Pitt Basketball: Can All These Close Games Aid Panthers Down The Stretch?
By Matt Gajtka
Feb 12, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers forward Lamar Patterson (21) controls the ball as Syracuse Orange guard Trevor Cooney (10) defends during the second half at the Petersen Events Center. Syracuse won 58-56. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Any gambler can tell you that there’s no such thing as being “due” for a win, but it’s understandable if the Pitt Panthers basketball team feels the universe owes it one after Wednesday night’s stunning last-second loss to No. 1 Syracuse.
As our Brett Tunno wrote in his game recap, Tyler Ennis’ buzzer-beating shot was just the latest close loss for the 25th-ranked Panthers (20-5, 8-4 ACC). Out of Pitt’s five defeats, all of which have been to ranked opponents, four have been by five or fewer points.
In the past two weeks alone, the Panthers have been beaten at the horn twice on their home court, as Virginia was the other team to do it on Feb. 2. But Syracuse’s escape act had to be doubly painful for Pitt, which led the undefeated Orange throughout the game and had just taken a one-point edge on a pair of Talib Zanna free throws with 4.4 seconds remaining.
Ennis’ improbable heave that followed immediately drew comparisons to Scottie Reynolds’ game-winning shot that pushed Villanova past Pitt in the 2009 NCAA tournament.
Indeed, Wednesday night’s shocker added to the litany of gut-punch losses suffered by this program in the past decade.
Ennis’ shot was memorable – and probably one of the highlights of the year in all sports – but it’s obviously not on the level of Reynolds’ season-ending bucket. Would it have been huge for Pitt to hand Syracuse its first loss? Sure, although if the Panthers have their way, a win in that spot wouldn’t have defined their season, either.
Pitt coach Jamie Dixon told his players to hold their heads high after their loss on the national stage. That’s easy to say and tough to do, but it’s the only approach to take at this point of the season.
The Panthers have six games to go before the ACC tournament, starting with Saturday’s trip to Chapel Hill, N.C. Although getting swept by Syracuse probably scuttled Pitt’s opportunity to make a run up the rankings, there’s much Dixon’s crew can take from their most recent near-miss, even if some of their late decision-making was questionable.
At the very least, Pitt’s penchant for creating stress gives this year’s team a taste of the coin-flip nature of college basketball’s postseason. Not that the Panthers have ever been a team that blows opponents away, but playing six nailbiters in their past eight games should steel them for what lies ahead.
It won’t guarantee a lengthy March run, although it will make Pitt better prepared.