Pitt freshman Justin Champagnie could be key in disrupting Syracuse zone

The Pitt men’s basketball team faces a tough task.

The Panthers (13-6, 4-4 ACC) play at Syracuse on Saturday for a matchup with the notoriously zone-heavy Orange (12-7, 5-3).

In years past, Pitt has struggles for an answer for the extended 2-3 zone that has stifled so many teams.

The Panthers have lost their past five matchups and haven’t beaten coach Jim Boeheim and his team since Feb. 11, 2017.

This year could be different. Not only because of a two-game winning streak the Panthers are riding or the confidence gained from Ryan Murphy’s winning jump shot against Boston College.

It is because of the lineup that will take the court at the Carrier Dome. Along with Murphy’s long-range shooting and the guard play of Trey McGowens and Xavier Johnson, freshman Justin Champagnie should be a key factor.

“I think I’ll play a big role, but it’s still about making the right plays,” the freshman forward said. “I can’t just shoot ill-advised shots. But if I play my cards right and read the defense right, I think could have a significant role.”

The 6-foot-6 Champagnie provides a unique option for the Panthers as he averages 11.4 points and a team-high 6.9 rebounds. Champagnie has the ability to pick apart the zone from the inside and can also hit jump shots in the lane or from the perimeter.

Pitt got a zone look from Arkansas Pine-Bluff earlier this season, and Champagnie scored 18 points.

“I’m good in zones,” Champagnie said. “It’s just about trying to pick out the open areas and attack from there. Don’t dribble the ball as much, just move it around a lot, keep the ball moving, keep the zone moving. It’s just about picking the right areas to play from.”

Since that matchup against Arkansas Pine-Bluff, Champagnie has scoring outputs of 21 and 22 points. He’s become a key player for Pitt with some guidance from older players such as Johnson and Terrell Brown.

“All the older guys always talk to me and will tell me the other team’s tendencies or like what they like to do,” Champagnie said. “Like with Syracuse, they said it’s a big arena and there’s a lot of people, so you just have to stay focused and pick apart their zone. They try to guide me in the right direction.”

Finding a way to disrupt Syracuse’s zone will play a large factor in the outcome, but Pitt hopes its defense makes a positive impact.

“We’ve watched a lot of film of the teams they’ve played, and nobody has really pressured them or got after them,” Champagnie said. “So we feel like if we put some pressure on them, we can make them cough the ball up.”

The Panthers haven’t won three straight conference games since the 2015-2016 season. A win against Syracuse would accomplish that and match the team’s win total from last season.

“We’re learning a lot,” Champagnie said, “how to close out games, keep leads and just beat teams down the stretch.”