Pitt earned a satisfying 96-76 win over former Big East rival Syracuse at the Petersen Events Center on Saturday, and while the return of Justin Champagnie dominated the headlines, the game was also a significant occasion in the longstanding rivalry between the Panthers and the Orange. The reason why is because the lopsided victory secured Pitt’s first regular-season sweep of Syracuse since 2016.
This season’s sweep was swift and eventful, as it started with a contest that was bumped up from Feb. 13 to Jan. 6. That gave a Pitt team down four players — one due to an injury, and three due to COVID-19 protocols — three days to prepare for the matchup, and early on, it appeared the Panthers had failed in that endeavor, as they fell behind 11-0 early on.