Pitt vs VCU Takeaways: Experience Fails Panthers Late

The Pitt Panthers dropped their third game in a row to VCU.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers have fallen to 1-3 after their latest second half collapse to VCU. They left Brooklyn without a win and with many more questions than answers. 

They will need more from their stars and more composure in the pivotal moments to start turning some of these disappointing results into wins. The schedule gets much more forgiving, but the Panthers still have a lot to work on if they want to live up to their potential. 

Experienced Panthers Falter Late

It is a fixture of almost every set of game notes and press releases the program releases - this is the most experienced team Jeff Capel has coached at Pitt and the most experienced team in the ACC. But the 631 games played this team entered the season with has not translated into anything positive for this team, which has continued to play its worst at the most important moments. 

Against West Virginia, they got blitzed coming out of the second half and couldn't recover. It was the same story against Michigan a game ago. Against VCU, the Panthers actually took control in the opening minutes of the second half, led by scoring bursts from two of their oldes - Nelly Cummings and Blake Hinson. But holding a four-point lead with 2:22 left in the game, Pitt committed six fouls, missed all three of their 3-point attempts and turned the ball over twice while VCU slowly chipped away and stole a win from under their noses. 

Experience usually means calm in the face of chaos and diligent stewardship of late leads. Instead, Pitt panicked and looked like the same young Capel teams that have struggled to close game strong for the past four years. 

Need More from Nelly

Speaking of Cummings, he was outstanding in the second half. He scored all 11 of his points after halftime and shot 4-6 from the floor. Still, his early season struggles continued against the Rams. He committed five turnovers and didn't assist on any made shots. Over two games in Brookly, Cummings averaged 7.5 points, 2.5 assists and four turnovers while making just one of his four attempts from distance. 

Simply put, the Panthers need more from him. They need him to be a complete player - scorer and facilitator - to be at their best and he has not played anywhere near his best so far this season. He's been indecisive and looks uncomfortable but it's early and there's plenty of time to right the ship. 

Twin Takeover

If you're looking for silver linings from Brooklyn, look to the play of freshman big men Jorge and Guillermo Diaz-Graham. They, and Jorge in particular, provided renewed energy off the bench when Hinson and Fede Federiko went to the bench with foul trouble in the first half. 

"They were terrific," Capel said. "They brought the energy. It really ignited the rest of our guys."

Guillermo scored seven points, stole three passes, corraled seven rebounds and was one of two Panthers to record a positive plus-minus. Jorge finished with 10 points, made the first 3-pointer of his college career and grabbed five boards. Their defense and hustle was the most impressive part of their respective evenings. When Pitt was lacking energy, they stepped up to fill the void and certainly earned more playing time down the stretch. 

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