Pitt’s winning streak ends in ‘nauseating’ loss to Wake Forest
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The opportunity was within Pitt’s grasp Tuesday night to make an authoritative statement in the ACC and seize a more secure spot on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
Instead, Pitt turned in its worst performance of the season, allowing Wake Forest to dictate terms, score almost at will and deliver a thorough beating, 91-58, in Winston-Salem, N.C. Wake Forest’s total represented the most points Pitt has allowed this season.
When assistant coach Tim O’Toole, speaking on the 93.7 The Fan postgame show, saw the nearly unbelievable edge the Demon Deacons enjoyed in the paint area (38-10 in scoring), he accurately summed up the tone of the night for Pitt and its fans:
“It’s just nauseating,” he said.
The loss ended Pitt’s five-game winning streak. Worse than suffering its first loss since Jan. 27 in Miami, Pitt (17-9, 8-7) lost a chance to slip into fourth place in the ACC, a desirable spot because the top four teams get a double bye in the conference tournament next month.
Wake Forest (17-9, 9-6) earned that spot by shooting 60.8% from the field (50% from beyond the 3-point arc) and leading almost from start to finish. Pitt’s only lead was 2-0.
Meanwhile, the Demon Deacons improved to 14-0 this season at their home court, Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Pitt has five games left in the regular season, starting Saturday at Petersen Events Center against Virginia Tech, which defeated Virginia on Monday, 75-41.
But for Pitt, the games now become even more crucial and difficult. The Panthers may need to win all five remaining regular-season games, plus another two in the ACC Tournament, to earn a return trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Most distressing and surprising was Blake Hinson scoring only 10 points, three days after recording 41 against Louisville at the Pete. He ended the game 3 for 10 from the field and missed four of his five 3-point attempts. Through the first 14 minutes of the game, Hinson was able to attempt only two shots, with no points. By intermission, he was only 1 for 3 (two points) while Wake Forest’s defense was able to keep him out of the flow of Pitt’s offense.
Hinson, who was fifth in the nation with 91 3-pointers, didn’t attempt a shot from beyond the arc in the first half.
Equally disturbing was the fact that Hinson’s teammates never stepped up to fill the void. Ishmael Leggett scored 15 points off the bench, but Jaland Lowe recorded just two of his 12 after halftime. Bub Carrington managed only nine points while missing 10 of 13 from the field.
“This was a rough one,” O’Toole said. “We have to learn and move forward. We didn’t do any of the things you need (to do) to win, especially defensively. When they shoot 61 (%) from the field and 50 (%) from the 3, it has to be nearly impossible (to win).”
O’Toole said part of the problem was Pitt went against the game plan and attempted 17 of its 30 shots in the first half from 3-point range.
“We didn’t want to just settle for 3s,” he said. “That kind of plays into their hands. What we wanted to do was make them defend a little bit longer. I don’t think we did that and that kind of gave them a little bit more momentum and we were stuck. In the second half, it got away from us and we never got back.”
Wake Forest had scoring runs of 13-3 and 15-3 in the first half and 19-4 to start the second. Pitt’s poor shooting (29% for the game) was largely to blame, and O’Toole said the problems on offense led to a serious situation – wide-open shots for Wake Forest – at the other end of the floor.
“All of a sudden, those shots aren’t falling, almost unexpected, and (Wake Forest is) out on a fast break,” he said. “This is what they do. They’re turning those things into easy opportunities. When we go back over this film, we’re going to see we don’t get back (on defense) quick enough. That’s how you get beat.
“From my viewpoint, I don’t think we were nearly as physical (on defense) as you need to be. We kept telling these guys, `You have to stand them up. You have to go chest to chest.’
O’Toole said a lack of movement on offense led to the inaccurate shooting.
“The ball was sticking. It wasn’t moving,” he said. “Therefore, you are not doing things together. And we’re an average team if we’re not going to do things together.“