NCAA Tournament: Taking A Purely Objective Look At Pitt Vs. Colorado

Mar 14, 2014; Greensboro, NC, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers forward Talib Zanna (42) shoots as North Carolina Tar Heels guard Marcus Paige (5) defends in the first half. The Panthers defeated the Tar Heels 80-75 in the quarterfinals of the ACC college basketball tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Pitt’s two best players are center Zanna and forward Lamar Patterson.

Zanna has been excellent so far with 12.7 PPG and 8.8 RPG. Dynamic is an understatement to describe Zanna’s play in the last five games, as he has shot over 60 percent and has had a double-double or close to it every time out. His best came against North Carolina when he notched 21 rebounds and scored 19 points.

While Zanna may be the most dynamic, Patterson is considered the best Pitt player by many. Patterson leads the team in scoring with 17.6 PPG as well as in assists. The last five games have been consistent, despite having two games short of the 40 percent shooting mark.

He’s scored double-digit points in all five games, while also contributing highly to the rebounds and assist totals. Patterson struggles with turnovers worse than Booker, as in the last five games he has had multiple turnovers in each one.

With the analytics all set out like a picnic basket waiting to be stolen by Yogi Bear, let’s break down what all this means.

Pitt has played much better teams and performed better in losses to quality teams, while not losing to lesser teams other than Florida State, and it’s debatable how poor the Seminoles were.

Team-wise, Pitt is better in all categories except for rebounding. They excel at sharing the basketball and stopping the opposing team’s offense.

In terms of individuals, Pitt’s best players are better than Colorado’s as Zanna should have no trouble against Scott. Patterson may turn the ball over more than Booker, but he’s a much better scorer.

With Pitt excelling at all these measurables, and just being a better overall team, I’m picking Pitt to defeat Colorado by eight points on Thursday afternoon in Orlando.

Panthers fans shouldn’t fret for now, because Colorado is not Wichita State. Have confidence in picking Pitt to move on in March Madness!

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What are your opinions on this game and Pitt’s overall chances in the NCAA tournament? Whatever the case may be, make your voice heard and comment below so we can discuss!