Pittsburgh Basketball: 3 takeaways from blowout win over Boston College

In a potentially tricky game on paper, Pittsburgh Basketball took care of Boston College by 20 points. What were the takeaways from the competition?

Pittsburgh Basketball had its third five-game winning streak after beating Florida State on the road and is on the cusp of a top-25 ranking for the first time in seven years. They took on Boston College, a team in the bottom half of the ACC but has gone 3-3 in the past three weeks, including wins over Clemson and Virginia Tech.

The Eagles took it to the Panthers early, with a 16-10 lead thanks to an 11-0 run and several turnovers from the home team. But once Blake Hinson started going, Pittsburgh took the lead and never looked back, running up the score for a 77-58 victory. It gave them the most wins in ACC play at 12 and a tie for first place with Virginia in the loss column. Hinson led all scorers with 21 points, with all five starters scoring in double figures.

Here are some key takeaways from both the game and where the Panthers stand overall.

Federiko’s All-ACC defensive hype is real

After impressive performances against Florida State and other ACC frontcourts, starting center and breakout performer, Federiko Federiko was getting national attention for being an all-defensive player. He faced a tough test in Post, which came into the game averaging 16.8 ppg on the season and 21.0 ppg in the past seven games.

But not only was Post limited to just seven points on 2/9 shooting overall but the Boston College center was held scoreless in all of the second half before fouling out. Federiko himself outplayed him, going for 10 points, seven rebounds, and three blocks. The Eagles’ only hope for an upset was a big game from Post and that didn’t happen, thanks to another stellar performance from the Panthers’ big man.

Pittsburgh can win an “off” game by their standards

The final score doesn’t show it but Pitt was up by just five points with 16 minutes to go, before a 21-2 run blew the game out of the water. The Panthers were shooting the ball okay, making 11/25 from three-point range. But between 16 turnovers and 7-8 missed easy shots at the basket in the first 22 minutes made the game closer than it needed to be.

In a way, that’s a good thing for the Panthers. The sign of a good team is blowing out the competition, even when they themselves aren’t playing well. But they accomplished their main goal of slowing down Post, which meant that a win was going to come eventually.

Closer to an NCAA Tournament lock and a double-bye

While Panther fans aren’t happy with not being ranked this week, this was still a good night overall. They won another ACC game and NC State lost to Syracuse, which makes it even easier to finish in the top-4 of the standings and secure a double-bye into the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. They also beat a team in Boston College that has shown to be a spoiler and a Quad 3/4 loss would’ve been brutal for Pittsburgh’s resume.

Instead, the Panthers handled a team that they’re supposed to and has five games left, with only two (Georgia Tech and Notre Dame) being viewed as landmines. As long as they only lose one of them, Pitt will be in the NCAA Tournament field. But based on how they’re playing, the Panthers should be looking to get a 6 or 7 seed on Selection Sunday.