Shocked. Shocked I am to find that the Pittsburgh media seems otherwise focused on this whole Steelers football thing.
Pitt has built its reputation in this millennium on the reputation of tough physical play. To some, a throwback to the roots of the league. Personally, I think it’s overstated. A convenience for writers who can reference the Steelers, football and the steel-making industry.
Still, there was no doubt about the tougher team yesterday.
But all the talent and coaching expertise in the world couldn’t prepare Louisville for the physical battle it faced against the Panthers. The Cardinals got to see up close how physical the Big East Conference was yesterday when Pitt bullied them all over the court, played fierce defense and got huge efforts from its talented freshmen to win at Freedom Hall, 61-57.
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The No. 12 Panthers (14-0, 3-0) remained one of three undefeated teams in Division I, and they did it with their two best players in foul trouble for much of the game. Krauser played 31 minutes and scored eight points. Junior center Aaron Gray played 24 minutes and had 10 points.
Pitt was feeling it after the game.
The swagger was there. Oh, it wasn’t a blatant display, but there was no denying the Pitt basketball players were into a subtle strut Sunday following a 61-57 victory against No. 10 Louisville that extended the 12th-ranked Panthers’ unbeaten streak to 14 games.
If Pitt (14-0, 3-0 Big East) was an unknown commodity before yesterday’s physical scrap in front of 19,947 at Freedom Hall, the word may get out now pretty quickly.
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“We came out and we out-toughed them,” Pitt guard Carl Krauser said. “We’re still undefeated, and we’re just going to try to get a win on Wednesday (at Rutgers).”
Of course, Pitt has now started a grinding part of the schedule.
“It’s going to be tough,” Gray said. “We just started classes this week, and the coaches stressed that we have to get everything in order because we’ll miss a lot of school while we’re on the road. So, that’s going to be a real task, but it’s going to be important to see how we come out of it.
“A lot of it’s mental, so we have to take care of ourselves. We’ll be on the road, and then we come back for a day to go to class. And then, we go on the road again. So, we have to get adjusted to playing in new arenas and new cities, but we have a pretty tough team that should be able to handle it.”
In Louisville, there is much surprise over not being able to bang inside (yes, they overuse the football analogies).
Instead, the shot chart showed the Cardinals (13-3, 1-2 Big East) couldn’t run between the tackles — to continue the football analogy. They made 8 of 14 three-point shots (57.1 percent) but only 5 of 10 layups. In the free-throw lane they made just 7 of 22 shots (31.8 percent).
Even 25 points from Terrence Williams, matching the highest-scoring game by a freshman in Pitino’s tenure, wasn’t enough to overcome the edge in strength and experience for Pitt (14-0, 3-0).
“It’s like a street game in there,” sophomore Terrance Farley said. “You’ve got to go in with elbows and pushing if you have to. … We all have to adjust.”
The Louisville players just sat around their lockers after the game, openly disappointed.
But the game’s key sequence was taking place on the other end. Beginning with a three-pointer by Levance Fields with 12:02 left, the Panthers scored on 10 of 11 possessions, turning a seven-point deficit into a 56-51 lead. Williams scored 11 points in that span, but the Cards never regained the lead.
That is big offensive efficiency. Doing something with every possession.
Right now, the game seems to have really shaken Louisville’s confidence. Not to mention the media’s.
The Cardinals lost their second straight Enormous East Conference home game yesterday. They extended their losing streak against ranked competition to three games. They needed a validating victory, but they had to settle for close in a 61-57 loss to No. 12 Pittsburgh.
This defeat could sting mercilessly. Louisville played well enough to win, even with Dean limping, even with all their experienced players struggling. And the Cardinals still lost. And halfway through the season, they still seek that elusive, reassuring big win. And they can’t be certain when they’ll find it.
And yet, somehow, I think Louisville will be there in the end of the season.
