What channel is the Syracuse basketball game on? (vs. Pittsburgh)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse basketball (12-5, 3-1 ACC) seeks a key followup victory, after its big win over Duke, when the Orange host the rival Pittsburgh Panthers (12-5, 2-2 ACC) on Saturday afternoon.

The game tips off just after 2 p.m. at the Carrier Dome and will be televised on ACC regional sports network (RSN) affiliates and the Watch ESPN app. Jeff Fischel and Mike Gminski will be the announcers.

In Central New York and many New York state markets, viewers will be able to see the game on the YES Network.

In the Syracuse area, YES is available on these channel numbers:

• Spectrum: 53 (SD)/321 (HD)
• Verizon FiOS: 76 (SD)/ 576 (HD)
• DirecTV: 631 (SD/HD)
• New Visions: 76 (SD)

For other areas and TV systems in the state, you can use the YES Network Channel Finder, available here: http://web.yesnetwork.com/schedule/programs/channel_finder.jsp

In other markets outside New York, the contest will be shown on these regional sports networks: AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, FOX Sports Arizona PLUS, FOX Sports Detroit PLUS, FOX Sports Midwest, FOX Sports South, FOX Sports Southwest, FOX Sports Sun, FOX Sports Wisconsin, NBC Sports Washington, NESNplus, ROOT Sports, and SportsTime Ohio.

Syracuse faces the task of putting its thrilling 95-91 overtime win at No. 1 Duke on Monday night behind it to focus on beating Pittsburgh. The victory in Durham was a welcome elixir for the bad loss the Orange had suffered 48 hours earlier at home vs. Georgia Tech. To beat Duke, Syracuse had to rally from several deficits throughout the game and then hold on in overtime.

Pittsburgh enters Saturday’s game after a 75-62 home win over No. 11 Florida State. The young Panthers are the surprise team of the ACC this year in head coach Jeff Capel’s first season at Pitt. The Panthers have already won two league games (both at home) in their first four contests. A year ago, Pittsburgh went 0-18 in the ACC regular season, leading to the firing of previous head coach Kevin Stallings.

Pitt’s two leading scorers this season are freshman guards Xavier Johnson (17.1 PPG) and Trey McGowens (14.4 PPG). Another first-year player, Au’Diese Toney (10 PPG), is the team’s fourth leading scorer.

Despite its early success this season, Pitt sports a 16-game losing streak in ACC road games. Its last road win was Feb. 2, 2017.

What’s at stake for Syracuse?

The win over Duke has likely put the Orange (No. 51 in the NCAA’s NET rankings) back inside the NCAA Tournament bubble for now. Validating that win with a victory over a Panthers team (No. 53 in NET) that has played its way into the NCAA bubble discussion would be big in helping Syracuse further build its tournament résumé and maybe gain a little breathing room.

Saturday’s game is the 114th all-time meeting between Pittsburgh and Syracuse, with the Orange leading the series 68-45. Syracuse swept last season’s two matchups — winning 59-45 at the Carrier Dome and 60-55 at Pittsburgh.

The rivals are scheduled to meet again Feb. 2 at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center.

Contact Rombel at arombel@cnybj.com

Photos by Adam Rombel/BJNN