History: Pitt led Wisconsin by seven points at halftime in the Greenbrier Tip-Off championship game, but a strong second half propelled the Badgers to an 81-75 victory to hand the Panthers their first loss of the season.
Pitt looked sharp early in this game on both sides of the ball, but Wisconsin started to find some life early in the first half and rode that momentum throughout the game. The Panthers faced significant foul trouble for much of the game and also lost second-leading scorer Damian Dunn less than three minutes into the game.
Despite the initial adversity, the Panthers took a 14-point lead in the first half, but the Badgers began to push afterward. Pitt saw three players reach double figures led by 17 points from senior Ishmael Leggett, but late in the game the Panthers were missing that extra attacker in Dunn, as well as his defense.
Wisconsin received 33 points from John Tonje, including 25 after halftime.
Wisconsin took a 71-64 lead with four minutes remaining, but Jaland Lowe answered with a three-point play and Zack Austin drilled a corner 3-pointer to make it a one-point game. However, some key offensive rebounds kept Wisconsin’s possessions alive and the Panthers never got closer than that.
Turning point: Wisconsin’s 9-2 went from 12:10 to 10:28 in the second half
Pitt had the lead at halftime, but No. 19 Wisconsin wasted no time in turning the tide coming out of the break. Although the Panthers matched the energy and maintained a brief lead cushion, but around the 12th minute the Badgers had a quick 9-2 outburst and that seemingly gave the momentum to their side. It was still back and forth for a while, but once Wisconsin got over the initial hump of Pitt’s lead, it felt like their confidence increased and that changed the game.
MVP: Cam Corhen
Pitt was able to take an early advantage thanks to the play of Cam Corhen, who has been nothing short of a revelation this season. Despite a losing effort, Corhen scored in double figures for the seventh time in as many games. The 6’10” junior went 7 of 8 from the floor for 16 points. Obviously you’d like to see the rebounding numbers improve, but it’s a promising trend that he’s still able to maintain his scoring production against a massive Wisconsin/Big Ten front line.
Unsung Hero: Ishmaƫl Leggett
It wasn’t Ishmael Leggett’s best day, but he still dropped 17 points and hit plenty of big shots to end some of Wisconsin’s runs throughout the game. He’s still a reliable option to turn to when things are out of sync and the senior usually finds a way to get a big bucket. It was a loss, sure, but Leggett is going to make a lot of important shots for this team this year and this game reinforced that notion.
Technical difficulties
It was one of the strangest college basketball games off the court. It started with the first game going into triple overtime, which delayed the start time. Then the shot clock stopped running just before the game started. Later, the broadcast was interrupted at a crucial moment of the match, and there were several instances where the lights flickered inside the “gym”, causing further interruptions.
These destination MTEs are fun and are meant to attract tourists, but sometimes it makes more sense to play basketball games in designated basketball locations. The Greenbrier Tip-Off has many issues to resolve if it plans to continue and grow this event.
A quick exit
Just like in the first game at West Virginia, Damian Dunn left the field almost immediately, although under different circumstances. Dunn was injured less than three minutes before the start of the game and never returned. The strength of Pitt’s team is having three offensive guards, and losing their second-leading scorer almost immediately was a big blow. It looked like he rolled his ankle, but the show insisted it was his hand that was the injury. We’ll wait to hear from Capel on that, but it definitely looked like an ankle on TV.
*Update: Dunn has a sprained ankle and a dislocated thumb, according to Chris Carter of the Post-Gazette. No timetable for his return has been given*
We can’t stop Tonje
Wisconsin guard John Tonje torched No. 9 Arizona earlier this season for 41 points. Pitt didn’t do a much better job defending him. Tonje totaled 33 points, including 25 after halftime. The 6’5” senior went a perfect 10/10 from the free throw line for the game and also made 11 shots from the field. When Wisconsin needed a field goal, Pitt had few answers to slow it down, especially with six guys committing three or more fouls by the end of the game.
Missed opportunity
The biggest takeaway is that Pitt missed a chance to secure a key non-conference victory. This would have been a blowout victory and likely would have propelled the Panthers into the national rankings tomorrow.
There’s a lot of basketball to be played, and a loss in November doesn’t define anyone’s season, but it hurts to lead by 14 early in the game and not replicate that type of effort for 40 minutes. This was by no means a gift, and Wisconsin is undefeated for a reason, but Pitt had spots in this game, they could have extended the lead and pulled out a huge win.
Frozen from the deep
Pitt shot 2 of 13 from three-point range after halftime and just 5 of 23 for the game. The Panthers rely heavily on the three-man ball, so it was a rather lackluster performance. Dunn’s absence may have factored into that, or the odd sight lines of playing in a ballroom, or it could have just been an off night. Either way, it’s a stat that looms large in a two-possession loss for a team that should expect to shoot the ball better than 22 percent.
New rotations
Dunn’s injury, along with prolonged foul trouble, changed the way Pitt played this game. For the first time this season, Amsal Delalic played significant minutes with the starters in a close match. Brandin Cummings was down for 13 minutes, and sixth man Zack Austin also had an extended run.
It was interesting when Pitt had to sit Leggett with foul trouble, Delalic started to be the one called against Cummings, perhaps something that could be more defined as time goes on. Delalic started the year on the shelf with a wrist injury and looked rusty in his first four games. He scored 9 points on 4 of 4 shooting, which may have sparked more production from him as the season progressed.
What it means
Pitt is in the middle of a tough five-game stretch against strong opponents and is 1-1 through two games. The Panthers should still have an opportunity to add some good wins over these next three games, but this seemed like a wasted chance.
What’s next: Friday 11/29 at Ohio State (2:30 p.m., Peacock)
The Panthers will continue their brief two-game Big Ten tour with a road trip to Columbus on Black Friday. The Buckeyes are 4-1 this season and undefeated at home.
