Pitt vs Michigan Takeaways: Disasterous Defense Dooms Panthers

The Pitt Panthers fell in blowout fashion to No. 20 Michigan and looked bad doing so.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers stepped out of the Petersen Events Center for the first time this season when they traveled to Brooklyn for the opener of the Legends Classic against Michigan. 

The road trip did not get off to a good start for the Panthers, who fell 91-60 to the No. 20 Wolverines in a game that looked just as bad as the score would indicate. Dive into how Pitt pulled of a loss like this with five takeaways from the beatdown at the Barclays Center. 

Disasterous Defense Dooms Panthers

Michigan shot 58% from the field and 45% from 3-point distance, averaged a blistering 1.4 points per possession, scored on 63% of their trips down the floor and finished with 91 points - tied for the most a Jeff Capel-coached Pitt team has allowed in a single game. 11 of the 12 Wolverines to touch the floor scored and four breached double-figures. 

This was not a case of a talented team getting hot for a night and making tough shots - the Panthers had just as much to fo with those numbers as Michigan did. They were slow rotating, got beat off the dribble easily and didn't play with any urgency. 

That final point is represented most clearly by the fact that they forced just six turnovers - five of which came when the game was already in hand for the Wolverines. The fact that it was effort, not technical deficiencies, that sunk them makes this performance so disappointing. The mistakes were fixable but Pitt didn't want to fix them. 

Second Half Woes Sustained

Pitt entered halftime trailing by just six and lost by 31. It doesn't take high-level math or analysis to conclude that the Panthers got spanked in the second half. This is the second game in a row that the Panthers have been steamrolled in the second half after keeping the first competitive. 

"When adversity hits in the past two games, we've dropped the rope," Capel said. "That's where we have to grow up."

Pitt has been outscored in the second half of the Backyard Brawl and this game against Michigan by 39 points and it was clear that after they got blitzed coming out of the halftime gates, the Panthers folded and failed to compete when things got tough. Michigan players and former Pitt players both took notice of how Pitt's will broke. 

John Hugley Makes Season Debut

Hugley made his return to the starting lineup after spending eight weeks sidelined with a knee injury. He scored nine points, made a 3-pointer, grabbed a rebound and blocked a shot in 22 minutes of work. 

"I thought he did some good things," Capel said. "We knew coming in he'd be rusty. He'll continue to get better."

The rust was pretty apparent for Hugley, who clearly has some conditioning to catchup on after his long absence. That'll come with time but the Panthers could use their star center back at 100% sooner rather than later. 

Sibande's Slow Start

Nike Sibande, fresh off an ACL injury that took him out of action for the entire 2021-22 season, has gotten off to a slow start. The career 1,500-point scorer is averaging just two points per game on 15% shooting through three games and has rarely, if ever, looked comfortable.

He is not a primary scorer for the first time in his career and is still learning how to play off the plethora of new teammates. Nothing has been consistent or normal for Sibande during his tenure at Pitt, so this isn't necessarily surprising. But it is an unfortunate turn for this Panthers team that is counting on him to be the leader of a strong bench. 

Right Back to Work

For better or worse, Pitt doesn't get much time to dwell on this loss. Their next opponent took the floor right as they finished up. Either VCU or Arizona State awaits them in the third-place game of the Legends Classic in less than 24 hours. This will be a real test of Capel's mettle and his ability to turn his team around from consecutive brutal losses while a beatable opponent stands across from them. 

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