Pitt at Duke Takeaways: Panthers Miss on Golden Opportunity

Leading by double-digits at halftime, the Pitt Panthers let a fantastic win slip through their fingers.

RALEIGH-DURHAM -- The Pitt Panthers have now lost consecutive games for the first time since November. Wins in 10 of 11 pampered the Panthers and the cold reality of back-to-back losses has brought sky-high optimism back down to earth. 

A 77-69 loss to Duke - one in which Pitt held a double-digit lead at halftime has taken some - but definitely not all - of the wind out of this outstanding start's sails. The Panthers still have everything in front of them, but it will take a better effort than what they gave in Durham if they hope to keep climbing up the ladder of college basketball. 

Opportunity Cost 

The Panthers have just wrapped up a four-game stretch that included three games against ranked opponents and one against the first-place team in the ACC. Entering this stretch, 2-2 was a completely fine outcome, but Pitt held a seven-point lead with 4:23 left against Clemson and lost. Then they held an 11-point lead against Duke at halftime and lost too. 

6-0 is very different from 4-0 and even 3-1. It's not the end of the world, but Pitt could have bought themselves some more breathing room in the race for a spot in the NCAA Tournament, but the Panthers blew two chances for big wins instead. It's not disastrous, but it's hard to get around the fact that Pitt missed out on some big opportunities. 

It All Falls Apart

For most of this season, Pitt has been an excellent second half team. Entering the Clemson game, they had outscored their last 11 opponents by 126 points in the second half - an average of 10.5 points. But against the Tigers and Blue Devils, Pitt has averaged a miserable -11 margin in second halves.

After intermission, the style of play changed notably. Duke began to capitalize on their growing advantage in offense consisted primarily of isolation plays. The Panthers trusted Nelly Cummings, Blake Hinson and Jamarius Burton to take the ball and do their thing - score - like they have all season long and outside of Cummings, they didn't. 

Cummings was able to muster some tough shot-making, including two desperately-needed 3-pointers, on the way to 10 second half points. But Hinson and Burton combined to go just 4-17 from the floor, 1-5 from 3-point range and 1-3 from the free throw line while committing three fouls, one technical and two turnovers. 

A team's stars need to score in order for the team to win, but it can't come at the cost of the offense at large. Postgame, Burton recognized the need to get out of isolation plays and move faster with the ball in their hands. 

"We got to continue to keep the ball moving, continue to play with pace," Burton said. "I feel like we slow the ball down sometimes and it affects our rhythm. So, for us, we got to continue to play with that same kind of urgency as when we were up."

Panthers Dominated in Battle on the Boards Again

To be clear - this was a poor matchup from the jump. Pitt is a capable rebounding team - one of the best in the ACC, in fact - but they faced a buzzsaw in the Blue Devils' loaded frontcourt. Derrick Lively and Kyle Flipowski - a pair of seven-foot, five-star freshmen forwards - plus Mark Mitchell and Ryan Young gave the Panthers fits on the glass and it was what fueled the 19-2 second half run that all but put the game away. Duke won the rebounding battle 51-28 and were +15 in offensive rebounding. 

"It was all rebounding honestly," guard Greg Elliot said. "They abused us on the glass."

In the first half, Pitt survived by holding Duke to just six second chance points on 11 offensive rebounds by forcing 12 turnovers. They cut off just as many possessions that Duke conjured from second chances. But the takeaway well ran dry in the second half for Pitt and the Blue Devils turned nine offensive rebounds into 13 points. 

The Panthers played good first-shot defense, but couldn't finish defensive possessions and that's what ultimately sank them. It affected their ability to get in transition too and thus the rest of the offense. Pitt needs to be the aggressor in order to win and they were not against the Blue Devils. 

Emergence of Nate Santos

Nate Santos has been a revelation for the Panthers as of late. Even when the shots aren't falling, he is an active and valuable member of the regular rotation. Billed as a big-time shooter upon arriving at Pitt, it has taken Santos some time to find his footing but he has arrived, at least in some capacity. He gave the Panthers great minutes against both Clemson and Duke. He scored three points, grabbed a rebound and a steal and dished an assist while defending well against the Blue Devils.  

He's gone from a desperation substitute to someone with real sticking power in the regular lineup. He plays good defense, can rebound, makes smart passes and rarely turns the ball over. If any shots begin to fall consistently for the 6'7 sophomore, he becomes not just serviceable but necessary for a Pitt team that has found themselves in unfavorable situations with foul trouble far too often. 

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