Tough losses have become an unfortunate trend for Pitt’s men’s basketball team this season.
Looking for that signature win they have been yearning for all season, the Panthers failed to finish on Wednesday night against the 11th ranked Louisville Cardinals , ultimately leading to a 67-60 loss at the Petersen Events Center.
Tied at 58 with 3:10 to play, Louisville closed out the Panthers with a 9-2 run ignited by a three-pointer from David Levitch. From there it was the smothering Cardinal defense to help drop the Panthers to 0-6 against ranked teams this season.
Early on, the Panthers controlled the game. They fed off the energy from a striped-out home crowd, and forced fouls against key Cardinals. Pitt led by as most as seven in the first half. But missed opportunities came back to bite the Panthers and suddenly, they found themselves behind at the half 33-29.
Pitt again started strong in the second half, seemingly looking to avenge last month’s brutal loss in Louisville. The Panthers led 48-40 with a little over nine minutes left. In the blink of an eye, that lead was suddenly gone thanks to an 8-0 Cardinal run.
The Panthers simply could not get the rhythm back they had after that run. Pitt’s offense once again got out-muscled by a Louisville team that will not be playing in any postseason this season due to a self-imposed ban following recruiting violations.
Luther Dominates: Pitt had troubles on offense, but one bright spot was a career-high 17 points from Ryan Luther. Luther provided energy on both sides of the floor for the Panthers, while also making two of the four three-pointers Pitt made the entire game. Luther’s presence Wednesday Night showed the most when he was on the bench during Louisville’s 8-0 second half run to tie the game at 48.
Bench Magic: Louisville’s bench scoring was one of the biggest keys to the Cardinals win. When Louisville’s foul troubles reared their ugly head early, Louisville turned to Quentin Snider to rescue them. Snider scored a team-high 14 of the 26 points off the bench for the Cardinals, and was complimented by eight more points from the former walk-on Levitch.
Three’s the Number: The Panthers shot a mere 4-18 from beyond the arc Wednesday compared to 7-18 from Lousiville. Six of those came in the second half to spur the Cardinals on to victory. Jamel Artis hit the other two three-pointers besides Luther, and finished with 13 points.
Up Next: Pitt has one last chance to score a signature win in the regular season this Sunday at home against the 15th ranked Duke Blue Devils. Tip off is slated for 2 p.m.
