Jamel Artis couldn’t even get the ball, let alone do anything with it.

Pittsburgh’s senior forward torched Syracuse last year, averaging 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists in three wins over the Orange. On Saturday, though, his only stamp on the game came after it was already decided.

Artis posed a similar threat to Wisconsin’s Nigel Hayes, a mobile big man who can wreak havoc from the high post and foul line area, capable of passing, driving or hitting a jump shot. Hayes was one point shy of a triple-double against SU earlier this season. Artis was the focal point of the Orange’s gameplan to make sure he didn’t cause the same damage.

“It was huge. I think that’s what we focused on a lot, was just taking him out of the equation,” said sophomore forward Tyler Lydon, who scored 13 points and blocked two shots. “He’s able to find guys in tough positions. He’s able to score. He’s able to do everything, so he’s obviously a tough guy to guard.”

While Artis finished with 23 points, only four came in the first half when Syracuse jumped out to a lead big enough to allow room for error later in the game. Guards John Gillon and Tyus Battle shut off most entry passes atop the zone, and Lydon locked down Artis on the rare occasion he did find the ball in his hands. What resulted was a second straight game that SU stifled a formidable ACC offense, as the Orange (10-6, 2-1 Atlantic Coast) held Pittsburgh (12-4, 1-2) to 16 points below its season average in a 77-66 win in the Carrier Dome.

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“We knew he was the key guy,” said Battle, who scored 15 points in his fourth straight start. “He’s the one who kicks it out to the shooters.”

Those shooters, the ones who came into the game helping the Panthers average 82 points per game, posted a meager 20.7 percent mark from the field in the first half. The visitors made only six shots, missed all seven 3-pointers and scored only 21 points to find themselves in a deficit too big to crawl out of.

Michael Young, another Pitt senior who led the ACC in points per game entering Saturday, started in the high post but Artis soon took over. Neither of the conference’s top two scorers put any dent in Syracuse’s defense. Every turnaround jumper was a fadeaway, met with Lydon’s hand close by. Drivers were halted before they got near the hoop. Not once did Pittsburgh execute the high-low with the same ease that Hayes and Ethan Happ did in the Badgers’ dismantling of the 2-3.

“First half is probably the best defense we’ve played (since) I can’t even remember when,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said.

In the second half, Artis wasn’t a threat in the high post despite scoring 19 points. Twelve of those came from beyond the arc and five came on foul shots, while the senior only tallied one assist as the Panthers tried to mount a comeback. Instead of orchestrating Pitt’s offense from the high post, Artis had to relocate to have an effect on the game and it stunted the Panthers’ offense.

“My guards couldn’t get the ball to me,” Artis said.

Instead of being a weapon with three choices at his disposal, Artis was relegated to a one-dimensional threat on offense.

And while that dimension made the game somewhat interesting in the final minutes, when Artis helped trim a near-30-point lead to almost single digits, it wasn’t nearly enough.

“We did a great job today, especially the guards,” Battle said. “Tyler did a great job guarding him up top. That was the gameplan, just to limit his touches in the middle of the zone.”

Published on January 7, 2017 at 4:16 pm

Contact Matt: mcschnei@syr.edu | @matt_schneidman