After a fairly easy win against St. John’s on Tuesday, things are about to ramp up for Pitt. The Panthers are ‘rewarded’ with a second-round game against Georgetown on Wednesday afternoon. Ranked No. 13 in the AP poll and No. 14 in the ESPN/USA Today poll, the Hoyas will provide a stiff test for Pitt who hopes to advance to the third day of the tournament.
The good news for Pitt is that they had some success against Georgetown earlier this season, winning 72-60 at the Pete. In that game, the frontcourt dominated the Hoyas and Nasir Robinson had one of his best games of the season with 23 points and eight rebounds. The Panthers were more aggressive on the glass and won the rebounding battle 33-22.
Another key to their success was that they not only got to the free throw line, but excelled there. They made 19 of their 22 attempts compared to Georgetown who only had 12 shots from the stripe. More rebounds and more free throw attempts? That all adds up to playing aggressive and if Pitt’s going to win this game, that’s what they need to do.
This time around, Pitt will be hard pressed to get 41 points from Robinson and Lamar Patterson (who added 18). So they’ll likely need some sizable contributions elsewhere. One such source may be J.J. Moore. Moore had eight points against the Red Storm and went on a hot streak, averaging nearly 16 over the Panthers’ last five regular season games.
For more on the game and Pitt basketball, check out SB Nation blog Cardiac Hill.