Pitt blew out Boston College 77-58 on Tuesday night, and here are three things that stood out in the win.

No concern
There was a point about 12 minutes into Tuesday night’s game when Boston College took a seven-point lead. Fueled by strong three-point shooting and a bunch of misses from Pitt, the Eagles were up 24-17 and probably started feeling pretty good about their chances of logging a big road victory after getting blown out by 30 at home on Saturday.

Of course, the Panthers had no intention of letting that happen, and once they flipped the switch - or, put another way, once the shots started falling - the home team controlled the game.

As this team has continued to demonstrate new and admirable traits and qualities, its ability to persevere through fits of adversity sets it apart and gives it a chance to handle just about any situation that arises.

Jeff Capel talked about it after the game.

"I think this team is better at it than we have been and maybe it’s maturity, but I do think another big thing is just the closeness, how much they believe in each other, how together we are and how much they believe in what’re doing. So we’re able to sustain when we get punched in the mouth or when a team goes on a run. These guys, I hear them in the huddle, what they’re saying to each other, the positive energy they’re giving each other, it’s different from what we’ve had here in the past.”

I imagine Pitt’s players were just as confident of their chances when Boston College was up 24-17 as they were when they had a 27-point lead of their own. These players believe in themselves, and while confidence is not necessarily a unique trait - most players are confident - these players are able to use that confidence to not allow a potentially negative situation to get out of hand.

Sure, Boston College had a little momentum. Sure, the Eagles went on an 11-0 run and outscored Pitt 19-7 in a six-minute stretch in the first half. But the Panthers never panicked; they stayed the course, followed the plan and blew out an inferior opponent.

The big man
What more can you say about Federiko Federiko that hasn’t been said? The junior-college transfer has been, to use Jeff Capel’s word, outstanding since Pitt started ACC play, and that’s especially true during the Panthers’ current six-game winning streak, when he has been averaging 7.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game while shooting 66.7% from the floor and playing 29.4 minutes per game.

Those are sensational numbers from a player who wasn’t expected to see much time on the court this season and certainly wasn’t expected to play a primary role.

But he has been doing exactly that, and he did it at a high level Tuesday night. 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks makes for an impressive stat line; just as impressive was the stat line of Quinten Post, Boston College’s star center. Post entered Tuesday night’s game averaging 15.8 points and six rebounds per game, but Federiko held him to seven points and five boards.

Post’s quiet night had a lot to do with Pitt’s victory, and Federiko had a lot to do with Post’s quiet night - just like he has had a lot to do with the Panthers’ success this season.

Staying at the top
With its first six-game winning streak in four years and first six-game ACC winning streak ever, Pitt improved to 12-3 in conference play and further established its position at the top of the conference.

Virginia is right behind the Panthers at 11-3 with a should-win at Louisville tonight. Miami is 12-4 and off until hosting Wake Forest on Saturday. Clemson is 10-4, having lost the last three in a row and hoping to break that streak against Florida State tonight.

The Cavaliers will likely keep the heat on Pitt with a win tonight and I imagine Miami will take care of business against Wake Forest on Saturday, so the top of the league is going to stay tight for awhile.

But just as the Panthers aren’t quite pulling away from Virginia and Miami, so too have they shown those teams that they themselves aren’t going away. The Cavaliers and the Hurricanes - and everyone else in the conference - has had to acknowledge that Pitt is one of the premier teams in the league this season.

And that’s not because the ACC is down (that’s a different discussion). It’s because Pitt truly is one of the best teams in the conference. The Panthers have beaten Virginia and Miami, and they’ve got a 7-2 record against the seven teams that have winning records in conference play.

Everyone in the ACC is looking up at Pitt right now, and I think every team knows it has to catch the Panthers.

Meanwhile, Pitt is getting closer and closer to the point where anything less than a regular-season title might be a disappointment.