Just a few years ago, Pittsburgh Basketball went 0-18 in ACC play and hit rock bottom as a program. Plenty of changes were made, including at head coach. Former Panthers head coach Kevin Stallings was replaced by Duke assistant Jeff Capel, tasked with bringing the program back to national relevance and to become a contender in the ACC.
Fast forward to January 19th. Pittsburgh, after being relegated to playing on the ACC Network and local TV stations, were given the opportunity to play the Duke Blue Devils on ESPN at 9 pm. After beating Syracuse by 20 points last weekend, this game had legitimate NCAA Tournament implications for both teams.
Pittsburgh looked to have an advantage in the first half, leading after the 12-minute mark and pushing it towards double-digits at the halftime break. In the first few minutes of the second half, the Panthers led by as much as 15 and looked to blow Duke out the door. However, freshman Jalen Johnson, who just came back from a foot injury, went off for 24 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists in 33 minutes off the bench before fouling out.
Johnson leaving the game with a few minutes left proved to be the big break for Pittsburgh, who was just up by two points then. They were able to get a couple of big buckets and stops after to win, 79-73. Justin Champagnie led all scorers with 31 points and 14 rebounds, while Au’Diese Toney had 22 points on 13/17 shooting from the free throw line. Point guard Xavier Johnson dished out 11 assists and was the veteran leader the team needed when things started to crumble.
Pittsburgh’s victory boosts them to 8-2 overall and 4-1 in ACC play, tied for second place in the standings. Considering that their game on Saturday against Boston College may be paused due to covid issues for BC, the Panthers may get to celebrate this game for a while.
Here are some specific takeaways from the victory.