Pitt has lost back-to-back games, and will be looking to get back on track today with a road game at Georgia Tech. The Panthers and Yellow Jackets will meet at McCamish Pavillon today for a 3:00 p.m. tip. Pitt suffered a 77-69 setback to No. 24 Duke on Wednesday night, and will come into this game with an 11-6 record and 4-2 mark in ACC play.
It is still early in the college basketball season, but Pitt is being as a 'bubble' team by NCAA Tournament bracketologists. If Pitt wants to stay in that conversation and enhance its tournament resume, than Saturday's game is one they need to win.
Georgia Tech enters today's game with an 8-8 record on the year. The Yellow Jackets have lost four of their last five, including a 73-72 overtime loss to Notre Dame earlier this week. Josh Pastner is in his seventh season in Atlanta and only has one NCAA Tournament berth to show for it. This year's squad is anchored by MIles Kelly, a 6'6" sophomore wing. He is the only Yellow Jacket that averages double figures at 14.4 points per game.
Pitt had a second half lead in each of the last two games, but had trouble closing the door. Can Pitt reverse course and get back on track?
The Panther-Lair.com staff gives their picks below.
Stephen Gertz (12-5): Is there such a thing as a must-win game in mid-January? For the Pittsburgh Panthers, that is absolutely the case. After perhaps exceeding expectations by going 2-2 over their last four games, they now must prove that they are indeed in the upper tier of ACC teams. That starts by bouncing back on the road against a Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets team that they should beat. Georgia Tech is not a very efficient offense and they do not draw a lot of fouls. That bodes well for a Pitt team that has battled foul trouble of late. They do defend the three-point line really well, but the Panthers have not exactly been on fire from beyond the arc of late anyhow. The Yellow Jackets do not turn teams over at a high rate and allow their opponents to crash the offensive glass. I like what I am seeing here on paper for Pitt. Additionally, every player not named Jamarius Burton is due to bounce back a little here. This will not be a cake walk, and the Panthers probably need to avoid a slow start so pressure does not mount. But I see no reason why Pitt does not come away with this one.Prediction: Pitt 72, Georgia Tech 65
Houston Wilson (11-6): Pitt travels to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech as the Panthers are trying to break a two game losing streak. For Pitt’s NCAA Tournaments hopes, this is a game they can’t lose. Losing this game hurts Pitt more than it helps them winning. I believe they have the talent and chemistry to roll past Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech is a mess and a program that could lose their coach in the coming months. Jeff Capel will get this team right for a nice road victory. Prediction: Pitt 81, Georgia Tech 70
Matt Steinbrink (8-9): Pitt probably just went through their toughest four game stretch of the conference season. Coming out of it 2-2 still leaves them in a great position. Now the most important thing is taking advantage of this next stretch. While Georgia Tech has been feisty, they have struggled thus far due to having very few consistent scorers. The sophomores on this team are tough and could turn things around for this program in time, but Pitt has the more experienced group coming off of two losses that they let slip away. It is imperative that they recover and answer starting today at 3. They still have to learn how to close out games, and they can’t keep coming out flat and falling behind in games.Prediction: Pitt 74, Georgia Tech 67
Jim Hammett (10-7): I really haven't been too discouraged by Pitt's last two outings. I still feel like this team is exceeding expectations, they just happened to come up on the wrong end of some close games — it happens. I think the next step this team and program needs to make is taking care of games they should win, and that's exactly what they face today in Georgia Tech. In order to win today, Pitt does need to rebound better than they did on Wednesday and this team also needs to get more scoring from some people not named Jamarius Burton. My call is Greg Elliott gets hot today and Pitt pulls away comfortably in the second half.Prediction: Pitt 77, Georgia Tech 64
Chris Peak (11-6): I don’t want to do it, but I have to: I have to take Pitt. I know that the odds aren’t good for Pitt when all five of us pick Pitt to win, but I simply believe the Panthers are the better team. They are coming off a rough half at Duke, to be sure, but Georgia Tech doesn’t have a Kyle Filipowski, and I don’t think the significance of that can be overstated. The Yellow Jackets’ top center is Rodney Howard, a 6’11” senior averaging 5 and 5; that’s a bit less than Filipowski’s double-double production. Georgia Tech does have some size on the perimeter - Miles Kelly and Dallan Coleman are 6’6” - but I’m betting on Jamarius Burton, Nelly Cummings and Blake Hinson bouncing back. This is a key game for Pitt; really, the next three are, as they’re all winnable games if the Panthers truly are who we think they are. I’m saying the return to form and get a win on the road today, starting a little winning streak in the process. Prediction: Pitt 76, Georgia Tech 66
