In basketball, it isn’t easy to take positives away from losses. On Saturday night, Pitt made it nearly impossible after suffering a 41-point blowout against No. 20 Louisville inside the Petersen Events Center.
“We just did not play well tonight,” head coach Jeff Capel said in his postgame press conference.
The Cardinals flew out of the gate
Louisville dominated key aspects of the game from the opening tip-off. Before fans settled in, the Cardinals jumped out to a 13-0 lead. The first five points were all second-chance opportunities. Rebounding and tough defense set the tone early for the Cardinals and never left them.
Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey credited his team’s unity on defense for generating their success.
”I just felt like we were connected on the floor,” Kelsey said.“We were a loud defense. We were playing with great activity and we were generating stops.”
By the numbers
The Cardinals shooting 51.7% from the three-point line also did not help the Panthers, who, in comparison, shot 29.2% from beyond the arc. Louisville was able to create open shots often, whereas Pitt had to force contested shots all evening. Louisville was able to execute with ease on offense, whereas Pitt’s offense often looked disorganized.
“Offensively, we were incredibly stagnant,” Capel said. “We weren’t strong. A lot of times, our offense was out in the logo. Their pressure got to us.”
Where does Pitt go from here?
A loss to this degree calls for some soul-searching. The Panthers need to figure out who they are and how they will respond going forward.
“Embarrassing” is the word Capel used to describe his team’s performance.
“We’ll get back to work and get ready for the next one,” Capel said.
The loss takes the Panthers’ ACC record to 1-4, with their one win coming in a 89-66 blowout over Georgia Tech in the previous outing.
What’s next for both squads?
The Cardinals look to keep the momentum going when they host Virginia Tech on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 3:30 p.m. Pitt will try to turn over a new leaf when it travels to Boston College on Wednesday, Jan. 21, for a 7 p.m. tip-off.
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