CORAL GABLES, Fla. — There’s not getting off to a good start to a game and then there’s what Pitt did on Sunday.
The Panthers handed Miami a 16-0 advantage before first finding the cylinder. The slow start wasn’t exactly a surprise.
Pitt hasn’t played well coming out of wins frequently this season. They also haven’t played well in earlier start times (this one tipped at 6 p.m.) and they haven’t played well in quiet, empty buildings, like the two-thirds capacity (allegedly) Watsco Center.
Pitt forward Terrell Brown even felt it coming in warmups.
“It started in warmups,” Brown said. “I saw it. I tried to talk to people. But it’s kinda something that players have to take into account on their own.”
What was brown feeling?
“We had no energy,” he said. “We were complacent. There was no talk.”
Hear more from Brown, Pitt head coach Jeff Capel and guard Trey McGowens postgame:
This wasn’t George Washington or Wagner.
Play the game hard. Forget superstitions. Look to exploit your opponents mistakes.