Pitt, Syracuse aim to put blowout losses behind them

When Pitt hosts Syracuse in an Atlantic Coast Conference matchup Tuesday night, it represents a chance for both teams to turn a fresh page -- although Pitt coach Jeff Capel may prefer a different analogy.

With his team coming off its most lopsided loss of the season -- a 75-53 home setback to then-No. 11 Duke last Tuesday -- Capel shared some words of wisdom.

"You know, we don't believe in burning the tape," Capel said. "I think you learn from every experience that you go through. You know, my dad used to have this saying, ‘Sometimes you're the bug, sometimes you're the windshield. You learn from it all.' Today, we were the bug, we got splattered all over the windshield. And then he would say to me, ‘You know, regardless of what happens, you got to wipe that off and get back going.'"

For the Panthers (10-6, 1-4 ACC), the next test is another meeting with the Orange, whom Pitt fell short against on the road Dec. 30. The Panthers were ahead by double digits early in the second half, but turnovers and struggles from the free-throw line did them in as Syracuse won 81-73.

The Orange (11-5, 2-3) are also seeking to wash a bad taste out of their mouths, having fallen to then-No. 7 North Carolina 103-67 on Saturday.

"One game doesn't define a season," Syracuse coach Adrian Autry said. "Whether it's one win, one big win, or one big loss, you know, we've just got to move forward. We've got to, you know, flush this out. We've got to obviously revisit it a little bit and then move on and get ready for our next opponent."

Pitt has won its last three home encounters with the Orange by an average of 16 points.

Blake Hinson grades out among the ACC leaders in scoring (18.4 points per game) and 3-pointers (54). Carlton Carrington adds 14.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game for the Panthers.

Judah Mintz (18.6 points per game), Chris Bell (11.1), JJ Starling (10.8) and Maliq Brown (10.1) are all averaging double figures for Syracuse offensively.