Pittsburgh Basketball: 5 takeaways from OT comeback win over Ohio State Buckeyes

After losing to Wisconsin in the Greenbrier Tip-Off Tournament finals, Pittsburgh Basketball took on Ohio State, another Big Ten program, in the first true road game for the ACC team. The Panthers didn’t start strong on defense but scored enough to remain in the game. 

They eventually were able to force overtime, trailing for most of the extra period before a game-winning three-pointer by Zack Austin gave them the 91-90 victory to move to 7-1 and get a massive road win for their resume. There were tons to take away from the game, so this piece will have about the five biggest points from the win.

1. First-half defensive disaster

The first half was one of Pittsburgh basketball's worst defensive efforts, allowing the Buckeyes to shoot 69% from the field and 6/9 from deep. Some threes were tough, but it was a layup line for the Buckeyes. However, being only down nine was a big accomplishment for the Panthers, allowing them to return and take it to overtime.

2. Amsal Delalic gets the start

With Damian Dunn out, the freshman Delalic got the start at the three-spot. He played extended minutes as well, scoring five points in 37 minutes. It was about the guards, so he didn’t get a chance to show more on offense, but all things considered, he was fine. The big concern was how he’d be defensively, but to be honest, the entire team sucked on that end for the first 25 minutes so that can’t be held against him.

3. Lowe/Leggett’s big games

When healthy, Pittsburgh Basketball has one of the best backcourts in the country. But even without Dunn, the Panthers still have the elite Jaland Lowe and Ish Leggett duo. When the team needed baskets just to stay in the game early from Leggett, Lowe made several clutch plays down the stretch, including the game-winning assist at the end. 

Leggett finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Lowe had a career-high 28 points, including 10/11 from the FT line. Even without Dunn, these two are good enough to get them the win.

4. Zack Austin’s 3-point breakthrough

Although he’s still coming off the bench, Zack Austin’s role is bigger than ever for the Panthers. He came through in the biggest way in the final shot, but all five of his three-pointers were big enough to keep them in the game. Austin finished with 16 points on 5/8 shooting from deep. Entering the game, he was 7/21 (33%) from three-point range. If he can become a true “3 and D” guy, the team’s ceiling will rise even further.

5. Papa Kante the reason for the comeback

In a game full of heroes, the biggest may have been Kante, the redshirt freshman big man who played for just 21 minutes in total entering the game, mainly in garbage time. An injury to Guillermo Diaz-Graham and both he and Cam Corhen struggling badly on defense gave him an opportunity, and he took it.

Kante scored 12 points and four rebounds in 17 minutes, including several inside field goals during the second-half run to close the deficit and take the lead. This kind of performance will put him in the frontcourt rotation going forward, giving Pittsburgh even more depth.