Good vibes surface for Pitt after Louisville victory, but tough ACC schedule awaits
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Two encouraging events emerged from Pitt’s victory at Louisville, the Panthers’ first in four games against ACC competition.
• Jaland Lowe’s time on the court continued to increase. After averaging 13.6 minutes through the first nine games of his freshman season, Lowe has been used an average of 20.6 minutes in the past six.
Part of that can be tied to Ishmael Leggett’s shoulder injury, but the result has been an effective backcourt blend with Bub Carrington, another freshman who has adapted well to the college game. In the past three games, Lowe has scored 28 points, with nine assists, nine rebounds and only three turnovers. In the same time frame, Carrington’s stats are 53/12/17/8.
“They didn’t play like freshmen,” Louisville coach Kenny Payne told reporters after the pair scored 25 of Pitt’s 80 points and shot 56.2% from the field. “They were poised. They were under control and took what the defense gave them. They put pressure on us and competed defensively. They were good. They were very good.”
Where does that leave Leggett? When Leggett’s shoulder heals sufficiently, perhaps coach Jeff Capel will bring him off the bench to supply the same energy sixth man Nike Sibande injected last season. Leggett hurt the shoulder against Syracuse, played more than 32 minutes three days later in the North Carolina game before sitting out against Louisville.
Whether he’s starting or coming off the bench, Lowe’s presence is a boost to Pitt’s cause.
• Zack Austin scored 20 points, giving him an average of 13.2 in four games before and after he was scoreless against North Carolina. He also has a season-long total of 20 blocks.
If that’s sustainable, Pitt may have a player who can create splashes on both ends of the court.
“Zack is a guy who can do so many things,” Pitt assistant coach Jason Capel said Saturday on the KDKA-FM postgame show. “He can shoot the ball. He can play above the rim. He has to continue to play with force. When he does that, look, he can take us (from) a team I think is good to a team that can be very good. Because he can be dynamic on both sides of the ball.”
Austin credited teammates for his success.
“The ball just happened to find me, and I just happened to make shots,” Austin said. “My teammates trusted me, and I trusted them.”
Something that will get emphasized this week when the coaching staff dissects all aspects of the victory is Pitt’s defense, which was just good enough, but not special. Louisville shot 51.1% from the field, 47.6% from beyond the 3-point line. Who knows how the game would have unfolded if Pitt didn’t make its first 19 free throws?
The defense hasn’t been bad. Actually, it’s been good for most of the season, allowing an average of 65.5 points (54th-best in the nation, third in the ACC). But the number jumps to 75 per game for the four conference games.
Good defense separates the best teams from the ones struggling to earn an NCAA Tournament berth. Only six schools ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 surrender more than 70 points per game.
“Defense has to be something that travels,” Jason Capel said. “It has to be the staple of who you are as a basketball team. In the games prior, I thought our defense had been good. Our offense had let us down (before the Louisville game).”
Pitt will need to seal up cracks in its defense to confront the next six games through the end of January successfully and contend for a tournament berth.
Starting Tuesday at Petersen Events Center, Pitt plays No. 14 Duke, followed by Syracuse, Duke again in Durham, N.C., Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Miami on the road and Wake Forest.
How good are those five teams?
Duke beat No. 18 Baylor in the midst of its current six-game winning streak that started immediately after losing to Georgia Tech. Miami defeated No. 16 Clemson by 13 points. Wake Forest has won nine in a row. Syracuse, of course, already owns a victory against Pitt. Composite record: 51-19.
Pitt is 0-3 against Quad 1 teams (those ranked in the top 30 of the NCAA Net rankings). Victories against Duke, Miami and Wake Forest would look good in March.