SB Nation Pittsburgh - Pitt Vs. Louisville: Panthers' Woeful Streak Continues With 73-62 Defeathttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48827/pitt-fv.png2012-01-21T23:11:39-05:00http://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/rss/stream/24863412012-01-21T23:11:39-05:002012-01-21T23:11:39-05:00Louisville Vs. Pitt Final Score: Panthers Hang With Louisville ... For A Half
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<p>At halftime, Pitt had shown signs of being able to hang with Louisville. The second half, however, was an entirely different story.</p>
<p>Pitt couldn’t keep up with Louisville’s offense in the second half and fell 73-62. Despite getting starting point guard Tray Woodall back, Pitt still fell far short of achieving their first Big East win of the season.</p>
<p>The key stretch happened about midway through the second half when Louisville went on an 11-2 run. Pitt was simply not able to get back into the game after that.</p>
<p>Pitt’s trio of Lamar Patterson, Ashton Gibbs, and Nasir Robinson led the way with a combined 40 points, but it wasn’t nearly enough. Louisville got 21 from the team’s leading scorer, Kyle Kuric and 19 from freshman Chane Behanan. The play from both was a bit unexpected. Behanan came into the game averaging only about eight points per game and it wasn’t even widely believed that Kuric would play as he’d been injured.</p>
<p>Turnovers, as they have been all season, were a huge problem for Pitt. They committed 18 of them and even with Woodall running the show, the team continued to play sloppy.</p>
<p>Speaking of Woodall, in his second return of the season from injury, he was again a non-factor. In Woodall’s first return several weeks ago against Notre Dame, he ended with zero points on 0-5 shooting. He duplicated that effort tonight and also had three turnovers to go along with only two assists.</p>
<p>Quite simply, Pitt needs to get some production out of Woodall in order to remain competitive this year. There’s not enough offense on the team and if he’s unable to contribute anything, it’s going to continue to be an uphill battle.</p>
<p>For more on Pitt basketball and the game, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cardiachill.com"><i><b>check out SB Nation’s Pitt blog, Cardiac Hill</b></i></a>.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/pittsburgh-panthers/2012/1/21/2724646/louisville-vs-pitt-score-pittsburgh-panthers-cardinals-basketball-top-25-kyle-kuric-tray-woodallAnson Whaley2012-01-21T22:02:54-05:002012-01-21T22:02:54-05:00Louisville Vs. Pitt Score: Panthers Trailing 31-28 At Halftime
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<p>Pitt endured an up and down half and at the break, the Panthers are trailing Louisville 31-28. Pitt raced out to a fast start amidst a raucous crowd, but once things settled down, Louisville began to play better.</p>
<p>The Cardinals held a six point lead in the final seconds of the half before a long Lamar Patterson three-pointer cut the lead in half. Patterson has played extremely well, connecting on all four of his field goal attempts, and his ten points lead the team in scoring.</p>
<p>The Panthers have had a hard time guarding Kyle Kuric. Kuric didn’t start, but came off the bench to lead the Cardinals with 13 points. Another thing hampering the team is the amount of turnovers – Pitt has ten already.</p>
<p>The shocking stat of the half is that Pitt has yet to attempt a free throw. If the Panthers can find a way to get to the line, they could walk out of the Pete with their first Big East win.</p>
<p>For more on the game and Pitt basketball, <em><strong>check out SB Nation’s Pitt blog, Cardiac Hill</strong></em>.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/pittsburgh-panthers/2012/1/21/2724541/louisville-vs-pitt-basketball-score-pittsburgh-panthers-cardinals-espn-gameday-kyle-kuricAnson Whaley2012-01-21T20:29:56-05:002012-01-21T20:29:56-05:00ESPN GameDay Pitt Vs. Louisville: Tray Woodall Expected To Play
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<p>When Pitt hosts Louisville tonight, the Panthers are expected to have starting junior point guard Tray Woodall back in the mix.</p>
<p>Woodall has been on the mend with groin and ab injuries and has missed much of this season after getting off to a hot start. After missing six games after the City Game against Duquesne back in November, Woodall returned against Notre Dame in late December. He struggled badly, missing all five of his shot attempts and going scoreless with two assists and two turnovers. Woodall clearly wasn’t ready and hasn’t suited up in the past five contests.</p>
<p>If Woodall is able to contribute, he might be able to help Pitt get their season back on track. Players like Cam Wright and Isaiah Epps will go back to supplementary roles rather than playing big minutes. The offense should also run a little smoother with him running the team as well.</p>
<p>For ore on Pitt and the game, <a href="http://www.cardiachill.com" target="new">check out SB Nation’s Pitt blog, Cardiac Hill</a>.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/pittsburgh-panthers/2012/1/21/2724380/pitt-vs-louisville-score-espn-gameday-basketball-pittsburgh-panthers-cardinals-tray-woodallAnson Whaley2012-01-21T11:46:34-05:002012-01-21T11:46:34-05:00Pitt Vs. Louisville: Panthers Host Cardinals For ESPN GameDay
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<p>ESPN surely didn't envision this scenario when the network tabbed the Pitt-Louisville game as one of its few GameDay appearances for the season.</p>
<p>Pitt vs. Louisville is usually a matchup between ranked teams. Instead, Pitt comes in having lost an incredible seven consecutive games, while the Cardinals have been defeated in five of their past seven contests. Both teams are struggling mightily right now and will desperately looking for a win.</p>
<p>The Panthers are hoping to have starting point guard <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/52465/tray-woodall">Tray Woodall</a> back after a lengthy absence. Woodall has missed a large chunk of the season and while he isn't completely healthy, he hinted in an interview this week that he wants to play.</p>
<p>Pitt comes into the game having lost seven in a row, but the good news is that they're starting to play better. Since a flat out embarrassing 62-39 home defeat at the hands of Rutgers, Pitt has shown significant improvement. The Panthers went on the road and played competitively against a ranked Marquette team before losing by five. They also played No. 1 Syracuse on the road fairly well, losing by only eight.</p>
<p>The story for Louisville has been injuries. The Cardinals recently lost forward <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/100009/rakeem-buckles">Rakeem Buckles</a> for the season. Louisville could also be without leading scorer <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/52437/kyle-kuric">Kyle Kuric</a> and freshman guard <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/150600/kevin-ware">Kevin Ware</a> against Pitt on Saturday. Kuric averages 13 points to lead the Cardinals and if Louisville is without him, it will be a blow.</p>
<p>Pitt needs to watch out for Louisville's vaunted press - particularly because they've struggled against it this season. If Woodall comes back, that will help, but even if he does, how much he plays is anybody's guess.</p>
<p>For more on the game, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.cardiachill.com"><i><b>check out SB Nation's Pitt blog, Cardiac Hill</b></i></a>.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/pittsburgh-panthers/2012/1/21/2722235/pitt-vs-louisville-basketball-espn-gameday-pittsburgh-panthers-cardinals-khem-birchAnson Whaley