Coming off the disastrous road loss at the Duke Blue Devils, Pittsburgh Basketball looks to rebound back at home against the Louisville Cardinals. They’ve won five straight games, including big wins over Clemson and UNC, to have them squarely on the bubble.
It’s an important game for both sides. Here’s a look at the keys to victory for the Panthers on Saturday.
1. Bounce back game for both Leggett and Lowe
Pitt had no chance of beating Duke with its top two scorers struggling, as Leggett and Lowe combined for just 12 points on 5/27 FG. But Louisville’s perimeter will be just as tough, as Chucky Hepburn is an ACC Defensive Player of the Year candidate in his own right, leading the ACC with 2.6 steals per game. If Lowe can get him into foul trouble, that’ll be a boost. But if Hepburn shuts him down, the Panthers will be in trouble.
2. Getting Damian Dunn back in the fold
One good thing for Pittsburgh was the return of Dunn, who played 21 minutes off the bench. He scored seven points on 3/8 FG and was the only guard to make jump shots on the night. It’ll be interesting to see if he remains the 6th man or get back into the starting lineup. There’s also the issue of Zack Austin, who suffered a minor shoulder injury in the Duke game and may not be 100% himself against Louisville. That in itself could force the switch back to the original rotation.
3. Limit the impact of Reyne Smith off the bench
Louisville is a high-volume three-point shooting team, attempting nearly 31 a game, good for top-10 nationally. The issue with them is that they aren’t overly efficient, shooting under 30% as a team. Four players attempt at least 4.7 threes a game, but only Smith, a transfer guard from Charleston, is overly efficient.
Smith shoots 37% from deep on a whopping nine attempts a game, 90% of his overall shot selection. He’s third on the team with 12.8 ppg, averaging 15 ppg on 42% from deep in the team’s five ACC games. If he has a big outing, Louisville can win on the road. But if Pitt limits his production, then they’ll have the edge.