Pitt Discovers Toughness in Upset Over Duke
DURHAM -- It had been a season-long theme for the Pitt Panthers. After they breezed through most of non-conference play, opponents with comparable size, speed and talent humbled them and exposed a lack of experience and toughness inside this team.
When Pitt traveled to face No. 7 Duke, a repeat of their last four meetings - all blowout losses defined by a lack of adequate size and talent - seemed imminent. It wasn't this time. The Panthers dug deeper than they have all season and delivered a statement win. They fed the Blue Devils their own medicine - a dose of physicality and toughness
"We looked like the team we were a month ago," head coach Jeff Capel said. "We’ve struggled, but our guys had poise, toughness, and we were together. Guys stepped up and made some big-time plays and we got off to a great start. We weren’t afraid of the moment and we were not afraid of the environment."
The Panthers made some fantastic individual plays but the timing of them was what's most impressive. This wasn't the first good game they've played but the context makes everything.
When the Devils unleashed a 16-2 run in the first half that flipped an 11-point Pitt lead into a 3-point deficit, the Panthers weathered the storm and scored the next nine points before arriving at halftime with a six-point lead. Zack Austin made a confident midrange jumper. Then Bub Carrington added another. Blake Hinson made one of his seven 3-pointers and Federiko Federiko capped the run with a layup.
In the second half, the Panthers were hit by a flurry of fouls, including a technical, that sent three starters - Bub Carrington, Hinson and Zack Austin - to the bench at a pivotal moment in the game. Pitt was arguing calls, they had surrendered a healthy six-point lead and the crushing noise of Cameron Indoor Stadium was closing in on them.
But Ishmael Leggett refused to let his team get swallowed by the chaos. With the crowd at full force, Leggett took matters into his own hands, driving through Jared McCain for an and-1 layup. Then he scored again on the next possession, silencing a delirious crowd with two hard-earned buckets.
Pitt did what it rarely has this season - it met the moment. Big games have been kryptonite for these Panthers yet, inside one of college basketball's oldest and most revered venues, they unlocked a different version of themselves, one that is resilient, fearless and focused.
"We had leads, they came back and took the leads and we didn’t blink," Capel said. "Guys stepped up and made big plays every time they took a lead. We showed toughness, maturity, and growth."
As is the case with any stunning upset, the Panthers got contributions from up and down the lineup. Hinson was unconscious from deep. Jaland Lowe was the sparkplug. Leggett delivered clutch plays at pivotal moments. Federiko played the game of his life against the best competition he's ever faced. Austin defended and rebounded with intensity. Even Guillermo Diaz Graham provided valuable minutes while Federiko was in foul trouble late in the second half.
For the past two months, Pitt has bemoaned their own lack of toughness and Capel said he believed the last lost to Duke, one in which they trailed by 25 points or more for most of the game on their home floor, had damaged their spirit.
This team was lost and in danger of falling back into a consistent, lonely spot in the basement of the ACC. For at least one night, they escaped the rut that has turned a hopeful season into a drag. It might only be one night but it was a good one, a historic one and one they might be able to carry into the rest of the year.
Pitt finally played to their potential and discovered what it takes to reach the summit. The last time the Panthers beat Duke, Justin Champagnie said "Pitt is back," a declaration that proved to be premature. Capel didn't say anything quite as bold, but the relief in his voice was obvious. His team found some joy in playing the game again and discovered just how good they can be.
"We haven’t felt this way in a little bit and I’m glad, probably most importantly, that the spirit of our team, how it was when we started this journey back in July and how it was until maybe the first week of January," Capel said. "It looked like the team that we were earlier in the season."
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