Scotty Hopson scored 27 points for the Tennessee Volunteers, who dealt Pitt its first loss of the season, 83-76. The game wasn’t quite as close as the score made it appear, as the Volunteers led at halftime and opened up a big lead late into the second half, then held off a late Panthers rally.
Brad Wanamaker had 21 points for the Panthers, and Gilbert Brown had 15 points. So did Ashton Gibbs, but Gibbs only shot 4-for-13 from the field.
We’ll see how the Panthers loss will impact the college basketball rankings, when those come out later this week. Pitt had been ranked No. 3 in the country, and while the Panthers are still 10-1, this game was their highest-profile of the year. The win should provide a rankings boost for No. 11 Tennessee, which now stands at 7-0.
Tennessee also received help against the Panthers from Melvin Goins, who scored 19 points, and Cameron Tatum, who had 14.