The Pitt Panthers team picked up a pair of ACC wins last week to bring their record to 3-0 in league play. Jeff Capel’s team owns a 12-2 overall record, and perhaps now enters its biggest week of the season to date.
Pill will be in Durham on Tuesday night for a nationally televised primetime matchup against No. 4 Duke. The Panthers also host an upstart Louisville team for a big home game on Saturday. Let’s take a look at the top storylines around the team as it enters the first full week of January.
California sweep
Pitt played a pair of conference games at home last week, yet neither felt like an actual ACC game. The Panthers played host to league newcomers Cal and Stanford, and sent both teams back to the West Coast with a loss. Pitt took down Cal 86-74 on New Year’s Day, and then followed it with an 83-68 victory over the Cardinal on Saturday night to improve to 3-0 in ACC play.
Pitt trailed both California programs in the first half with sluggish starts before simply overwhelming each of them after halftime on the way to a pair of double-digit wins. The Panthers seemed to have a different gear than each ACC newcomer and simply revved up when necessary to stay unblemished in league play.
Given that Pitt has little history with both programs and the students were still on break, both games sort of felt like an extension of non-conference play, with subdued atmospheres a the Petersen Events Center, plus Pitt overpowering each opponent in the second half. Despite the circumstances, both games last week counted as an ever-important conference win as the Panthers look to remain in a title chase.
Like he never left
Senior guard Ishmael Leggett stole the headlines in both of Pitt’s games last week. On Wednesday, Leggett was ruled out with what turned out to be a minor ankle injury, and he returned a few days later to post a team-high 21 points in a win over Stanford.
The initial ruling on Leggett was sudden and a bit surprising, but it was quickly learned the severity of the injury was nothing to be concerned about, as the team found a way to win without him against Cal. He reaffirmed it was nothing serious with a strong outing on Saturday against Stanford
Leggett, Pitt’s leading scorer, posted his fifth 20+ scoring effort of his senior season to date. The rugged guard made all nine of his field goals from two-point range. He also tied for a team-high in rebounds with six as well. Pitt showed it could win without him, but he also displayed his importance just a few days later. There should be no complications for Leggett’s ankle as Pitt enters a pivotal week of games.
Runnin’ with the Devils
Speaking of that pivotal week…
Pitt will be in historic Cameron Indoor Stadium tomorrow night for a nationally televised showdown against No. 4 Duke. This game will feature the top teams in the ACC according to the NET rankings with the Blue Devils checking in at No. 2 and Pitt tabbed as No. 14. The next closest ACC team is Clemson at No. 37.
This year’s game should be big for several reasons. Of course for the already mentioned ACC race implications, but also because Pitt handed Duke an 80-76 loss last January. That game caused a minor stir with former Panther Blake Hinson scoring 24 points in the upset, and infamously stood on a table taunting the Duke student section after the game.
Playing in Cameron Indoor is a tough task as it is, but I guess it will have an ever more hyped-up atmosphere than usual due to last season’s outcome. Pitt is 9-17 all-time against Duke, and 3-7 in Durham. Pitt head coach and former Duke guard Jeff Capel is 2-6 coaching against his alma mater.
Jaland Lowe scored 19 points against the Blue Devils last season, so this current Pitt team should have some confidence to draw from last season’s win as it prepares for another tough test tomorrow night.
Lowelights
Jaland Lowe continued his impressive sophomore campaign last week in a pair of Pitt wins. On Wednesday against Cal, he scored 27 points, and followed that with 16 points and five assists in the win over Stanford.
Through 14 games, Lowe is averaging an impressive 17.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game. The Panthers’ point guard is one of three players nationally averaging over 17 points, six assists, and four rebounds joining Drake’s Bennett Stirtz and Kam Jones of Marquette. Lowe has been Pitt’s best player early on, but over the next 17 games will have a chance to prove he’s the best player in the ACC this season.
Dame time?
Pitt has to feel good about going into a tough environment with a battle tested backcourt between Leggett and Lowe. Jeff Capel would surely feel better about adding another veteran guard to the mix. Is it possible? Well, at this point it’s at least getting close to happening.
There was a little bit of a surprise for Saturday’s pregame, as senior guard Damian Dunn was out of his splint and was shooting around going through warmups with the team. Dunn ultimately did not appear in the Stanford game, but it was to show he’s close, or at least on track with his injury.
Dunn dislocated his thumb, which required surgery back in November. Pitt initially gave a six-week recovery time, and the official six-week mark from that surgery is actually today. Following the game on Saturday, Capel said there was a doctor’s appointment today, and if it went well, he could be available for the Duke game.
Dunn reached double figures in his first five games this season, including a 23-point performance in a win over West Virginia. The senior guard has over 1,300 points in his career and would instantly add another reliable offensive option to the rotation.
Seeing double
In Pitt’s 83-68 win over Stanford, the Panthers were able to use some length to overwhelm the Cardinal. In fact, a lineup featuring both Guillermo and Jorge Diaz Graham helped spark a 20-5 run for Pitt to blow past Stanford towards the end of the first half.
The twins have been with the program for three years now, but these instances where both have been on the court at the same time have been rare over the years. Jorge missed most of last season with an injury, and has yet to really find his footing. For him to come in and produce six points, three rebounds, and record one block in 15 minutes in a conference game was big for his confidence. That game followed up a six-point outing against Cal as well. Jorge’s role over the years has always been limited, but he’s also shooting 58% from three-point range in a small sample size this year, suggesting he might need at least some minutes each game.
For Guillermo’s part, he’s been struggling as a full-time starter playing more of a power forward role this season. He churned out his best game in a over a month with 12 points, five boards, three assists, and three blocks against Stanford. It was a much-needed bounce back game for the junior forward.
Pitt’s success will largely be guard driven this season, but there is a lot of untapped potential with the twins when they are playing well. It’s a positive Pitt has both playing with confidence entering an important stretch of games.
There’s no place like the Pete
Pitt’s most recent win over Stanford was the 15th victory in a row at the Petersen Events Center, dating back to last season. The Panthers are 9-0 at home this season, and perhaps the aura of playing in front of the Oakland Zoo is starting to make a comeback for this program.
Pitt has some bigger home games ahead, of course. Pretty much all of the wins this season were expected, but it’s still a nice boost for Jeff Capel’s team to have a comfort level at home.
Pitt’s home court advantage should be more on display for the remaining eight home games with the students back on campus and giving some more juice to the Oakland Zoo. Pitt’s next home game is on Saturday, as Louisville comes to town for a noon tip on ESPN2.
Looking ahead to Louisville
Pitt’s focus is squarely on Duke, but the Panthers have another big one coming up this weekend. After two disastrous seasons, Louisville seems to be waking up a bit as a program. First-year head coach Pet Kelsey fixed the talent level right away and has the team off to a 10-5 start, which is a far cry from where things were the past two years under Kenny Payne.
This Louisville team is missing some parts with injuries, but still has been formidable early on in ACC play with a 3-1 mark. The Cardinals have won four in a row and have a fairly big game on Tuesday night when they host Clemson.
Needless to say, Louisville still has its shortcomings, but the Cardinals also look to be a top tier team in this conference, thus making for a pretty difficult week for the Panthers. Pitt has the advantage of playing at home, but Louisville has enough firepower to be a threat, which wasn’t the case the past two years.
