Pitt Basketball
A Season of Frustration for Pitt Basketball
It’s fitting that the Pitt Panthers spot on the NCAA tournament bubble was burst with a loss that’s become all too typical during the 2016-17 season.
When Pitt fans look back at this season, they’ll remember blown leads, poor 2nd half shooting and failure to make clutch shots in the final seconds.
Last night, all three of those things were factors in Pitt’s (15-13, 4-11 ACC) 63-59 loss to Wake Forest. It’s hard to say if last nights loss was the most frustrating of the season, but it’s definitely right up there.
The Panthers currently have 15 wins but they could and probably should have at least 20 wins, which would put them comfortably in the 2017 NCAA Tournament.
Let’s take a quick look back at the most frustrating moments of the Pitt basketball season.
Wake Forest, L 63-59: Panthers blow a 19 point lead allowing Wake Forest to earn their biggest comeback win in 18 years. Pitt missed 17 of their last 18 shots and were 4 of 24 in the 2nd Half.
Virginia Tech, L 66-63: Pitt led by 11 points at the half but Seth Allen’s 3-pointer with 1:08 left gave the Hokies the lead for good. Pitt had three chances in the last few seconds to tie the game but couldn’t get anything to fall.
(Photo by: David Hague)
Duke, L 72-64: Pitt was down by four points with the ball and 1:30 left but lose to Duke.
North Carolina, L 80-78: Jamel Artis misses a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have given Pitt the win at Chapel Hill.
Clemson, L 67-60: Pitt led by 5 points at the half but were outscored 36-24 in the 2nd Half, shooting just 5 of 28 from the field.
(Photo by: David Hague)
NC State, L 79-74: In the final 8 minutes, Panthers missed 10 of their last 11 shots, including two in the final 30 seconds that would have tied the game.
Notre Dame, L 78-77: It’s probably fitting that Pitt’s first ACC game of the season was the biggest heart breaker. Notre Dame’s Steve Vasturia hit a 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left to give Notre Dame the 78-77 win.
