Pittsburgh Panthers vs Syracuse Orange Prediction, 3/7/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Panthers vs Syracuse Orange

Date: Saturday, March 7, 2026

Location: JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, NY

TV: ESPN+

The Syracuse Orange (15-15) will try to defeat the Pittsburgh Panthers (11-19) at JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday.

The Pittsburgh Panthers took the court against Florida State and ended up losing by a score of 75-74 in their last game. Pittsburgh ended the game having earned a 41.3% field goal percentage (26 out of 63) and converted 9 of 27 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the charity stripe, the Panthers made 13 of their 17 attempts for a rate of 76.5%. When it comes to getting rebounds, they earned a total of 34 with 13 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 19 assists in this matchup while forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and earning 8 steals. In terms of defense, Pittsburgh allowed their opponent to shoot 48.3% from the floor on 28 of 58 shooting. Florida State recorded 15 dimes and had 5 steals in the game. Furthermore, Florida State snagged 34 rebounds (9 offensive, 25 defensive), but didn't have a block. Florida State finished the game shooting 61.5% from the free throw line by converting 8 of their 13 shots. They knocked down 11 out of their 27 tries from distance. When it comes to fouls, the Panthers finished with 13 and Florida State racked up 17 fouls.

Barry Dunning Jr. is one player who played a role for the game. He finished with 26 points on 10 out of 18 shooting. He was on the court for 40 minutes and grabbed 10 rebounds. He walked away from this one shooting 55.6% from the field and also earned 1 assist.

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Pittsburgh will enter this game with a mark of 11-19 for the season. They are averaging 70.1 points per game (308th in the nation) while hitting 43.6% from the floor. The Panthers are shooting 33.7% on 3-point shots (249 of 739) and 67.1% from the free throw line. As a unit, Pittsburgh is pulling in 34.5 rebounds per game and is sitting with 404 dimes this year, which has them ranked 235th in college hoops in terms of passing the rock. They lose possession via turnover 11.3 times per game and as a group they commit 16.3 fouls every game.

On the defensive end of the court, the Panthers have forced 10.7 turnovers per game while drawing 15.7 fouls. They are relinquishing 34.6% on shots from downtown while they are 111th in college hoops in opponents PPG (71.3). The Panthers defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 45.9% (759 of 1,654) and they relinquish 32.4 boards per game as a group. They currently rank 168th in the nation in allowing assists with 399 conceded on the season.

In their last game, the Syracuse Orange went home defeated by a final of 77-62 when they faced Louisville. The Orange corralled 24 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 33 for this game. They coughed up the ball 10 times, while getting 3 steals in this game. Louisville had 17 fouls in this contest which got the Orange to the charity stripe for a total of 17 shots. They were able to knock down 12 of them for a rate of 70.6%. In the matter of shooting from beyond the arc, Syracuse buried 4 of their 19 attempts (21.1%). When the final whistle blew, the Orange walked away from this one shooting 23 out of 57 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 40.4%. The Orange allowed Louisville to bury 27 of their 63 tries from the floor which left them with a rate of 42.9% for the game. They wrapped up this game 40.0% from 3-point land by connecting on 14 of 35 and ended up going 9 of 11 at the free throw line (81.8%). Regarding cleaning the glass, Syracuse permitted Louisville to pull down 35 in total (7 on the offensive glass).

Naithan George ended up being a major contributor for the Orange for the matchup. He recorded 16 points in his 36 mins on the court and had 1 assist for the game. He converted 5 of 13 for the contest for a field goal percentage of 38.5%, and tallied 1 rebound.

Syracuse has a record of 15-15 so far this season. The Orange are responsible for committing 16.4 fouls per contest and they go 64.1% from the free throw line. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 12.8 times per game (268th in the country) and they turn it over 11.1 times per game. Syracuse has scored 2,262 pts for the year (75.4 per game) and they average 34.2 boards per game. As an offensive unit, the Orange are shooting 46.8% from the floor, which ranks them 93rd in college hoops.

The Syracuse defense concedes 34.6% on 3-point shots (217 of 628) and their opposition makes 72.1% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 14.0 assists and 36.7 total rebounds per game, which has them ranked 237th and 309th in D-1. The Orange on the defensive side of the court are 190th in college in points allowed per contest with 74.0. They are forcing their opponents into 12.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 44.1% from the floor (177th in college).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Syracuse

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