Pitt at Miami Takeaways: Panthers Limping into Postseason

The Pitt Panthers will enter the postseason on the downswing.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers will enter the postseason on the downswing. They have limped to the finish of the regular season after falling to both Notre Dame and Miami on the road.

Their latest loss came at the hands of the ACC regular season co-champions. Despite some valiant last-ditch efforts to pull out an improbable win, the Panthers fell, 78-76 and arrive at the postseason with work to do. 

Pitt Got Punked

Simply put, the Panthers got out-hustled all night long. Miami won the battle for rebounds 42-20, for offensive rebounds 14-3, for second chance points 25-7 and for fastbreak points 5-0. More whistles went the Hurricanes' way but the they earned the right to shoot eight more free throws by playing harder. 

This manifested itself most plainly on the defensive end. The Panthers' first shot defense was good enough, if not excellent, against a great offensive team but not finishing off defensive possessions with defensive rebounds was a fatal flaw in their execution. Their comeback was fueled by good, complete defensive 

These Panthers have been tough all season long but they did not respond to the emotional and physical challenge that Miami posed. It was a complete reversal from the first two games these two teams played at the Petersen Events Center. 

Valuable Bench Minutes

For as poorly as the Panthers played, they didn't quit. The fell behind by nine twice in the second half, including at the 8:05 mark, and trailed by seven with 1:03 and 35 seconds to play. The furious rally that came a desperation 3-pointer away from completion was started and sustained by Pitt's short bench. 

Nike Sibande and Jorge Diaz Graham were excellent for the Panthers. When the team needed a shot in the arm, they were there to deliver with timely shot-making and impassioned defense. They combined for 24 points on 9-17 shooting and eight rebounds. Diaz-Graham knocked down both his 3-point attempts and Sibande finished as the team's leading rebounder. 

Maybe Sibande shouldn't have picked up his dribble on their final possession. He was scoring with ease on the drive and needing just two points, he was as good a candidate as anyone to take the final shot that might have forced an improbable overtime. Still, the Panthers wouldn't have been in position 

Greg Goes Ghost

At his best, Greg Elliot is a consistently positive, energetic presence that can shoot 3-pointers as well as anyone in college basketball, rebound effectively for a guard, defend and provide a stabilizing presence on the floor when things are going south. He was none of those against Miami and Pitt missed him sorely. 

Elliot did not score. He missed all three of his attempts from deep. He grabbed one rebound. Despite coming away with a pair of steals, he - like most of the other Panthers - looked just a step too slow on defense. Pitt is at its best when he is at his best and this game was not his best. Over the last seven games, the Panthers had been out-shooting, assisting and scoring his averages and will need to return to form to make the Panthers dangerous in the ACC Tournament. 

Still Need One Win

I am not sold on Pitt's NCAA Tournament chances at this point. If there was no ACC Tournament to play, I'm confident they would be in. But everything went wrong for the Panthers on the final day of the regular season and they dropped from the one to five seed, setting up a matchup with either Florida State and Georgia Tech in the second round. 

That game is a must-win for Pitt if they hope to go dancing later in March. Forget the next round and forget making a run at the championship game. They need to win on Wednesday to keep their Tournament hopes alive. To me, it seems like win and in. 

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