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Pitt Basketball: How is it possible the Panthers are this bad?

By Derek Snyder

CHAPEL HILL, NC - FEBRUARY 03: Head coach Kevin Stallings of the Pittsburgh Panthers directs his team against the North Carolina Tar Heels during their game at the Dean Smith Center on February 3, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - FEBRUARY 03: Head coach Kevin Stallings of the Pittsburgh Panthers directs his team against the North Carolina Tar Heels during their game at the Dean Smith Center on February 3, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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After suffering a historically bad loss to Virginia on Saturday, we examine how the Pitt basketball program has been so darn bad in 2017-2018.

Heading into the weekend, every Pitt basketball fan knew the Panthers weren’t going to beat Virginia, but no one could’ve imagined the team would only score seven points in the first-half on Saturday. Yes, the Cavaliers are currently the top ranked team in college basketball, but only making one field goal in 20 minutes of play is seriously embarrassing.

It’s one thing to not win one conference game, but it’s another thing completely to look like a mid-major this late in the season. Heck, calling the this Panthers squad a mid-major is actually a compliment.

Needless to say, Kevin Stallings has some serious questions to answer about his team’s performance this year. Plus, as each week passes, it seems like his team is drifting further and further away from responding to their head coach.

Take a look at this quote from Stallings regarding his team’s play against Virginia, courtesy of Craig Meyer’s article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: 

"“I thought we had like a deer in the headlights look in the first half,” Stallings said. “I didn’t anticipate that. I hadn’t seen that, I hadn’t felt that. Gosh, if anything, we don’t have anything to lose. We should just throw caution to the wind and play. That’s what I told them [Friday].”"

This is the type of thing that should be completely baffling for Panthers fans. This is a team who was 8-21, heading into a home game against the top-ranked team in college basketball. Regardless of how bad Pitt has been in 2017-2018, this was an opportunity to throw everything else aside and shock the college basketball world.

Instead, the Panthers played one of the worst basketball games we’ve ever seen. Not only did they look intimidated, but they once again proved this team has no business playing in a postseason tournament.

For a Pitt basketball program that’s accustomed to being a serious competitor come March, this result is phenomenally sad.

Next: Is drafting Lamar Jackson is serious possibility for Steelers?

With only one more game remaining this season, it looks like the Panthers will finish the year 0-18 in the ACC. Not to mention, with Pittsburgh’s only wins coming against UC Santa Barbara, Lehigh, High Point, Duquesne, Mt. St. Mary’s, McNeese, Delaware State and Towson, it’s clear the school needs to make changes to their basketball program immediately.

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