Pitt Responds to Florida Loss by Showing Toughness
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers arrived at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York riding high and were humbled quickly. In their first game of the season against Power 5 competition and a team that could rival their size, which had been such a massive advantage during their undefeated start, the Florida Gators dominated them physically and delivered a punch to the mouth that the Panthers needed.
In their next game, Pitt played like a team upset with themselves and determined not to repeat last season’s disaster in the Big Apple. Losing to Florida, even by the margin they did, was not the preferred outcome but something they could live with. Losing to Oregon State was not. After Florida wore them down physically, Pitt was determined not to let that happen again and that attitude was reflected in both the box score, eye test and scoreboard.
"It’s fine when everything is all dandy, when you’re winning like we were in those first four games," Pitt head coach Jeff Capel said following the win. "But how is it when you get punched in the mouth? How are you? How are you guys as a group? Is there finger-pointing, or are you still together? Do you still believe? Is there friction? I didn’t sense any of that."
From the opening tip, Pitt was much more focused defensively and they sustained it for a full 40 minutes against the Beavers. They played good individual defense, rotated with precision when Oregon State forced a switch and rebounded well on the defensive end to finish off possessions. On the offensive end, they moved the ball effectively - as well as they have all year, according to Capel - to the tune of 15 assists on 24 made baskets and made 20 of 24 free throw attempts after shooting just 63.6% from the charity stripe (308th-best in Division I) through five games.
The hustle stats fell considerably in favor of the Panthers during their Black Friday date with the Beavers. They won the turnover battle 14-11, points off turnovers 18-11, total rebounding 44-31, offensive rebounding 17-8 and second-chance points by an astounding 26-7 margin. They dove on the floor for loose balls and stole multiple in-bounds passes to create quick opportunities for additional points.
The Panthers started the Florida game with a 7-0 run and led by five at halftime before ultimately running out of gas after intermission. They raced to a 7-2 advantage early against Oregon State too, but this time expanded it to 12 by the break and kept their foot on the accelerator as they finished off a 25-point victory. Pitt looked more like boa constrictors than Panthers against the Beavers, suffocating them on the defensive end and finishing the kill slowly with steady effort in the closing minutes.
Pitt needed that kind of pure, angry effort after the way they got pushed around by the Gators. Their struggles in the opening round were quickly left in the past and it's a good thing they were, because the immediate future still features three games against Power 5 opponents on deck over the next two weeks.
"That was a great sign, because sometimes when you lose, there is finger pointing or guys are blaming or guys are complaining about playing time," Capel said. "I didn’t sense any of that. So, for us to come out and to not shoot the basketball as well as we’re capable of shooting, and we got some great looks, for us to continue to play defense and continue to build a lead, I’m really proud of this group."
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