Pitt Buries Tape After Ugly Loss

The Pitt Panthers chose not to contemplate their blowout loss to Wake Forest.

PITTSBURGH -- Instead of ruminating over a blowout loss to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Tuesday, the Pitt Panthers opted to instead leave their performance in the past and look towards the future. 

During The Jeff Capel Show on Thursday, Capel himself stated that he wiped the slate clean almost immediately after the game concluded as he had little to say to the players after the Panthers left the floor while also making the executive decision to forego any film studying from the contest. 

“I didn’t really say much to them after the game," Capel said. "We were off yesterday, and when we came back today, I didn’t mention it. We didn’t watch any tape; I didn’t feel like there was a need to watch it. We just moved on completely.”

The Panthers shot a season-worst 29% from the field against Wake Forest while putting up 58 points, which tied for their third lowest output of the campaign thus far. On the other side, the Demon Deacons' tallied 91 points on 60.8% shooting from the field, both of which represent the highest single game totals of any Pitt opponent this year. 

The loss administered damage to the Panthers' standing on the NCAA Tournament bubble according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi, who moved them out of his Next Four Out in his most recent projection. 

Regardless, Pitt largely controls its own destiny in its quest for a second consecutive tournament berth, though it can ill afford another major slipup as the pressure continues to mount. 

Capel has told his team to embrace all of the heightened expectations and to use that pressure to their advantage during crucial moments down the stretch.

“When you’re in the late season like this and you’re in the position that we’re in, the pressure is a little bit different," Capel said. "To me, and what I try and tell our guys, pressure is a privilege. You get a chance to be in games that are incredibly meaningful, and you should embrace it and love it and go out and try to perform.”

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