Michalowski: What I Learned about Pitt from Win Over No. 7 Duke

Coming into the Duke game, I think it would have been fair to question both the talent level and the effort-level of this Pitt team so far in ACC play. With two losses to Syracuse, one to Duke, one to Clemson, and one to UNC, the team looked like a middle-to-bottom tier team in the conference, and individually, the players that were supposed to lead the Panthers this year were not getting the job done.

But now, we’ve seen them beat one of the conference’s best squads in an unbelievably tough environment. This team came together before the Duke game, said “enough is enough” and proved that they can compete in this league on Saturday night. We saw it when Jaland Lowe earned the first two assists of the night. We saw it when Blake Hinson caught fire emotionally and shooting-wise. We saw it when Ishmael Leggett dove on the floor (with his banged-up shoulder) for a loose ball and the entire Pitt bench helped him up as he kickstarted a fast break.

Pitt’s bench just went nuts when Leggett dove for that loose ball. That’s something this team HASN’T been doing lately.

Bringing great energy tonight. 36-30 Pitt

— George Michalowski (@MichalowskiCBB) January 21, 2024

The opportunity is in front of Capel and his staff, and I believe he has the pieces to build this win into a legitimate run this season.

Heading into the season, Lowe was a top-100 recruit, joining Bub Carrington (top-100), Papa Amadou Kante (top-100), and Marlon Barnes in a talented 2023 recruiting class.

In the first 12 games of his freshman season, Lowe played in a reserve role for the Panthers. He only scored in double-digits one time in those first 12, and it was a solid performance: 5 for 9 from the field, 12 points, 2 assists. However, he only surpassed the 20-minutes-played mark three times in those 12 games.

Now, with Lowe fully healthy, he is starting for the team, playing more minutes, and scoring the ball more. Lowe’s ability to create for himself off the dribble has been very beneficial to the Pitt offense, especially in times of need, such as in late shot-clock situations. For example, with less than one minute to play against No. 7 Duke, Pitt’s offense was hunting a good looking shot all possession while trying to secure its lead and eventually, the win over Duke on the road. After Blake Hinson couldn’t find enough open space on the outside, Lowe got the ball and dribbled to his right, getting Duke’s big Kyle Filipowski to switch onto him. As soon as he identified the mismatch, Lowe went to work. Seconds later, he hit the shot of his life.

Jaland Lowe.

Shot of a lifetime. pic.twitter.com/vPn8Hi4z47

— George Michalowski (@MichalowskiCBB) January 21, 2024

Lowe finished the Duke win with 17 points, six assists, and zero turnovers: a tremendous stat line for a rookie on the biggest stage. He shot 37.5% from the field and 40% from three in the win (2 for 5), and also made three of his four free-throw attempts. That performance was Lowe’s sixth-straight game with at least nine points and comes directly after he dropped 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting against Syracuse earlier in the week. He has now hit a three pointer in each of his last four games, and five of his last six games. In that six-game period, Lowe has had at least two assists in each game, and has surpassed the two-turnover mark just one time, with four in the first game against Duke.

So now, my question is, how does Capel utilize Lowe to the point of maximizing this offense’s potential? The freshman clearly has ball-handling, shot-creating, and shot-making skills that allow him to put the ball in the basket. He has shared the ball well so far, especially on opportunities in the pick-and-roll and throwing lobs. Six assists and no turnovers against Duke is certainly eye-opening. This, in my opinion, has opened up Federiko Federiko’s role in the offense. You saw it at the very beginning of the Duke game. Lowe quickly fired a pocket pass into Federiko, who got a great angle on Filipowski and threw home a slam. The next possession, the rookie found Hinson for a three on the wing. And so on.

Pitt is going to need to create opportunities for Lowe, Hinson, and Bub Carrington to score the ball. Hinson is most-likely not going to go 7 for 7 from three-point range every night. The Panthers will need everyone.

This team is going to need Carrington — who, despite being on the quieter end against Duke, still hit a massive three pointer late in the game — again, as a freshman. He is still near the top of opponents’ scouting reports, and still offers a dangerous skill set at 6-foot-5 with the ability to create from the point and also score when starting possessions off the ball.

Self-created points leaders among select NBA draft prospects (source: https://t.co/lsSIOJt88k): pic.twitter.com/0Agj7xoOfK

— Matt Powers (@DraftPow) January 20, 2024

It is going to need Lowe. It is going to need Federiko to step up offensively. I haven’t mentioned much of transfers Leggett and Zack Austin yet — but they are going to be massive pieces as well if Pitt wants to make a serious run and build off of the Duke win.