Pittsburgh (12-5) (NET: 29)
1-5 (Q1), 2-0 (Q2), 5-0 (Q3), 4-0 (Q4)
While not exactly opportunities aplenty, the Panthers have had a few shots at bettering their resume and took advantage just once to date. Sandwiched around a couple of tough losses during nonconference play, they picked up a nice true road win at Ohio State in late November that remains their lone Quad 1 win. Albeit their 24 point win against West Virginia currently sits at Quad 2 and was very impressive.
No anchors exist on this resume, just more missed opportunities and especially in recent days. Those aforementioned losses were to Wisconsin and Mississippi State and were both Quad 1, as all of Pittsburgh’s losses have come to that level of opposition. Unfortunately, the Panthers have actually lost their last three contests, including a tough one at Florida State earlier this week.
Getting blown out at Duke and Mississippi State isn’t ideal, but better teams have looked bad on the road against great schools this season. What really hurts is this recent skid not just for the 3-3 mark in ACC play but for the blown opportunities. The Panthers are now just 1-5 in those Quad 1 games when they could easily be in much better shape, especially in light of that close loss to Louisville last weekend.
There is no comparable stretch again this season for the Panthers, who simply need to keep winning the games they’re supposed to win to stay in shape for the Tournament. They’ll play North Carolina twice in the next month, though only the game in Chapel Hill is currently a Quad 1 game. This weekend against Clemson is important even if it’s also just a Quad 2 matchup; Pittsburgh needs a bounce back performance as their NET continues to tumble.