Pitt at Vanderbilt Takeaways: Panthers Arrive too Late
PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers had a chance to make their already good three-game road trip into a great one by upsetting the Vanderbilt Commodores in their own gym.
Instead, the Panthers fumbled away a key chance to sustain a heap of momentum going into ACC play. Pitt made their bed and now must lie in it for two days until they can get back on the court.
An Incomplete Effort
If it wasn't abundantly clear before - anything less than 40 minutes of their best effort will not cut it for Pitt this year.
The Panthers looked pretty poor for 38 minutes - outside of their steady shooting from deep - but took it up a notch inside of two minutes. Trailing by seven, Greg Elliot hit a couple of 3-pointers, the defense drew two turnovers and found one more stop, then Nelly Cummings nailed a mid-range jumper to put the Panthers up one.
It was an impressive stretch but took too long to arrive. Instead of having to rely on a miracle comeback, they could have simply played better for one or two more possessions. That's how thing the margin is between making the road trip very good as opposed to just good, which makes the loss simultaneously infuriating and encouraging.
Pitt Succumbs to Bad Matchup
Vanderbilt is not a world-beater by many metrics, but they are big. Pitt might be the better team on paper but games aren't played on paper and this contest proved why.
7'0 Commodores center Liam Robbins was outstanding in this game despite foul trouble - scoring 14 points, grabbing nine rebounds and blocking six shots. He was the centerpiece of a dominant paint presence that the Panthers could not crack and that is what ultimately led to their demise. Points in the paint were 30-12 in favor of Vanderbilt. The Commodores were +8 on the glass and turned 18 offensive rebounds into 15 points. They attempted 20 more field goals than Pitt did.
On a night when John Hugley didn't have it - eight points on 2-5 shooting, no rebounds, three turnovers and three fouls - Fede Federiko played well but not well enough to counter the imposing Robbins.
This is just who Pitt is. The strength of this group is not down low, but on the perimeter and if the well runs dry from deep, they'll lose, especially to a team like Vanderbilt, one built in just the blueprint to beat them.
The Point Guard That Was Promised
In Pitt's first four games, Nelly Cummings turned the ball over three or more times thrice and averaged 3.5 giveaways per contest. But over the ensuing five games - which have all resulted in wins for Pitt - Cummings has averaged 9.4 points, 4.8 assists and 1.6 turnovers per game.
Against the Commodores, he played perhaps his best game of the year, scoring 18 points on 6-9 shooting - 3-6 from deep - along with five assists and two turnovers. That's vintage Cummings right there, an elite scorer and facilitator that can run the show efficiently. That assist-to-turnover ratio - which sits at 2.9 over his last six contests - will be the stat to watch all year.
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