Syracuse best bet: Over 149.5 (Play to 151)
Spread
I'm passing on the spread.
Moneyline
I'm passing on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I like the over in what I project as a higher-scoring affair.
My Pick: Over 149.5 (Play to 151)
Pitt vs Syracuse College Basketball Betting Preview
The Panthers are in free fall. They’ve lost four straight, capped off by a gross overtime defeat to Clemson at home last Saturday.
But they’ve faced the ACC’s third-hardest schedule, having already played Duke and Louisville. And I think they’re due for a bit of positive shooting regression on defense, as their seven conference opponents have canned over 38% of 3-point attempts. During this four-game losing streak, opponents have shot 44-for-101 (44%) from deep.
Pittsburgh’s compact shell-like defense will be susceptible to lousy shooting variance based on the high number of attempts it allows. Still, things will eventually swing the other way for the Panthers.
Could it be here against the Orange?
Maybe not, considering Syracuse plays mainly on the interior, running a lot of rolling and posting actions for Eddie Lampkin Jr. and Donnie Freeman en route to over 35 paint points per game (82nd percentile, per CBB Analytics).
On paper, that’s good for Pittsburgh, which mostly manages to keep opponents away from the paint (29 paint points per game allowed, 72nd percentile, per CBB Analytics) behind 7-foot defensive anchor Guillermo Diaz Graham.
However, the Panthers have struggled in straight-up post-up defense this year (.94 PPP allowed, 21st percentile, per Synergy), which is worrisome against Lampkin and Co.
Additionally, Pittsburgh’s perimeter defense has been horrific, as the Panthers have struggled mightily to stop on-ball and off-ball screening actions. Syracuse guard J.J. Starling can shred the Panthers in either set — he's averaging nearly 20 points per game for a reason.
On the other end of the court, the Panthers run a guard-friendly, ball-screen-centric offense behind Ishmael Leggett and Jaland Lowe. They should be able to eat here against Syracuse’s ineffective dribble-penetration defense (.91 pick-and-roll ball-handler PPP allowed, fifth percentile, per Synergy).
So, I’m inclined to believe we’ll see a higher-scoring affair.
I mean, the pace should be relatively high.
Both teams struggle with turnovers, which could result in up-and-down, up-tempo, open-court play.
That’s especially true on the Syracuse sideline — Pitt’s on-ball pressure forces plenty of turnovers, and the Orange's transition defense hasn't held up this year (15 transition points per game allowed, the most in the ACC, per Synergy).
Additionally, both teams have been fouling like crazy since conference play started, which could lead to plenty of clock-stopping free throws, extending the game and leading to more points for both sides.
Three of the past four head-to-head matchups between these two have gone over. I’ll bank on more of the same on Saturday.
