NCAA Basketball takeaways: No. 1 team in the country, Pitt’s rise and Big 12 bids
By Joey Loose
3. Is Pittsburgh for real?
A few months ago, a feature about Pittsburgh in January was likely going to be thinking about life after Jeff Capel and wondering how many ACC wins they could pluck. Now, things look vastly different for a Panthers team that has shown signs of life in recent weeks. The Panthers had a really rough run to start the season, starting 1-3 with blowout losses to West Virginia and Michigan, but things have turned around as conference play has begun.
Pittsburgh sits an enviable 4-0 in ACC play and they haven’t exactly been beating up on the bottom feeders. They got early road wins against NC State and Syracuse, paired nicely with a nonconference blowout over Northwestern in late November. This past week, they held on for close home wins over early conference favorites North Carolina and Virginia. Their 11 wins this season already matches last year’s total.
The Panthers lost Top 50 recruit Dior Johnson before the season began due to his legal issues, but have gotten fantastic efforts from a slew of guards. Blake Hinson (17.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg) and Jamarius Burton (15.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg) have spearheaded the Panthers’ rise. Sophomore center Federiko Federiko has been a revelation while seniors like Nelly Cummings and Greg Elliott continue to shine in starting roles.
Even after this success, Pittsburgh is still just 64th in KenPom and 67th in the NET rankings. Their early success in ACC play has been impressive, but it needs to continue in order to offset that horrid start to the season. After another winnable home game against Clemson this weekend, the Panthers have a tough 3-game road trip which includes a journey to Duke. Can the Panthers really contend in this conference? Their performance in Durham might help us answer that question.