The backdrop of Pitt’s opening game in the Greenbrier Tip-Off tournament matched the quality of play. In a dimly lit ballroom masking as a basketball arena, Pitt turned in a dim performance in the first half of Friday’s game against LSU. The Panthers struggled to find the bottom of the net, saddled themselves with foul trouble and played undisciplined basketball for the first 20 minutes of the game.
Big leads evaporated quickly, but the Panthers turned it on late in the second half and still managed to run away with it because the steady hand of Jaland Lowe — who scored 22 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dealt six assists and connected on a career-high four 3-pointers — was the engine for an impressive 74-63 win against LSU. And as Lowe led them, the Panthers rediscovered the cohesive play that built their undefeated start.
This game was a grind for both sides. LSU head coach Matt McMahon reached deep into his bench, sending 10 Tigers to the floor so he could keep a fast-paced team fresh enough for a full 40 minutes. Five of the eight players Pitt coach Jeff Capel played picked up three fouls or more over the course of the game.
The physicality and erratic place wore on the Panthers, and it was plain to see. They committed silly fouls because they moved lethargically instead of making sharp rotations on defense. On offense, they didn’t move without the basketball and left their stars to create plays on islands. It was not a recipe for success.
Lowe was one of those stars whose tunnel vision became more apparent as more of Pitt’s shots clanged off the irons at the Greenbrier Resort’s makeshift court. He scored just three points on 1 of 5 shooting from the field and committed three turnovers and two fouls, including a technical foul with seven seconds left in the half. It led to the free throws that gave the Panthers their first halftime deficit of the young season.
The second half could not have been more different for Lowe. He broke the ice with a long 3-pointer to put Pitt back in front less than 30 seconds into the second half. Then he whipped a dazzling assist to Cam Corhen for two points. Those two plays kicked off a 12-0 run to open a final period that was all Pitt.
Capel drew up crowded formations that allowed his players to break free for open looks at the rim for short range. The defense, which was strong all afternoon, created turnovers and points in transition. And then Lowe really started to dominate.
He connected on back-to-back 3-pointers around the midway point of the second half, then made another jumper 30 seconds later. Nineteen of Lowe’s 22 points came in the second half, and he made 5 of 8 shots from the field after halftime to get there. As a team, Pitt went from 31.3% shooting in the first half to 63.6% shooting in the second, flipping a one-point deficit at the intermission into an 11-point margin of victory when the final buzzer sounded.
The Panthers have played some transfer-heavy teams during an outstanding open to the 2024-25 season, and that fact has highlighted their own continuity. They took two important transfers that are now starters, but with Lowe, Ishmael Leggett, Zach Austin and Guillermo Diaz Graham helping round out the top seven of a deep rotation, Pitt is playing with more cohesiveness than they were at this time last season or two years ago. And it’s gotten Capel’s club off to as good a start as it’s enjoyed in years.
Pitt men’s basketball hasn’t started a season 6-0 since 2018, Capel’s first year at the helm. Those first six wins came against Youngstown State, VMI, Troy, Central Arkansas, Northern Alabama and Saint Louis — in other words, zero power-conference opponents. Now, after handing LSU its first loss of the season, Pitt has two wins over power-conference opponents before celebrating Thanksgiving.
The Panthers haven’t been shy about it. They knew their nonconference schedule not only needed to be more difficult, but they need to win more games during those early portions of the season. Capel took care of the first part of that during the offseason, lining up a stretch during which five of six games come against teams from the SEC, Big Ten and ACC. Now, his players are doing their part and winning those games.
First Published: November 23, 2024, 10:30 a.m.
Updated: November 23, 2024, 5:13 p.m.