After Virginia Tech defeated Virginia by more than 30 points, Pitt beat the Hokies by 15 points. It was a great response after the Panthers had their own 30-point loss this week. The win likely keeps them in the bubble conversation for the NCAA tournament.
Pitt had an impressive performance both on the offensive and the defensive end. With little that didn’t work, here’s a look at how the Panthers did against Virginia Tech:
What did work
Zack Austin was feeling himself so much that he did the griddy dance as he left the postgame press conference following the win Saturday. The junior had one of his best games in a Pitt uniform, and his presence was notable early.
One of the first times the crowd got to its feet was when Austin blocked Virginia Tech’s Tyler Nickel seven minutes into the game. It was the first of five blocks for Austin, two of which came against Hokies leading scorer Sean Pedulla.
Even more impressive, Austin finished with a season-high 14 rebounds, just two away from his career high set while at High Point. Standing at 6-foot-7, Austin wasn’t the tallest guy on the court, but he had a nose for the ball that allowed him to beat out others. Pitt outrebounded Virginia Tech 42-28, a margin of 14 — the exact number Austin finished with.
The redshirt junior also added nine points on 4 for 8 shooting. When asked about his performance, Austin said it was “nothing special.” His teammate Jaland Lowe refuted that notion.
“I saw a crazy athlete who can really do this on any given night if you wanted to,” Lowe said. “I'm gonna tell him, ‘You got to do this every night.’ But that's what he does. That's what we expect out of him. That's what he expects out of himself. So him doing that tonight just really showed at what level he can play all the time and how he can affect the game.”
Austin was a key part in a dominant defensive performance over the Hokies. Despite coming into the game shooting at 46% overall and 35.4% from 3-point range, Virginia Tech struggled to connect on shots — specifically in the second half. The Hokies were just 9 for 29 in the second half, dragging their shooting overall down to 40.7%.
The Hokies’ No. 2 and No. 3 scorers, Hunter Cattoor and Lynn Kidd, were held well below their averages, finishing with seven and eight points, respectively. Cattoor averages 14 points per game, and Kidd 13.
Most importantly, Pitt took away 3-point shooting. The Hokies were just 3 for 20 overall from beyond the arc over the whole game. Not a single player for Virginia Tech made more than one shot from beyond the arc.
“We knew they were a great 3-point-shooting team,” Lowe said. “Really just try and run them off the line. Make them make tough 2’s, make them go downhill fast, send them to our bigs. Really just try and get Cattoor and Pedulla off the 3-point line.”
Offensively, the Panthers were consistent from start to finish. They had their best shooting performance of the season, connecting on 50.9% of shots overall. It was an 18-0 run that lasted almost five minutes in the second half that put Pitt ahead for the remainder of the game.
The run was led by the backcourt, with the only non-guard scoring during the run being Guillermo Diaz Graham. Leading scorer Blake Hinson didn’t even score during the run.
He did, however, lead Pitt with 22 points and continued to show his ability to knock down shots from anywhere on the floor. He was 6 for 15 overall and 3 for 8 from 3-point range. The senior shot about his season free-throw percentage of 65.6% by going 7 for 10 from the charity stripe.
“He's probably the best catch and shoot — he's probably the best shooter in our league,” Virginia Tech coach Mike Young said. “Cattoor is very, very good. Hinson has been quite impressive throughout.”
Lowe finished with 18 points, but more impressive was his ability to create opportunities both for himself and for his teammates. He cut down the lane, collapsing Virginia Tech’s defense, which opened up Bub Carrington for a 3-pointer that he knocked down. He stole the ball from Mylyjael Poteat and took it down the court for an easy layup to put Pitt up by 20 points with 3:20 remaining in the game.
“We have some really good players on our team, but I'm gonna give the credit tonight to Oakland Zoo,” Lowe said. “Really appreciate them for coming out. Great energy from them. We feed off their energy. They gave everything they could give us, and we just really wanted to give it back to them.”
What didn’t work
As good as the defense was, the first half was less than stellar. Virginia Tech was able to go toe to toe with Pitt’s offensive performance, keeping the game within seven points throughout the first 20 minutes.
Pitt opened the game with a 7-0 run, and Virginia Tech responded with its own 8-0 run. The Hokies even took the lead twice. While struggling from 3-point range, the Hokies were 15 for 30 overall, allowing them to keep things tied 36-36 at half.
“The very first thing, they are really good offensively,” Pitt coach Jeff Capel said. “When you look at their numbers, you know, they're at the top in a lot of categories offensively — field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage, 3-pointers made, free throw percentage. They're out there. They were in a really good rhythm. They made some tough shots.”
The Panthers struggled to defend Virginia Tech’s leading scorer, Pedulla. He had 14 points in the first half alone and finished with 26. Eight of his 12 second-half points came in the final 4:32, including a trio of free throws to put the Hokies back within 15 points.
Pedulla outscored his average of 15.2 points by connecting on 50% of his shots overall. He also went 11 for 13 from the free-throw line. He spent a good chunk of the second half on the bench due to foul trouble; otherwise, he may have scored even more.
“He's a really good player,” Capel said. “He's a top-10 scorer in our league. He's a top-10 guy in assists in our league. Obviously, with Cattoor out of the game with foul trouble, he was a little bit more aggressive, made some tough shots. He's a really, really good player. This is my first time seeing him live this year. I was even more impressed with him live.”
What’s next
The Panthers hit the road for a two-game stretch away from Petersen Events Center. They kick off by heading to South Carolina for a date with Clemson. It’s a rematch from December’s game, which Pitt lost 79-70. The Panthers are 6-3 on the road and have a great opportunity to expand on their NCAA tournament resume with a win over the Tigers.
Abby Schnable: aschnable@post-gazette.com and Twitter @AbbySchnable
First Published: February 25, 2024, 12:00 p.m.
Updated: February 25, 2024, 3:42 p.m.