Pitt vs Xavier Takeaways: Historic Season Comes to Bitter Close
PITTSBURGH -- A historic, entertaining and largely unexpected season for the Pitt Panthers is over. Their 2022-23 campaign came to a close in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they fell 84-73 to Xavier at the Greensboro Coliseum.
The Panthers didn't play their best game against the Musketeers, but that loss did little to diminish what they've accomplished this season and how overwhelmingly positive the program's direction is.
Defense Takes a Dive
Pitt's defense was fantastic in their first two NCAA Tournament games against Mississippi State and Iowa State, but those were the 171st and 110th-best offenses by efficiency, according to KenPom. Xavier, the No. 7 offense in Division I, was always going to be a bigger challenge and it showed up on the court.
The Musketeers moved the ball with ruthless efficiency that Pitt couldn't match. At it's best, Pitt is an opportunistic defense that looks better when it can turn turnovers into points but the Panthers did not have the caliber of defenders they have in the past, even compared to other Capel-led teams. Without Federiko Federiko in the lineup, that fact was even more glaringly obvious.
Star Guards Don't Give Enough
Jamarius Burton and Nelly Cummings closed their careers at Pitt in bitter fashion. For all the good they did for this program over their one and two years in blue and gold, they got outplayed by Xavier's fantastic guards in the game that sent Pitt packing.
They combined for 25 points on 32 shots, including a 1-4 mark from 3-point distance, five turnovers, seven fouls and seven assists. When the Panthers were on the ropes, they too often fell into the trap of thinking this team needed them to be heroes when they needed them to be leaders. Cleaner offensive execution would have better served this team than an attempt to will it past a solid defensive squad.
Tired Legs
Pitt was playing its third game in five days and doing so against a team that runs the 35th-fastest pace in Division I. This was different from their First Four and first round matchups with Mississippi State and Iowa State and the Panthers fared far worse in a track meet than they did in a rock fight.
Pitt consistently looked a step slow on defense, which Xavier head coach Sean Miller said was a factor in how his team decided to play offense. When Pitt's jump shots and close-range attempts fell off the short side of the rim, Xavier was able to take the misses and score 14 points on fastbreaks.
The added wear and tear of an extra 40 brutal minutes played in the First Four clearly compounded a long season that had taken a lot out of the Panthers.
Looking Forward
Offseason talk about what kind of team this program will be able to field next season will be dominated by what they are losing. Super seniors comprise four of their top six players by minutes played and with John Hugley already set to depart the program via the transfer portal, there will be three scholarships that remain unused entering this offseason.
But the beginnings of what could be another special group remain. Leading scorer and second-team All-ACC honoree Blake Hinson is back. So is fellow starter Federiko Federiko, who received votes for ACC Defensive Player of the Year at season's end. Pending some decisions, a healthy William Jefferess and more seasoned Nate Santos will return to provide depth on the wings. 7'0 freshmen Jorge and Guillermo Diaz Graham will also have a full offseason to put on weight and improve their games after unexpectedly solid rookie campaigns. That's all before the three-man recruiting class that ranks 25th in 247Sports' national team rankings.
Between the talent they have returning and incoming, there's good reason to expect that Pitt's incredible turnaround will be more than just a flash in the pan.
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