Pittsburgh (13-6, 4-4) vs. Syracuse (12-7, 5-3)
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York; Saturday, 12 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Syracuse looks for its sixth straight win in the head-to-head series over Pittsburgh. In its last five wins against the Panthers, Syracuse has won by an average of 11 points. Pittsburgh's last win in the series came on Feb. 11, 2017, an 80-75 victory.
STEPPING UP: The do-everything Elijah Hughes has averaged 19.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists to lead the way for the Orange. Complementing Hughes is Buddy Boeheim, who is accounting for 15.9 points per game. The Panthers are led by Trey McGowens, who is averaging 13.4 points.
FACILITATING THE OFFENSE: McGowens has either made or assisted on 44 percent of all Pittsburgh field goals over the last five games. The sophomore guard has accounted for 28 field goals and 24 assists in those games.
PERFECT WHEN: The Orange are 6-0 when they shoot at least 77.8 percent from the foul line and 6-7 when they fall shy of that mark. The Panthers are 7-0 when they score at least 71 points and 6-6 on the year when falling short of 71.
ASSIST-TO-FG RATIO: The Panthers have recently created buckets via assists more often than the Orange. Syracuse has an assist on 37 of 88 field goals (42 percent) across its past three outings while Pittsburgh has assists on 39 of 71 field goals (54.9 percent) during its past three games.
STINGY DEFENSE: Pittsburgh has held opposing teams to 61.7 points per game, the second-lowest figure among all ACC teams.
