PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It's a pair of 8-4 teams and both got there after early struggles. Pitt is back in ACC play for the rest of the year at Syracuse Tuesday night at 9p on 93.7 The Fan.
The Panthers started the season with a relatively easy win over UT Martin and then welcomed in West Virginia. One of the best atmospheres in the Pete in recent years and the Panthers were down a possession with 3:33 to play in the first half. It ended up a 25-point Mountaineers win.
"We got off to a tough start," said Pitt Head Coach Jeff Capel. "The West Virginia game really knocked us back. We were so excited, it was an unbelievable crowd. Then we got punched in the mouth. That really hurt us for the next couple of games."
"It's interesting, we played 12 games, six on the road. That's probably not ideal, but we are road tested. We have been pretty good going to people's places, we've been pretty good. We are going to have to be really good on Tuesday."
A pair of losses in Brooklyn and while three wins the following week, the games weren't great considering the competition. What seemed to really get Pitt locked in was a win at Northwestern. At the time, the Wildcats were coming off a one-point loss to nationally ranked Auburn. They had held the Tigers to 42 points and were one of the best defensive teams in the nation by early stats. The Panthers scored 87 with 22 assists on 26 made field goals. They would win next at NC State and lose by a point at Vanderbilt.
"I think we've gotten better," Capel said. "I think individually guys have gotten better which has helped us get better as a team. We are excited about continuing to grow. We still have a ceiling to get to."
Four Panthers average double-figures, all transferred into the program. 6'7" forward Blake Hinson averaging 16.5 points with three double-doubles, Jamarius Burton with 14.9 points, five rebounds and over four assists a game. He does it all in his second year with the Panthers. Greg Elliott found his shooting touch with a team-leading 27 made threes and is coming off a double-double last game. Midland native Nelly Cummings is at 10.3 points and a team-leading 4.7 assists a game. Sophomore 6'11" center Federiko Federiko has 39 points and 22 rebounds in his last two games and they are doing this with John Hugley not making a big impact. Hugley sat the last game due to personal reasons as he recovers from a knee injury.
His status for Tuesday night is unknown.
"I thought we had a chance to be good, I still think that," Capel said. "What we've done defensively. We've been pretty good in that area. We still have to get better in that area. We still have to get better rebounding. I thought we would struggle and we have. We have gotten better the last two games. As we go against better competition that will be the test."
Syracuse will be one, even for the best Pitt teams the Orange were a challenge. The Panthers won the last meeting but are 3-6 against Jim Boeheim under Capel.
"The thing about their team, as the season goes on, they normally get better," Capel said. "They learn the zone. They learn the nuances of the zone. We know it will be a challenge, tough place to play, we are excited for it."
The Orange are tops in the ACC in field goal percentage defense, while averaging 75 points a game, same at Pitt.
Jesse Edwards leads the conference in defensive rebounds, blocked shots and his third in offensive rebounds. Judah Mintz leads the conference in steals while Mintz, Edwards and Joseph Girard all average around 15 points a game
"You got to play good basketball," Capel said. "The zone is different. When you play them the first time, every time for us we have struggled in the first half. We have not been able to simulate it."
"There are certain areas where we are trying to attack-if you can get out in transition. If you can get on the glass, obviously you have to make some shots. We have to defend at a high level."
Pitt hasn't gone into this matchup with the variety of three-point scoring options they have now. Three different players have made at least 20-threes (Cummings, Hinson and Elliott) and Nike Sibande might be their best pure scorer with 12 made threes.
Bill Hillgrove on the call with Panthers great Curtis Aiken and Cale Berger, pregame begins at 8:30p on 93.7 The Fan.
