For as much as Pitt worked to earn its highest ranking in 11 seasons, the No. 18 Panthers may have to fight even harder to remain in next week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll.
Pitt will aim to rebound from a blowout loss when it visits a struggling Virginia Tech squad on Saturday afternoon to open Atlantic Coast Conference play in Blacksburg, Va.
The Panthers (7-2) won seven of their first eight games and soared into the AP rankings for the first time this season on Monday. They looked nothing like a Top 25 team, however, in their 90-57 defeat at Mississippi State in the SEC/ACC Challenge on Wednesday.
Pitt trailed by 22 points at halftime and finished shooting a season-worst 31.3 percent from the floor. The 33-point loss matched the team’s most lopsided defeat under seventh-year coach Jeff Capel.
The Panthers have dropped two of three since their fast start.
“You gotta go through adversity,” guard Jaland Lowe said Tuesday. “That’s one thing that coach emphasized the other day — the real season starts when you gotta go through adversity. “… It’s all about how you bounce back from that. That’s just part of how the game works, how life works. So you gotta continue on just being yourself.”
Pitt responded well to its first dose of adversity, recovering from a six-point loss against then-No. 19 Wisconsin on Nov. 24 to beat Ohio State 91-90 in overtime last Friday in Columbus. Zack Austin hit the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer and finished with a season-high 16 points off the bench.
Austin managed just eight points against Mississippi State, while Lowe paced the Panthers with 19 despite shooting 7 of 21 from the floor.
Lowe’s 16.9-point scoring average is second on the team behind fellow guard Ishmael Leggett (17.0).
Virginia Tech (3-5) has fallen into a major rut since winning its first three games, losing each of its last five by at least 10 points.
The Hokies had a week to prepare for Wednesday’s SEC/ACC Challenge contest against visiting Vanderbilt but fell 80-64 on Wednesday after being outscored 35-21 over the final 14:39.
Virginia Tech’s offense has consistently struggled during the team’s skid, shooting just 39.2 percent from the floor and committing an average of 16 turnovers per game against 11 assists.
“You gotta make routine plays,” Hokies coach Mike Young said. “… Turnovers and bad shots, as much as anything, will lead to run-outs from the opposing team, and Vanderbilt did that (Wednesday).”
Mylyjael Poteat had 14 points against Vanderbilt to pull even with fellow forward Toibu Lawal for the team lead with 11.4 points per game. Jaden Schutt, who averages 9.4 points per game, led the Hokies with 15 points on Wednesday.
Virginia Tech has the lowest NET ranking (231) among all power five teams, but a matchup with the Panthers, who slotted in at No. 12 in the NET on Thursday, offers the Hokies a chance to notch a vital Quad 1 win that could help turn their season around.
“We’re gonna figure it out,” Young said. “I really like this group. They work really hard. … I believe in this team. I’ve gotta do a better job with them.”
–Field Level Media
