The Pitt Panthers will make their ACC Tournament debut with a 2 p.m. tip-off today against Wake Forest at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The 12th seeded Demon Deacons advanced to face the Panthers thanks to a first round victory over 13th seeded Notre Dame, 81-69. Senior Guard Coron Williams led all scorers with 25 points, including four three pointers that helped propel them to a second round match up against the Panthers.
In an earlier meeting with Wake Forest January 11th at the Pete, the Panthers were never really pressed, easily handling the Demon Deacons, 80-65. Pitt was led to victory by second team All-ACC performer, Lamar Patterson, who finished with 27 points, six assists and five rebounds. The Panthers out rebounded the Demon Deacons 38-28, led by Talib Zanna’s 12, including five offensive boards. James Robinson and Cam Wright each chipped in with eight points a piece.
Wake Forest (17-15) had lost nine of their past 11 games in ACC play, before their win over the Fighting Irish. The Demon Deacons are led by Williams, a Robert Morris transfer, along with leading scorer Codi Miller-McIntyre (12.9 ppg), forward Travis McKee (11.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg) and forward Devin Thomas (11 ppg, 7.5 rpg) Other key contributors include forwards Tyler Cavanaugh, and Arnaud-William Adala Moto.
Much of the Demon Deacons struggles can be attributed to their poor defense (NCAA ranked 194th in total defense) and lack of rebounding (243rd in rebounding margin). This should be a big advantage for the Panthers, who are among the top rebounding teams in the country. That’s not to say the Panthers should not be wary, as the Demon Deacons pulled off an improbable upset of No. 6 ranked Duke just one week ago.
Thomas is their most talented player, while Williams is their most dangerous, and experienced. Thomas is more than capable of causing issues inside. Consistency and foul trouble have dogged the sophomore from Harrisburg, but that does not mean the Panthers will not need to be well aware of him.
Williams has been getting hot late in the season, especially from the outside, so Pitt will need to stop him from doing damage behind the arc. Williams also understands how to play in big games, as he was a key component of last seasons Robert Morris squad that was able to upset Kentucky in the NIT, along with the team that lost in heartbreaking fashion in OT to Villanova in the 2010 NCAA tournament.
If they are able to stop Thomas and Williams, and win the battle on the boards, the Panthers should be able to advance and play the No. 4 seeded North Carolina Tarheels on Friday afternoon in a quarterfinal match up.
