It is difficult to win in conference road games and Pitt found that out the hard way on Wednesday. Clemson led by double digits for most of the night en route to a commanding 73-60 win.
Recap:
The early minutes of the game felt like it could go back and forth all night. Both Jamel Artis and Michael Young seemed on their game as the Panthers led 8-7 at the first TV timeout. With the score tied at 12 apiece everything changed, Clemson went on a 7-0 run that Pitt never really recovered from. Soon after that run the deficit continued to slowly grow, climbing to ten points, then 12, and finally resting at 14 for the halftime break.
In the second half the Tigers’ Jaron Blossomgame continued his excellent play, as he finished with 22 points. Pitt continued to look outmatched throughout the second half, Clemson’s lead would hover around 16 to 20 points for much of the 20 minutes. The Panthers at one point did use a 9-0 run to trim that down to nine, but out of a timeout the Tigers drilled a corner three and from their the game would never be in serious jeopardy. When it was all said and done Clemson had a 13-point win, while Pitt now moves to 5-3 in ACC play.
Michael Young’s 25 points led the Panthers, no other teammate scored double digits.
Positives:
Michael Young- After somewhat of an off night for the junior against FSU, Young rebounded in a big way. Truth be told he was the only offense Pitt generated all game.
Ryan Luther- To start the season, Luther had his fair share of struggles. Now he seems to be settling into his role better. If he can continue to hit outside shots like he did in this game it will greatly help the Panthers.
Three-point Shooting- The Panthers made eight of their 19 attempts in the game, which is about 42%. Basketball is becoming more perimeter oriented nowadays, so hitting shots like this is a good sign.
Negatives:
Playmaking- Clemson had four players score in double figures, Pitt had one. When a team has multiple guys who can create offense it strains a defense. The Panthers do not have the playmaking to be a great team.
Defense- The perimeter defense was bad and the post defense tried to be worse. See defensive grades for more analysis.
James Robinson- He had eight points, five assists, and four turnovers on 2-6 shooting from the field. The worst part is, his shots are wide open so he should not miss this much.
Offensive Grade: C+
The offense had some really bad moments on Wednesday. They would go through stages of inability to score. At a point it was pretty much up to Young to score and even he could not carry them so far. But they did shoot well from three, so at least that is encouraging.
Defensive Grade: D
Death, taxes, and Pitt letting a star player torch them. Those are the three things in life that feel unavoidable. Blossomgame had his was and got the shot he wanted when he wanted. That is not a sign of a good defensive effort. Pitt also could not properly rotate when they switched to zone and it killed them late.
Coaching Grade: D
Jamie Dixon switched some things up and tried out new lineups, but everything he tried failed. Pitt was outmatched by a team that on paper is not more talented. Dixon needs to do further tweaking in order for the Panthers to actually be a threat for the NCAA Tournament.
Up Next:
Pitt returns home to play the Virginia Tech Hokies on Sunday January 31st at 6:30 P.M.