BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Whistles were on the menu for Saturday's game at Cassell Coliseum.
The combined 44 fouls and 20 turnovers made for an all-around eye-sore basketball game and contributed to an inability for Pitt to find its rhythm which it has so oftentimes used to handle -- and handle well -- fellow ACC competition.
All considered, a 79-72 loss to Quadrant 1 opponent Virginia Tech is not damning to Pitt's NCAA Tournament hopes in and of itself, but one cannot help but to wonder if the Hokies revealed the blueprint of how to properly tackle this ever-evolving Panthers team.
"They did a good job of taking us off the 3-point line, being there on the catch," Jeff Capel said. "They were more physical in person, live, than I've seen them on tape all year. You can tell (Virginia tech coach Mike Young) had them ready, really ready from the last game down at Georgia Tech, and they played like a team that was desperate, and they played terrific basketball."
Virginia Tech brought a similar flavor to how Duke and Clemson each dispatched of Pitt, but Saturday's iteration came at the point of Pitt's best attack near the 3-point arc.
Pitt made just 3 of 18 3-pointers, including 2 of 12 within the second half. Pitt made 25 of 42 (59.5%) within the 3-point arc.
"I think they made a concerted effort to try to guard the 3-point line," Capel said. "They didn't switch things. They were sticking with our shooters more, not helping, that's why we were able to get some things as far as rolls to the basket or drives all the way to the basket."
Now, let's not be naive to say this was all a bad game for Pitt because of some tough officiating and overall being out of step. The Hokies (16-11, 6-10 ACC) did their part in shooting 55.6% from the field and 47.4% from 3 while scoring 17 points off of nine Pitt turnovers. The Hokies also cashed in 20 of their 23 free throws.
"I think we were locked in," Nelly Cummings said. "I mean, we did what we had to do. We were focused and really connected, but just didn't get the result we wanted.
"... They were just setting a lot of off-ball screens, so we weren't communicating on some of those and we got mixed up a couple times and we didn't switch when we needed to."
Pitt might have been "locked in," but Virginia Tech was a level above that on each end of the floor. The Hokies suffocated Pitt at its best juncture offensively with defending 3s at will, to the point where Pitt stopped taking them and was forced to drive inside.
"I feel like they did a great job of just being out there on the catch," Jamarius Burton said. "They did a really good job with the scouting report, and you tip your hat off to them."
While Federiko Federiko and Guillermo and Jorge Diaz Graham have shown tangible development in their still-young careers, it has always been evident that their offensive games still needed to be polished up.
When Pitt was struggling to shoot it from deep -- as it rarely does -- Federiko was relatively effective. He posted eight of his 12 points in the first half and was called upon for a pair of converted free throws.
But, Federiko also turned the ball over three times in the first half and accounted for four of Pitt's nine total.
Let's allow this to be a teachable moment for these Panthers, whose six-game winning streak was snapped. This is Pitt's first road loss since Jan. 11 at Duke. Pitt (19-8, 12-4) also falls out of first place in the ACC standings.
Back to the fouls, in brief. Those completely disrupted and, quite frankly, ruined what had the potential for an epic college basketball clash and a worthwhile showcase of an ACC that is nationally perceived as "down."
This is the sixth game this season which resulted in 40 or more fouls called throughout the game. Pitt is now 1-5 in such games. The 44 fouls called stand as the third-most in a Pitt game this season, behind the 48 whistles in each of the games against Tennessee-Martin and VCU -- twice within the first four games of the season.
Capel, of course, would not discuss his thoughts on the matter:
"Hey, man, you know I can't comment on that," Capel said. "These guys have a hard job, difficult job. Both teams played really, really hard and competed. It is what it is."
Coupled with the fact that officials Lee Cassell, Raymie Styons, and A.J. Desai were calling it touchy was Virginia Tech's method of keeping Pitt's offense off-balance, a feat few teams have been able to remotely succeed with during ACC play.
"We try our best not to foul," Burton said. "That allows us to get out in transition. When you're taking the ball out of the basket each and every time it kind of negates that ability, and it also made us play with different matchups and rotations for an extended amount of time."
MORE FROM THE GAME
• The Panthers played what probably was their sloppiest first half of any ACC game this season. Virginia Tech took Pitt out of sorts early in holding the visitors to 1 of 6 from 3-point range and six turnovers to six assists. Pitt also accumulated some early foul trouble, with Greg Elliott, Blake Hinson, and Cummings picking up two fouls each and Nike Sibande, Burton, Jorge Diaz Graham, and Federiko each picking up one.
"We were trying to weather the storm, but as you seen, it was pretty much continuous with the foul calls and everything like that," Burton said. "We tip our hat off to them. They played an excellent game. For us we've just got to get back to the drawing board."
• The "Enter Sandman" pregame ritual at Virginia Tech extends beyond football, and it is one of the coolest things you will experience. Here it is just before tip-off from my vantage point:
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE 5s
• Pitt: G Nelly Cummings, G Greg Elliott, F Jamarius Burton, F Blake Hinson, C Federiko Federiko.
• Virginia Tech: G Hunter Cattoor, G MJ Collins, G Sean Pedulla, F Grant Basile, F Justyn Mutts.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
• Live file
• Scores
• Schedule
• Standings
• Statistics
THE INJURIES
• Out for the season: F Will Jeffress (foot), F John Hugley IV (personal).
THE SCHEDULE
• The Panthers are back at the Petersen Events Center Tuesday to oppose Georgia Tech at 7 p.m. Syracuse then visits Oakland for a 5 p.m. tip-off Saturday in what will be the final home game of the regular season.
Pitt's remaining regular-season schedule reads as follows: Tuesday vs. Georgia Tech, 7 p.m.; Saturday vs. Syracuse, 5 p.m.; March 1 at Notre Dame, 7 p.m.; March 4 at Miami, 6 p.m.
THE CONTENT
• Visit the Pitt team page for more coverage from Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg. You can listen to the latest episode of the H2P Podcast below.
