Takeaways: Rebounding Struggles Continue Despite Pitt Win

The Pitt Panthers' rebounding struggles remained present in their victory over Syracuse.

Jan 25, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Syracuse Orange center Eddie Lampkin Jr. (44) shoots against Pittsburgh Panthers forward Cameron Corhen (left) during the second half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images / Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers got back to its winning ways against Syracuse this weekend, but it wasn’t all perfect in the victory.

Rebounding Struggles Continue

It’s no secret that Pitt’s biggest problem this season is rebounding the basketball, and those struggles continued against Syracuse. 

The Orange outrebounded the Panthers, 48-31 overall and 20-9 on the offensive glass. Rebounding margins this wide have become all too familiar to the program. 

The only reason the rebounding margin didn’t come back to bite the Panthers — as it has in other games — is they had the same amount of second-chance points as the Orange with 16.

If Syracuse made the Pitt pay on those opportunities more often, the result of the game would not have favored the road team.

Syracuse graduate student center Eddie Lampkin Jr. was Pitt’s biggest problem, as he had eight fewer rebounds than the Panthers did as an entire team — 23 total rebounds, a career-high for the big man. 

Pitt head coach Jeff Capel has got to look in different directions to stop rebounding performances like this from happening moving forward. Junior forward Cameron Corhen matched up with Lampkin for the majority of the game for Pitt, and he simply couldn’t contend with his physicality. 

It’s time to give players like redshirt freshman forward Papa Amadou Kante more than the two minutes he had today when Pitt gets outrebounded this badly. He may not solve all of the Panthers' rebounding problems, but it is better than continuing to try the same thing over and over again — which is the definition of insanity.

However, it wasn’t just Corhen’s fault for allowing Lampkin to earn all of these rebounds. All too often multiple Pitt players were ball-watching rather than trying to help him. Pitt getting outrebounded by 17 is not just one person’s fault, it’s the result of multiple players not doing their job.

Taking Care of the Basketball 

During the Panthers’ four-game losing streak, they averaged 9.2 turnovers per game. Against the Orange, however, the team turned over the ball just three times. 

Pitt taking care of the basketball was the biggest difference in this game and was a major reason why it won. Syracuse turned the ball over 11 times, which the Panthers scored off of 10 times. Meanwhile, the Orange scored just four points off of Pitt's three turnovers. 

The Panthers’ primary ball handler, sophomore guard Jaland Lowe, only had one turnover against the Orange. In the four-game losing streak, Lowe averaged 4.5 turnovers, but manged to fix his issues in this victory.

Lowe also had six assists on the night. His 6-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio was the best since he had a 12-to-2 ratio against Eastern Kentucky in mid-December. Lowe controlling the Pitt offense this well is crucial to its success.

 Huge Game Against Struggling UNC Team on the Horizon

The Panthers' win against the Orange was crucial. It was one they had to have, and they made it happen despite getting dominated on the glass. Now, the Panthers have to use this momentum against the visiting North Carolina Tar Heels, who will come to the Petersen Events Center on Tuesday. 

North Carolina has struggled recently, just like Pitt, and it's a perfect chance for the Panthers to take advantage of that. The Tar Heels have come out on top in just one of their last three games, during which they had to go to overtime at home to beat below-.500 Boston College. 

The Tar Heels are a team the Panthers have to beat to play in March Madness. Every game is critical this time of the year when on the bubble, but next week’s matchup seems a little bit more crucial for the Panthers. 

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