Pitt's Failure to Capitalize Costs Big Opportunity

The Pitt Panthers have let critical opportunities slip through their fingers down the stretch.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers had it all in front of them. Beat Clemson and not only do you give your place in the ACC standings a massive boost, but you capture an all-important Quad 1 win and give your NCAA Tournament chances shot in the arm. 

Instead the Panthers fell flat, again. They had two chances like this left in their final seven games and did not capitalize on either of them. This maddening loss to Clemson, in which they had a chance to convincingly win a game they needed more desperately than the Tigers, was a microcosm of that fact. Pitt's season is far from over but to keep their NCAA Tournament hopes alive, they needed to come up big somewhere and they're running out of time to do that. 

In retrospect, this brutal loss to Clemson seemed preordained. The Panthers jumped out to a 23-13 lead by the 9:29 mark of the first half but did so primarily by way of the 3-pointer. They knocked down five of their first six attempts from deep but missed five of their first dunk attempt and first five layups. Even if the Panthers make half of those attempts, they're up 16 and their ensuing 1-10 slump from the field over the next 6:47 of game time doesn't become as costly. 

Pitt still lead by eight with 1:24 left in the second half and found themselves up four at halftime but could have led by much more if they didn't get out of their own way and the frustration didn't stop there. 

Clemson committed seven first half turnovers and Pitt turned those into just five points. The Panthers, strong rebounders all season, doubled up their opponents in offensive rebounding but converted those 10 second chances into just seven points. 

P.J. Hall, Clemson's leading scorer and second-leading rebounder, went to the bench with three fouls and his team up one, 41-40. This was a golden chance for Pitt to rally and make their opponents play for putting their best player and a surefire first-team All-ACC player on the bench late in a big game. But when he returned to the game after 4:46 on the sidelines, the Panthers led just 50-48 and yet another opportunity vanished into thin air. 

Miraculously, Pitt shot just 2-15 from 3-point range in the second half and still found themselves leading by four with 8:44 to play in regulation, thanks to a pair of massive triples from Bub Carrington. And again, with a chance to really put the pressure on and finish off a massive win, Pitt was not up to the challenge. 

Their offense became slow, stagnant and dependent on isolation as star shooter Blake Hinson was bottled up and his teammates went ice cold. The Panthers made just three of their final 13 field goals over the final 8:16 and a four-point lead was flipped painfully and slowly into a four-point loss.

Their season is not over, really by any stretch of the imagination. That said, they face an uphill battle as far as their NCAA Tournament hopes are concerned. A slow start gave way to a thrilling middle of the season and their final act hasn't been fatal yet, but it's trending in that direction. 

Pitt is hanging on, but just barely, and they only have themselves to blame. 

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

Pitt Goes Cold in Critical Loss at Clemson

Pitt's Blake Hinson Named All-American, Roberson Trophy Candidate

Pitt Opponent Blasts Big 12 Bias in Rankings

Analyst Sees Pitt's Carter Warren as NFL Starter

Pitt Given Poor Odds to Win ACC Championship

Lions Take Pitt OT in New Mock Draft

• Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt