Pitt Questioned Own Effort After Blowout Loss to Duke

The Pitt Panthers didn't feel they played as hard as they could have in an ACC Tournament loss to Duke.

GREENSBORO -- Kyle Filipowski made his first 3-pointer 20 seconds after the ball was tipped. He made his second triple 43 seconds later. The decidedly pro-Duke crowd that lined the stands of the Greensboro Coliseum to watch the Pitt Panthers meet their Blue Devils in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals swelled and roared as a 12-0 run, completed before the first media timeout arrived, had put the opponent on its heels. 

The game felt over before it had even started. Pitt never got any closer than nine and their deficit grew to as large as 19 in the first half and 36 in the second. The veteran team head coach Jeff Capel had praised as resilient for most of this long season, was unable to recover after getting punched in the mouth. 

"I thought we put our heads down, and we just [weren't resilient] collectively as a group," Capel said. "Individually, some guys did, but collectively as a group, and that's been a hallmark of our team all season since after the fourth game of the year. For whatever reason, we did not do that today, and they made us pay for it because they're really talented and they're good."

Starting point guard Nelly Cummings could feel the lack of energy from the jump and it very clearly translated to the final score. 

“They came out with a desperation that we didn’t have,” Cummings said. “I didn’t think we kept up our fight as long as we could have or should have.”

Sixth man Nike Sibande, who led the Panthers in scoring with 17 points against Duke, said specifically that the team's lack of effort was reflected in their rebounding, which he felt was not up to par. 

“It’s nothing but effort," he said. "That’s really what it comes down to at the end of the day. Getting the job done is just about effort.”

Cummings said when Pitt returns home, the focus will be on their intensity. They didn't come to the Duke game ready for the intensity of March basketball and will need to be ready if there are more meaningful postseason games in their future. So what will the Panthers be working on while they sweat out the final days of conference tournaments?

“Effort, energy and being more connected defensively,” Cummings said.

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