Pitt vs Louisville Takeaways: Panthers Finally Earning Respect

The Pitt Panthers could do no wrong in a blowout victory over Louisville.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers flat-out dominated Louisville to earn their 10th ACC win of the year. Even as they moved into a tie for first place in the conference, head coach Jeff Capel is stressing living in the moment. Luckily for him, the present moment is a pretty fun time for his Panthers. 

Pitt’s ACC History Gets Richer

Not since the school’s first year in this storied conference have the Panthers been worth even a passing glance. But this team has willed their way into the conversation for a regular season ACC title and the top seed in the coming conference tournament, in addition to simply earning some respect in a league that has reminded them frequently that this is not their home.

By dominating Louisville thoroughly, Pitt moved into a tie for first place in the conference and secured ten ACC wins for the season - by far the most of Capel's tenure and the second-most of any Pitt team during its nine years in this conference. This 34-point beatdown - which comes on the sixth anniversary of an infamous 106-51 win for Louisville at the Petersen Events Center - marks the Panthers' largest margin of victory ever in an ACC game. 

Defense Starts Slow, Finishes Fast

Pitt’s closeouts were imprecise and rushed to start. They appeared utterly enthralled with preventing Louisville from even attempting 3-pointers when they didn’t really need to. It took sorely-needed rebounders away from the basket and allowed the Cardinals to stay close behind, thanks to an early advantage on the offensive glass.  

But Pitt quickly shook off the rust that six days off created, cleaned up their mistakes, defended with more intensity and overwhelmed an opponent that has been overmatched routinely throughout ACC play. The Panthers had their hands in passing lanes, which led to six steals and 13 total Louisville turnovers, and were disruptive on the inside to the tune of 13 blocks - 12 of which came from underclassmen Fede Federiko, Jorge Diaz Graham and Guillermo Diaz Graham - and a 4-15 mark shooting layups from Louisville.

They Don’t Miss

Pitt flirted with breaking the school record for 3-pointers in a single game for the second time in as many weeks by nailing 17 triples - one shy of tying the record 18 it made against Wake Forest 13 days ago. No, Louisville wasn't particularly sharp on the defensive end, but even their best effort might not have stopped Pitt either. 

But like the Wake Forest game in which the Panthers set a program-high for 3-pointers made in a game, this was not a random occurrence. Pitt’s ball movement created good looks that maximized their shooting ability. Their 28 made field goals came from 23 assists and the Panthers made and all but one of their 3-pointers came off a pass. 

This was not random or simply the result of a poor opponent playing poor defense - this is how Pitt, who has assisted on nearly 55% of its made buckets this year - wants to play. When they do, there are very few teams who can keep up. 

Bench Goes Ballistic

Pitt's reserves - Nate Santos, K.J. Marshall, Aidan Fisch, Nike Sibande and the Diaz Graham twins - contributed 41 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and 10 blocks over 75 combined minutes. The Panther starters were able to gain the bulk of the lead but it was the reserves who took over most of the second half and kept their foot on the gas. 

They sustained their team's sharp execution on offense and smothered Louisville defensively. Most importantly, they kept the lead large enough that Capel could keep his starters on the bench. At a point in the season when Pitt has to be cautious about pushing players too hard, even in practice, they were able to afford their stars some much-needed rest in anticipation of crucial games down the stretch. 

Opposing Coach Offers High Praise

Louisville head coach Kenny Payne was frustrated for many reasons. His team has lost by massive margins before and they will probably do it again multiple times before the season is out - that's just the nature of this year for Louisville basketball - but what really upset him was his persistent reminders about how high the caliber of opponent the Cardinals were preparing to face did not take hold. 

"I tried really hard to explain to the players exactly who you’re facing, exactly who you’re playing against," Payne said.

Payne also made sure to let the media in attendance know after the game that he believes this is the best team his Cardinals have faced this season. He thinks Pitt is capable of making a deep run in the postseason, too. 

“We played a lot of good teams in this conference, but guys, I am here to tell you probably the most complete, the toughest team we’ve faced in this conference is Pittsburgh," Payne said. "Tough, fight, can score, can score in multiple ways, they share the ball, they talk on defense. When one guy is down, I hear four others talking to that one that’s down. I watched their huddle ... and I saw what I want my guys to be.”

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