The Pitt Panthers are reeling a bit, and the season has taken on a different path rather quickly. After a 4-1 start to conference play, Pitt has now lost three straight games. The Panthers are coming off a humbling 84-58 defeat to Notre Dame over the weekend.
This recent swoon in reminiscent of the prior two seasons. Pitt lost 13 straight games in 2019 that ended any early season momentum it had. The team endured a seven-game losing skid last season that erased any postseason chances they had as well. With three straight losses, including a blowout in the last game, a trend is starting to form.
As a program, Jeff Capel said he is trying not to dwell on what has happened in the previous two seasons. The focus now is fixing the problems at hand and get back in the win column and playing better basketball, starting on defense.
“I try not to think about the first and second year of our program, my focus has been on right now,” Capel told reporters on Monday. “You know, we’ve lost three games and we have not played well defensively and we have not rebounded like we did during the first four ACC games and I think it would be the first 8, maybe 9 games that we played before that. So we have to be better on that side of the ball.”
The Virginia Tech Hokies enter this game as one of the hottest teams in the country. Under second year coach Mike Young, is off to a 13-3 start to the season. The Hokies are 7-2 in ACC play and are coming off a commanding 65-51 win over in-state rival Virginia.
Virginia Tech closed out Saturday’s game on an 18-4 run. The Hokies can be explosive on offense. The team ranks second in the ACC with 130 made three-pointers on the season. While the overall numbers defending three’s have been good for Pitt, it’s an area that has been exploited of late.
Pitt allowed 13 3-pointers against Notre Dame on Saturday, as the Irish had plenty of open looks and made the Panthers pay for it. Last week in a loss to Wake Forest, the Panthers surrendered 15 made 3-pointers to the Demon Deacons.
Virginia Tech has plenty of shooting options, including sophomore Hunter Cattoor, who is making a scorching 48.3% from behind the arc. Naheim Alleyne (39.1%) and Jalen Cone (35.4%) are also capable outside threats.
The Hokies can also make team’s pay underneath, as 6’9” junior Keve Aluma is playing at a high level right now. Aluma leads the Hokies in scoring (14.8) and rebounding (7.6) this season. One of his specialties is getting to the free-throw line as well. He leads the ACC with 88 free-throws attempted this season and Capel is wary of that ability.
“I do think guys can have a natural ability to draw fouls,” the third year Pitt coach said. “I think he’s one of them. He’s really good with his footwork. He’s really good with shot fakes.”
Aluma was critical in the Hokies win over Virginia on Saturday. He scored 29 points and pulled down 10 rebounds, and was 7-of-8 from the free-throw line.
“He’s aggressive and he was absolutely dominant in their last game, especially I’d say about in the last 8 minutes of the last game against Virginia, but he’s been really, really good for them all year,” Capel said of Aluma. “So we’re going to have to try to figure out a way to slow him down a little bit.”
Pitt will look to snap a three-game losing streak tonight against the Hokies. The panthers will also be looking for their first win over Virginia Tech since January 31, 2016, when they won 90-71 at the Petersen Events Center. Pitt has lost five straight games to Virginia Tech since that meeting.
