If there was ever a time when the final score wasn’t a true indication of how a game went, tonight was it. The game was much closer than the 74-53 score would indicate.
That said, sitting in the crowd tonight, I never got the opinion that Pitt was in any real danger. Any time Robert Morris closed the gap, Pitt would extend the lead.
Pitt won the rebounding battle by 14, but the team really could have taken more advantage of the tremendous size advantage they had. Gary McGhee did have his best game of the year going for 11 points and 12 rebounds, but I was surprised to not see the frontcourt take more advantage of the Colonials’ offensively. Starting PF Talib Zanna and his backup (for now), Nasir Robinson, only scored two points each.
Once again, it was the Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker show. Gibbs had 20 points and Wanamaker went for 17 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. This really is one of the best backcourts in the nation and Pitt is going to be tough to beat when they’re both playing well.
Noticeably absent was Robert Morris’ star guard and leading scorer, Karon Abraham, who was apparently held out for some sort of disciplinary reason. It would have been interesting to see how RMU would have fared if he were in the lineup.
Next up for the Panthers is a home game against Penn (2-2) this Saturday.
For more post-game analysis, check out Pitt blog Cardiac Hill.