Takeaways: Pitt Takes Another Blow to Tournament Chances

The Pitt Panthers struggled with the same problems in their defeat to Notre Dame.

Feb 22, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Jeff Capel signals to his players in the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers lost to Notre Dame on the road, which saw them make similar mistakes they've made throughtout the season.

Underlooked Player Again Has Exceptional Game Against Pitt

The Panthers have struggled with allowing players, who normally don't have enormous impacts, do so against them, leading to losses.

Notre Dame freshman guard Cole Certa came into this game against Pitt averaging 1.1 points per game, shooting 4-for-14 from the field and 2-for-12 from 3-point range.

Certa excelled for the Fighting Irish, particularly early in the second half, as he shot 3-for-4 from 3-point range and 3-for-4 from the foul line, accounting for 12 points from six minutes.

All of his points also came in less than four minutes, 13:06 to 9:25 in the second half, as he kept Notre Dame with a slim one-point lead, with no other players on his team scoring during this time.

Pitt has had issues with this prior, especially in the 76-74 loss to Wake Forest on the road on Feb. 1 and their 73-57 defeat to Virginia at home on Feb. 3.

Demon Deacons guards, senior Cameron Hildreth and sophomore Ty-Laur Johnson, came into that matchup shooting 28.8% and 19.4% from 3-point range, respectively.

Hildreth made his three 3-point attempts vs. the Panthers and Johnson made two of his six attempts from deep. Both players also scored more than their season average, with Hildreth scoring 24 points and Johnson adding 16 points in the win.

Cavaliers sophomore guard Dai Dai Ames averaged just 6.2 points per game and scored in double-digits just once in 11 ACC games before facing the Panthers.

He would score a career-high 27 points, shooting 11-for-16 from the field, 3-for-6 from behind the arc and making both of his free throws. He scored 16 of those points in the first half, shooting 7-for-9 from the field and 2-for-3 from deep, helping the Cavaliers build their early lead.

Pitt has struggled in losses containing these players on defense. Even if they do a good job on some of the more important players, allowing these underlooked guards in these games has hurt them and will continue on if they don't respect everyone's talents on the court.

Pitt Fails to Take Advantage of Injured Notre Dame Stars

Notre Dame had two starters out against Pitt, but still managed to pick up the win regardless.

Fighting Irish Guards in sophomore Braeden Shrewsburry and graduate student Matt Allocco both missed the game vs. the Panthers.

Shrewsburry had started every contest prior had an abdominal strain and Allocco made it five straight games on the bench with a wrist injury.

Pitt had a great opportunity against a Notre Dame team without two of its best players, but instead, fell to a team who had lost five of its past six games.

The Fighting Irish also got production from senior guard J.R. Konieczny, who scored 10 points, and made all six of his free throw attempts.

Poor Free Throw Shooting Performance Dooms Pitt

Pitt is one of the better free throw shooting teams in the country, coming into this matchup ranking second in the ACC and 13th in the country at 78.9%.

The Panthers shot 11-for-18 from the foul line, 61.1%, their worst percentage on the season, and a big difference in the defeat, losing by just two points.

Junior forwards Guillermo Diaz Graham and Cameron Corhen shot 0-for-3 and 4-for-6 from the foul line, respectively, while senior guard Ishmael Leggett missed both of his free throws, which Diaz Graham made up for late on with a tip-in.

While this isn't a main problem for Pitt going forward, they must shoot better from the free throw line, especially in close contests.

Pitt Takes Another Dent in their Quest for an NCAA Tournament Bid

Pitt needed to finish the end of the season strong, but a poor loss to a struggling Notre Dame team hurts their chances of making an NCAA Tournament

The Panthers have just four games remaining and only have one Quad 1 win and just three Quad 2 wins. A win against the Fighting Irish, would've served as an important Quad 2 victory.

Pitt sits 16-11 and 7-9 in the ACC, after starting the season 12-2 and 3-0 in the ACC, looking like a lock for March Madness, but instead, are sitting outside of the bubble and will most likely miss it for the second straight season and the eighth time in nine seasons.

They still have a Quad 1 opponent in No. 25 Louisville on the road on March 1 and then a Quad 2 opponent in NC State on the road on March 5, but even with these wins, Pitt needs a strong performance in the ACC Tournament.

Unless the Panthers get things back on the right track, they'll have to spend the latter half of March watching the NCAA Tournament from home.

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!

• Pitt Out of Luck, Loses to Notre Dame
• Pitt Offer Report: ATH Elijah Moss-Williams
• Pitt Football Hosting 2026 4-Star RB
• Pitt Mid-Year Freshmen Who Could Play Early: Julian Anderson
• Preview: Pitt Prepares to Fight the Irish

Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt