Pittsburgh Basketball: Upcoming games against Colgate and Monmouth massive for program

Pittsburgh Basketball had a near upset against Virginia last week that could’ve been monumental for the program. Can they keep it up against Colgate and Monmouth?

It’s been a really rough stretch for Pittsburgh Basketball as of late. After wins against UNC-Wilmington and Towson, the team has lost four straight, including blowouts against Vanderbilt and UMBC, before losing at the last second against Minnesota at home last week.

There was literally no momentum heading into the Panthers’ ACC opener on the road at Virginia, a perennial powerhouse in the league, And without the team’s second-leading scorer and only “healthy” scholarship ball-handler (Femi Odukale) able to go with an ankle injury, it was supposed to look like a 20-point blowout defeat.

However, Pittsburgh stood its ground all 40 minutes in a low-scoring dogfight, taking the lead late in the final minute thanks to a three-pointer from Onyebuchi Ezeakudo. However, miscues at the end and a wild shot from Jayden Gardner gave the Cavaliers the 57-56 victory.

This loss prevented Pittsburgh from opening the season 1-0 in league play and getting a much-needed win but what it may have done was reignite a fanbase that was starting to lose interest in this team. They showed that they’re capable of competing with top-100 teams and with a healthy Jamarius Burton in the backcourt, both Mo Gueye and Daniel Oladapo playing well alongside John Hugley in the frontcourt, and young William Jeffress continuing to improve, can be competitive in league play going forward.

But first, the Panthers are going to have to deal with a pair of legitimately good mid-major programs in Colgate and Monmouth. Both teams are currently in the top-150 of KenPom rankings, while Pitt is at 196. And with this game at the Petersen Events Center, these are on paper, toss-up games at best. Don’t forget, Pitt already has a pair of home losses to small schools in The Citadel and UMBC, both of whom scored the two highest points (77 and 87) against the Panthers.

Colgate (4-5) had to replace the Patriot League Player of the Year Award winner Jordan Burns but has four seniors in its starting lineup, led by leading scorer Nelly Cummings. (17.7 ppg and 3.7 apg). The Raiders may not be a great defensive unit but are capable of scoring a lot of points, evident by dropping 100 points at Syracuse earlier in the season.

Monmouth (7-1, 2-0) has won seven straight games, including on the road at Cincinnatti. The Hawks have become the biggest threat to Iona in the MAAC. Like Colgate, this team also has four seniors leading the way, led by Seton Hall transfer Shavar Reynolds (15.8 ppg) and leading scorer George Papas (17.3 ppg and 6.5 rpg). They’re a solid team on both ends of the court and faces St. John’s on the road Thursday night before coming to Pittsburgh Sunday night.

Had Pittsburgh been blown out by Virginia, these games likely would’ve been viewed as losses by the fanbase and observering media. But now, the Panthers should be able to beat these two teams, assuming Femi Odukale is back and healthy. And if they don’t, many questions will be aimed towards head coach Jeff Capel about the direction of this program.

Close losses deprive teams of the victory but also raises expectations going forward against future opponents. That near-win over Virginia has the attention for Pittsburgh Basketball. But will they take that attention and prove it wasn’t a fluke? These next two games will go a long way towards answering that.