Pitt’s slide continues
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – In their last home game of the season, Pitt hoped for a much-needed win against Connecticut. Having to play an almost-perfect game, the Panthers did just the opposite, shooting less than 50 percent from the free throw line and even worse from beyond the three-point arc in a 73-64 loss to the Huskies at the Petersen Events Center Saturday afternoon.
Pitt (18-7, 8-6) took a 63-62 lead with four minutes remaining when Carl Krauser hit a runner, but the Huskies (19-6, 11-3) ended the game with an 11-1 run.
“We were in a position to finish this game off but didn’t do enough of what it took to win,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said.
“We needed to do a lot of things well defensively and offensively such as rebounding, but we didn’t shoot the ball well from the free throw line or 3-point line, and we needed to do that tonight in order to win this game against such a good team.”
The Panthers shot just 14 of 29 from the foul line and an even worse 4 of 22 from three-point range.
Pittsburgh lost three straight for the first time in four years, and the No. 18 Panthers now face the prospect of falling out of the Top 25 for the first time in the last 60 polls.
The possibility of securing a first-round bye in the Big East Tournament is now a long shot, and Pitt’s chances of grabbing an NCAA Tournament bid may be in jeopardy as well.
“There is not a sense that things are slipping away,” Krauser said. “We have a lot of basketball to play and try to win … two more (regular season) games, the Big East Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.”
Chevon Troutman scored a game-high 22 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, while Krauser added 21 points and seven assists.
“I don’t know why we’ve lost 3 in a row,” Troutman said. “This is the first time Pittsburgh has went through a funk like this since we’ve started having success.”
The Huskies had four reach double-figures, led by freshman Rudy Gay, who scored 17 points. Gay was joined by Denham Brown (16), Charlie Villanueva (14) and Marcus Williams (13) in double digits. Villanueva pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds.
Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun felt the Panthers are a better team than their late-season slide may show and expects them to be in the NCAA Tournament.
“Pittsburgh is a hell’uva team, and we’ve played some pretty good basketball teams,” Calhoun said.
“When you have a Troutman and a Krauser on your team, you have a chance to beat any team, so in my opinion, they’re going to the NCAA tournament.”
The Panthers close out the regular season with a tough game at No. 3 Boston College Monday night, then travel to always-tough Notre Dame Saturday.
Big East Tournament play begins next Wednesday, and a likely first-round matchup could have Pitt facing West Virginia for a third time this season.
“Every game has a sense of urgency,” Dixon said. “We need to play better in all areas, defend and shoot the ball better.”