University of North Carolina Athletics
Know Your Opponent: Pitt
January 31, 2017 | Men's Basketball
Pittsburgh (PittsburghPanthers.com)
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Rankings: UP - No. 86 KenPom, NR AP; UNC - No. 9 KenPom, No. 12 AP
Records: UP - 12-9, 1-7 ACC; UNC - 19-4, 7-2 ACC
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): UNC leads 10-3 (UNC 88, Pitt 71, March 10, 2016, Verizon Center)
Aside from a head-scratching loss to crosstown foe Duquesne, the first two months of the Kevin Stallings era at Pitt were pretty much going to plan. Led by one of the nation's top scoring tandems, the Panthers had wins over Marquette, Maryland and Virginia and only an overtime loss to Notre Dame was keeping them from a 2-0 start in the ACC. Over the next three weeks, however, most of that positive energy was long gone in the wake of a six-game losing streak that featured two of the worst home losses for an ACC team in recent memory.
The warning signs were there in road losses to Syracuse and Louisville that saw Pitt fall into big early holes. After a 72-46 home loss to Miami in which they scored just 19 second-half points, the Panthers let a late lead slip away at NC State before returning to the Petersen Events Center for a rematch with the Cardinals. In that one, Pitt mustered just 18 first-half points en route to a 106-51 loss that was the worst in school history. Saturday's setback to Clemson dropped the Panthers to 1-7 in the league with four of those losses coming at home.
While defense has been the big problem, Pitt's offense has struggled as well, especially in conference play. The Panthers have allowed a league-worst 1.17 points per possession to ACC foes, and their 0.99 PPP on offense tops only Georgia Tech. Through eight games against conference competition, Pitt ranks last in effective FG% (both offensive and defensive), 3-point defense, 2-point offense and defensive steal percentage. Part of the lack of steals and turnovers forced is philosophical, as the Panthers make a point of defending without fouling (they lead the league in defensive FT rate).
What makes Pitt dangerous despite all that is the aforementioned scoring tandem of Jamel Artis and Michael Young. The senior duo scores almost 53 percent of the team's total points, as both average better than 20 points per contest. Artis has been especially dangerous, and he can beat you from all over the court. He currently stands as one of only five players in D-I hoops averaging 20 points while making at least 50 percent of his 2s and 40 percent of his 3s. In league play he's made 49 percent of his shots from deep. Young, however, has struggled of late due to an orbital bone fracture suffered against Louisville that has forced him to wear a protective mask. With the mask, Young has made just 26 percent of his field goal attempts over the last four games.
Sheldon Jeter, the third of four senior starters on the team along with Chris Jones, is Pitt's top performer on the glass. He ranks fifth in the ACC in defensive rebounding percentage and 18th on the offensive end while also posing a matchup problem as a potent outside shooter at 6-8. Sophomore Cameron Johnson rounds out the starting five and is the team's second option from the perimeter, making 39 percent from beyond the arc on the year.
Pitt's depth has taken a hit in recent weeks with the loss of Ryan Luther to a stress reaction in his right foot. The 6-9 junior hasn't played since the Louisville game on Jan. 11 and no timeline has been set for his return, meaning all five starters can expect to play 30+ minutes per game for the foreseeable future.
Stallings talked after the Clemson loss about how lapses on defense have sometimes led to bad habits on offense. His is a "team with a small margin for error" and the ACC schedule is often punishing, though he was happy with the Panthers' energy and effort against the Tigers. That effort will go a long way toward defining the rest of this season for Pitt.
