Hot Shooting Louisville Dominates Pitt 80-68
By Brett Tunno
Jan 25, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers guard James Robinson (0) brings the ball up court as Louisville Cardinals guard Chris Jones (3) and guard Terry Rozier (R) chase during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Both Pitt and ACC-newbie Louisville entered the contest coming off of a loss to Duke. Both teams were excited to renew their short rivalry that stemmed from the monster Big East a few years ago.
Pitt was searching for a signature win over No. 10 Louisville to improve their NCAA Tourney resume, whereas the Cardinals were aiming to get back on track, after having a week off from game action.
Pitt was 13-1 at the Peterson Events Center against Top-10 opponents.
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Instead of Pitt building its resume, we witnessed more of the same story from this season, as the Panthers struggled defensively, and the lack of a center and true scorer continue to hurt them. The Louisville Cardinals came away with a 80-68 victory while shooting 65% against Pitt.
Leadership at Pitt has been absent, as senior guard Cameron Wright scored only 2 points, and Pitt has no presence at center, as senior Derrick Randall and junior Joseph Uchebo do not even play anymore.
For Pitt (13-7, 3-4 ACC), sophomore forward Jamel Artis scored 18 points and hauled in 8 rebounds, while junior point guard James Robinson scored 16 points, and sophomore forward Michael Young added 14 points.
For Louisville (16-3, 4-2 ACC), sophomore guard Terry Rozier scored a game-high 26 points, and junior forward Montrezl Harrell added 18 points and 7 rebounds.
Coach Dixon continues to play Michael Young out of position at the center position, and although he is battling, he is simply overpowered and forced to fight inside.
I would much rather see Young at the 4 spot, Artis at the 3 spot, and senior Wright on the bench at this point. Wright has not contributed offensively in either contest against Duke and Louisville.
Louisville, who has struggled shooting in many games this season, shot 65.2% (30-46) for the game. They were shooting 71% at the half. That is pretty good, and it was surprising that Pitt was only down 10 at the half.
Pitt shot 37% (22 for 59) and outrebounded Louisville 34-28, but this Panthers team has some glaring weaknesses.
Louisville made 11 of its first 12 shots and built a cushion in the first half and did not let up.
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In the first half, Pitt trailed 26-24 with a little over 7 minutes left. The Chris Jones from Louisville extended the lead to 40-28 in lieu of a 40-30 halftime advantage.
Pitino’s Cardinals struggled in the first five minutes of the second half, but Pitt only managed to make it 40-35. A quick 8-0 run extended the lead to 48-35.
A Harrell dunk made it an 18-point game with 7 minutes remaining.
Pitt went on a quick 10-2 run, and Artis made a jumper to cut the lead to 8. Following a steal, Cameron Wright threw up an airball, and it seemed to kill all momentum for Pitt.
Louisville blew the lead back up to 74-60, and Pitt essentially conceded the loss. Pitino, who looked like he had a rough night in Pittsburgh last night, was proud of his teams effort and shooting in a bounce back win.
Pitt is not good enough to make the NCAA Tourney at this point, and hopefully they can win Tuesday night at Virginia Tech, who nearly upset No. 2 Virginia today.