KenPom Predicts Pitt Will Finish Season Strong

After Pitt’s underwhelming losses to Mississippi State and Duke so far this season, many are wondering how good this Pitt team actually is.

Well, analytics expert Ken Pomeroy’s system believes that this team can still be special.

Pomeroy’s site predicts that the Panthers will win 14 of their last 16 games. The only two games that Pomeroy’s system believes Pitt will lose are two road games: at North Carolina, and at Louisville.

via Kenpom.com

Pitt was a 14.5-point underdog against No. 4 Duke on Tuesday night. The Panthers lost, 76-47, after Duke finished the game on an 18-0 run and held Pitt scoreless in the final 7:59 of the game. Cam Corhen led the way for Pitt, scoring 11 points and grabbing seven rebounds.

Pitt currently owns a 1-3 record against Quad 1 opponents, with the one win coming in overtime over Ohio State on the road. The Panthers have dropped their other Q1 opportunities so far, losing to Wisconsin, Mississippi State, and Duke. Pitt is 11-0 in Quadrants 2-4, with its most impressive Quad 2 wins coming over West Virginia at home and against LSU at The Greenbrier. Pitt has an upcoming Quad 2 opportunity when it will host Louisville on Saturday, Jan. 11 at the Petersen Events Center. Following that game, Pitt will travel to Tallahassee for a Q1 game against Florida State on the road.

Pitt will only have three more Quad 1 opportunities throughout all of February and March. Those games are listed here: @ North Carolina, @ SMU, @ Louisville. Pomeroy’s system predicts that Pitt will beat SMU on the road by one point, 80-79.