Pitt Basketball Knocks Off Virginia Tech: 3 Takeaways

Pitt basketball had to come from behind late in the second half and defeated Virginia Tech 64-59.

Virginia Tech started the game hot by scoring eight of the first 10 points. It wasn’t until just about nine minutes into the half that Pitt captured its first lead. The Panthers couldn’t get their lead to more than three points before the Hokies ended the first half on a 13-2 run and led by a score of 36-28 at the half.

The second half saw the teams trade points back and forth the entire way. Pitt got its deficit to within one on a few occasions but could never find a way to take the lead. Virginia Tech pulled away by seven with just over five minutes to go, but the Panthers finished the game on a 15-3 run led by Jaland Lowe and Ishmael Leggett. Pitt beat Virginia Tech in Blacksburg for the first time since 2003 by a score of 64-59.

Takeaway #1: Lack of bench points doesn’t cost the Panthers

Four. That’s the total number of points Pitt scored with bench players. While Zack Austin slid into the starting lineup to give the Panthers some extra size, scoring four points from the bench simply isn’t good enough.

Even in an embarrassing loss against Mississippi State, Pitt scored 27 off the bench. A bucket from Brandin Cummings and Amsal Delalic being the only contributions outside of the starters is simply pathetic.

You can’t expect the bench to score 35 points per game, but you can certainly expect to see more points than you have fingers on one hand. Winning games isn’t easy, and this made it much harder by relying on Lowe and Leggett.

Putting it simply, Pitt is lucky it won. Sometimes, you need a little luck to help you get to where you want to be. However, the Panthers need to find ways to score beyond Lowe and Leggett if they want to keep winning games.

Takeaway #2: Virginia Tech forwards made things difficult for Pitt

Rebounding was going to be a big influence on Saturday’s ACC clash. While Pitt narrowly won the battle of the boards, Toibu Lawal and Mylyjael Poteat made things more difficult than the Panthers anticipated.

Those two combined for eight rebounds for the Hokies, but every rebound counts especially in close games. Add in Lawal shooting 6-10 from the field and totaling 16 points, his dynamic play at both of ends of the floor gave Pitt problems.

Lawal was the leading scorer among all Virginia Tech players, something you don’t see a lot of in today’s game. He’s a player who can flip a game in just one or two possessions, and his impact was on full display. 

The Panthers won’t see Virginia Tech again this year unless they meet in the ACC Tournament, but Lawal and Poteat will give every team in the ACC issues.

Takeaway #3: Three-point shooting not good enough for the Panthers

Pitt shot just 21.4% from behind the arc, the worst number so far this season. To compare, the Panthers shot 29% against LSU and 22% against Wisconsin. Both of those teams have a much better defense than Virginia Tech.

Leggett accounted for three of the Panthers’ six three-pointers. He was the only player on the team who shot better than 30% and took four or more shots. Austin, Lowe, and Guillermo Diaz Graham each connected on a triple.

Just like with the lack of bench points, it’s not a sustainable method of winning games. Pitt has to find its stride once again offensively, and Wednesday’s matchup against Eastern Kentucky is the perfect chance to do just that. 

Next up for Pitt (8-2): vs Eastern Kentucky (3-2) – Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. EST

Next up for Virginia Tech (3-6): vs North Carolina A&T (3-6) – Dec. 12 at 7 p.m. EST