The story: Pitt led Wisconsin by seven points at halftime in the championship game from The Greenbrier Tip-Off, but a strong second half propelled the Badgers to a 81-75 victory to hand the Panthers their first loss of the season.
Pitt looked sharp early in this game on both sides of the ball, but Wisconsin started to find some life in the early stages of the first half, and rode that momentum throughout the game. The Panthers faced significant foul trouble for much of the game, and also lost second leading scorer Damian Dunn less than three minutes into the game.
Despite the early adversity, the Panthers built a 14-point lead in the first half, but the Badgers started to make a push after that. Pitt saw three players reach double figures led by 17 points from senior Ishmael Leggett, but late in the game, the Panthers were missing that extra attacker in Dunn, and also his defense.
Wisconsin received 33 points from John Tonje, with 25 coming after halftime.
Wisconsin grabbed a 71-64 lead with four minutes remaining, but Jaland Lowe responded with a three-point play and Zack Austin drilled a corner 3-pointer to make it a one-point game. However, some key offensive rebounds kept Wisconsin possessions alive and the Panthers never got closer than that.
Turning point: The 9-2 Wisconsin run from 12:10-10:28 in the second half
Pitt had the advantage at the half, but No. 19 Wisconsin wasted little time turning the tides coming out of the break. Although the Panthers matched the energy and still maintained a brief cushion, but around the 12-minute mark, the Badgers had a quick 9-2 burst and that seemingly got the momentum on their side. It was still back and forth for a while, but once Wisconsin got over the initial hump of Pitt’s lead, it felt like their confidence increased and that turned the game.
MVP: Cam Corhen
Pitt was able to build an early advantage because of the play of Cam Corhen, who has been nothing short of a revelation this season. Despite a losing effort, Corhen went for double digits for the seventh time in as many games. The 6’10” junior went 7-of-8 from the floor for 16 points. Obviously, you would like to see the rebounding numbers improve, but it’s a promising trend he was still able to maintain his scoring production against a massive Wisconsin/Big Ten frontline.
Unsung Hero: Ishmael Leggett
It was not Ishmael Leggett’s best day, but he still gutted out 17 points and hit plenty of big shots to end some Wisconsin runs throughout the game. He is always a reliable option to turn to when things are out of sync and the senior usually finds a way to get an important bucket. It was a loss, of course, but Leggett is going to hit a lot of important shots for this team this year and this game reinforced that notion.
Technical difficulties
This was one of the weirder college basketball games from the off-court stuff. It started with the first game going to triple overtime, which delayed the start time. Then, the shot clock stopped working right before the opening tip. Later on, the broadcast cut out in a crucial point of the game, and there were multiple instances when the lights would flicker inside the 'gym' causing further interruptions.
These destination MTEs are fun, and are meant to attract tourists, but sometimes playing basketball games in places designated for basketball makes more sense. The Greenbrier Tip-Off has plenty of kinks to work out if they plan to continue and grow this event.
A quick exit
Much like the first game in West Virginia, Damian Dunn was off the court almost immediately, although under a different set of circumstances. Dunn was injured less than three minutes to the game and never returned. The strength of Pitt’s team is having three attacking guards, and losing their second leading scorer almost right away was a tough blow. It looked like he rolled his ankle, but the broadcast insisted his hand was the injury. We'll await word from Capel on that, but it definitely looked like an ankle on TV.
*Update: Dunn has a sprained ankle and dislocated thumb, according to Chris Carter of the Post-Gazette. No timetable for his return was given'
No stopping Tonje
Wisconsin guard John Tonje torched No. 9 Arizona earlier this season for 41 points. Pitt did not do a much better job defending him . Tonje totaled 33 points, with 25 of those coming after halftime. The 6’5” senior was a perfect 10/10 from the free-throw line for the game, and also hit 11 shots from the field. When Wisconsin needed a basket, Pitt had few answers to slow him down, especially with six guys having three fouls or more by the end of the game.
Missed chance
The biggest takeaway is that Pitt missed out on a chance to secure a key non-conference win. This would have been a statement win, and likely would have vaulted the Panthers into the national rankings tomorrow.
There’s a lot of basketball to play, and one loss in November is not defining anyone’s season, but it stings to lead by 14 early in the game, and not replicate that type of effort for 40 minutes. This was by no means a gimme, and Wisconsin is undefeated for a reason, but Pitt had spots in this game they could have increased the lead and gotten a huge win.
Ice cold from deep
Pitt shot 2-for-13 from three-point range after halftime and only 5-for-23 for the game. The Panthers rely on the three ball quite a bit, so that’s a pretty lackluster performance. Dunn being out may have factored into that, or the weird sightlines of playing in a ball room, or it could have just been an off night. Either way, this is a stat that looms large in a two-possession loss for a team that should expect to shoot the ball better than 22%.
New rotations
The Dunn injury, plus the prolonged foul issues changed how Pitt played this game. For the first time all season, Amsal Delalic was playing significant minutes with the starters in a tight game. Brandin Cummings was on the floor for 13 minutes, and sixth man Zack Austin had an extended run as well.
It was interesting when Pitt had to sit Leggett with foul trouble, Delalic started to be the one called on over Cummings, perhaps something that could be more defined over time. Delalic started the year on the shelf with a wrist injury and has looked rusty in his first four games. He did have 9 points on 4-of-4 shooting, perhaps sparking more production from him as the season progresses.
What it means
Pitt is in the midst of a tough five-game stretch against power opponents, and is 1-1 through two games. The Panthers still should have opportunities to add some good wins over these next three, but this felt like a squandered chance.
What’s next: Friday 11/29 at Ohio State (2:30, Peacock)
The Panthers will continue their brief two-game Big Ten tour with a road trip to Columbus on Black Friday. The Buckeyes are 4-1 this season, and undefeated at home.
Pitt looked sharp early in this game on both sides of the ball, but Wisconsin started to find some life in the early stages of the first half, and rode that momentum throughout the game. The Panthers faced significant foul trouble for much of the game, and also lost second leading scorer Damian Dunn less than three minutes into the game.
Despite the early adversity, the Panthers built a 14-point lead in the first half, but the Badgers started to make a push after that. Pitt saw three players reach double figures led by 17 points from senior Ishmael Leggett, but late in the game, the Panthers were missing that extra attacker in Dunn, and also his defense.
Wisconsin received 33 points from John Tonje, with 25 coming after halftime.
Wisconsin grabbed a 71-64 lead with four minutes remaining, but Jaland Lowe responded with a three-point play and Zack Austin drilled a corner 3-pointer to make it a one-point game. However, some key offensive rebounds kept Wisconsin possessions alive and the Panthers never got closer than that.
Turning point: The 9-2 Wisconsin run from 12:10-10:28 in the second half
Pitt had the advantage at the half, but No. 19 Wisconsin wasted little time turning the tides coming out of the break. Although the Panthers matched the energy and still maintained a brief cushion, but around the 12-minute mark, the Badgers had a quick 9-2 burst and that seemingly got the momentum on their side. It was still back and forth for a while, but once Wisconsin got over the initial hump of Pitt’s lead, it felt like their confidence increased and that turned the game.
MVP: Cam Corhen
Pitt was able to build an early advantage because of the play of Cam Corhen, who has been nothing short of a revelation this season. Despite a losing effort, Corhen went for double digits for the seventh time in as many games. The 6’10” junior went 7-of-8 from the floor for 16 points. Obviously, you would like to see the rebounding numbers improve, but it’s a promising trend he was still able to maintain his scoring production against a massive Wisconsin/Big Ten frontline.
Unsung Hero: Ishmael Leggett
It was not Ishmael Leggett’s best day, but he still gutted out 17 points and hit plenty of big shots to end some Wisconsin runs throughout the game. He is always a reliable option to turn to when things are out of sync and the senior usually finds a way to get an important bucket. It was a loss, of course, but Leggett is going to hit a lot of important shots for this team this year and this game reinforced that notion.
Technical difficulties
This was one of the weirder college basketball games from the off-court stuff. It started with the first game going to triple overtime, which delayed the start time. Then, the shot clock stopped working right before the opening tip. Later on, the broadcast cut out in a crucial point of the game, and there were multiple instances when the lights would flicker inside the 'gym' causing further interruptions.
These destination MTEs are fun, and are meant to attract tourists, but sometimes playing basketball games in places designated for basketball makes more sense. The Greenbrier Tip-Off has plenty of kinks to work out if they plan to continue and grow this event.
A quick exit
Much like the first game in West Virginia, Damian Dunn was off the court almost immediately, although under a different set of circumstances. Dunn was injured less than three minutes to the game and never returned. The strength of Pitt’s team is having three attacking guards, and losing their second leading scorer almost right away was a tough blow. It looked like he rolled his ankle, but the broadcast insisted his hand was the injury. We'll await word from Capel on that, but it definitely looked like an ankle on TV.
*Update: Dunn has a sprained ankle and dislocated thumb, according to Chris Carter of the Post-Gazette. No timetable for his return was given'
No stopping Tonje
Wisconsin guard John Tonje torched No. 9 Arizona earlier this season for 41 points. Pitt did not do a much better job defending him . Tonje totaled 33 points, with 25 of those coming after halftime. The 6’5” senior was a perfect 10/10 from the free-throw line for the game, and also hit 11 shots from the field. When Wisconsin needed a basket, Pitt had few answers to slow him down, especially with six guys having three fouls or more by the end of the game.
Missed chance
The biggest takeaway is that Pitt missed out on a chance to secure a key non-conference win. This would have been a statement win, and likely would have vaulted the Panthers into the national rankings tomorrow.
There’s a lot of basketball to play, and one loss in November is not defining anyone’s season, but it stings to lead by 14 early in the game, and not replicate that type of effort for 40 minutes. This was by no means a gimme, and Wisconsin is undefeated for a reason, but Pitt had spots in this game they could have increased the lead and gotten a huge win.
Ice cold from deep
Pitt shot 2-for-13 from three-point range after halftime and only 5-for-23 for the game. The Panthers rely on the three ball quite a bit, so that’s a pretty lackluster performance. Dunn being out may have factored into that, or the weird sightlines of playing in a ball room, or it could have just been an off night. Either way, this is a stat that looms large in a two-possession loss for a team that should expect to shoot the ball better than 22%.
New rotations
The Dunn injury, plus the prolonged foul issues changed how Pitt played this game. For the first time all season, Amsal Delalic was playing significant minutes with the starters in a tight game. Brandin Cummings was on the floor for 13 minutes, and sixth man Zack Austin had an extended run as well.
It was interesting when Pitt had to sit Leggett with foul trouble, Delalic started to be the one called on over Cummings, perhaps something that could be more defined over time. Delalic started the year on the shelf with a wrist injury and has looked rusty in his first four games. He did have 9 points on 4-of-4 shooting, perhaps sparking more production from him as the season progresses.
What it means
Pitt is in the midst of a tough five-game stretch against power opponents, and is 1-1 through two games. The Panthers still should have opportunities to add some good wins over these next three, but this felt like a squandered chance.
What’s next: Friday 11/29 at Ohio State (2:30, Peacock)
The Panthers will continue their brief two-game Big Ten tour with a road trip to Columbus on Black Friday. The Buckeyes are 4-1 this season, and undefeated at home.
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