Well, Pitt is off to another slow start. The Panthers are ahead, but barely, as they hold a 31-28 halftime lead.
For the second straight night, Pitt is off to a poor start offensively. There have been plenty of missed layups and lots of fouls. I expected Pitt’s backcourt to have a strong game against the inferior Longhorns guards, but that hasn’t been the case. Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker have only combined for seven points and Wanamaker has been downright awful, shooting 1-7 from the field. What’s worse is that he’s been one of the main culprits missing layups and close range shots.
An area where Pitt can usually make up for poor play is in rebounding. But so far, the Panthers only lead the rebounding battle by one.
Another problem area for Pitt is foul trouble. All of its big men – Gary McGhee, Talib Zanna, Dante Taylor, J.J. Richardson, and Nasir Robinson – all have two fouls each.
Still, the good news is that Pitt is again clinging to a small lead despite playing relatively poorly. The second half should be a good one.