Defense Lifting Pitt Up ACC Standings
PITTSBURGH -- The situation had deteriorated severely for the Pitt Panthers. They had no answer for NC State on the defensive end, as D.J. Burns bullied his way for easy scores or passed out of double teams for 3-pointers. Another lengthy field goal drought for the Panthers had helped the Wolfpack turn a 10-point deficit into a two-point lead late in the second half and Pitt's recent tear through ACC play was in serious jeopardy.
Then, over the final 6:30 of game time, the Panthers somehow scrapped out a victory, saving the game - and perhaps the season - with their defense. The shots eventually started to fall and Pitt muscled out its final 11 points while holding NC State to just six points over that same span. This team has played consistently better on one end of the court and it's going to be what carries them through the end of the regular season and as far as the defense can reach after that.
Pitt's overall defensive performance was good enough, especially in the second half. They held NC State under 65 points and a 2-7 mark from 3-point range in the second half. But their work in the final minutes was what won the game.
The Wolfpack trailed by four with 9:28 left in the second half when D.J. Burns started to go to work. He scored once on an easy layup through Federiko Federiko on the block. Then Burns did it again. When Pitt brought a double-team on the next possession, Burns kicked the ball out to Casey Morsell, who nailed a triple. The Panthers abandoned the double-team only to watch Burns convert another effortless close-range shot.
"They have a really good team, man," Pitt head coach Jeff Capel said. "Burns is a load down low. Horne can really, really score, but our guys made so many tough plays down the stretch. It was the under-4 timeout and it was a tie game and we talked about getting three stops."
They got their three stops and more. Burns was stonewalled by Federiko on the ensuing play and after Horne traded a bucket with Ishmael Leggett, the Wolfpack collectively missed their next five shots. By then, Pitt had a possession lead with clock dwindling and all it took was some free throws to polish off the victory.
The Panthers were always going to find makable shots because they have good shooters and get open looks at the rim more often than not when they don't shrink into isolation basketball. The difference in this game wasn't whether they'd be able to pile up enough buckets, but wether they could hold up long enough defensively to let the offense return to form.
This has been true for Pitt going back to the landmark win over Duke, when their recent hot streak and revival in ACC play was kickstarted. Against Georgia Tech, Miami and Wake Forest as well, Pitt was only ever in position to win because of how tight they stayed on the defensive end.
Scoring droughts have become somewhat of a fact of a life for Pitt and likely will be for the rest of the season unless Bub Carrington and Jaland Lowe can somehow add a year or two of experience in the six days between now and road trip to Virginia. Two of their best scorers and primary ball-handlers are exceedingly young and will take a minute to catch up.
But defense travels everywhere - down to Charlottesville, back to Pittsburgh, to Clemson and Wake Forest and eventually to Washington D.C. for the ACC Tournament - and mostly comes down to effort, focus and communication. Those things are well within the Panthers' control, even if shots aren't finding the bottom of the net.
Pitt has all of a sudden found themselves with a viable path to the NCAA Tournament and however unlikely it is, the road to the Big Dance is paved with good defense.
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