The Pittsburgh Panthers out finessed the No. 6 Syracuse Orange Saturday with ease. With superb offensive passing, they ate up the Orangeman’s 2-3 defense and as a result pushing their record to 18-5 and handing another top ranked team another loss. The Panthers only shot 48% from the field along with an off day from the 3 point line only going 3 – 15, which is not exactly lighting it up. At the 4:44 mark in the second half, Pitt was up by as much as 9 (51 to 41) and held that lead crushing the Orange and getting a victory at 65 to 55.
The Panthers are now 13-1 against top ranked teams but only 7-4 in the conference. The Orange’s Fair lead all scorers with 20 while Woodall lead the Panthers with 13. Pittsburgh had 10 players put points on the board with not one individual attempting more than seven shots for the whole game. So though the team had a lousy shooting performance, they made up for it by feeding the ball inside while also obtaining easy buckets around the rim.
Enough ranked teams such as the Orange have been defeated, its safe to say the overall rankings mean little this year as the top five or six teams constantly change hands. Pittsburgh looked as though they could compete with anybody on Saturday yet they aren’t even in the top 25. Sometimes good teams just play well and sneak up on you, especially in March. I believe Pittsburgh is one of those teams to keep a close eye on them as they are clearly under the radar.
PLAYER ROSTER/STATS AREA
| # | Player | Pos | Ht | Wt | Class | PPG | RPG | APG | TO | BLK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | John Johnson | G | 6’1′ | 175 | So. | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 44 | JJ Moore | F | 6’6′ | 205 | Jr. | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | Lamar Patterson | F | 6’5′ | 221 | Jr. | 7 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| 11 | Dante Taylor | F | 6’9′ | 240 | Sr. | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1 | Tray Woodall | G | 5’11’ | 200 | Sr. | 13 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 3 | Cameron Wright | G | 6’4′ | 205 | So. | 7 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 42 | Talib Zanna | F | 6’9′ | 230 | Jr. | 4 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 13 | Steven Adams | C | 7’0′ | 250 | Fr. | 8 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 0 | James Robinson | G | 6’3′ | 190 | Fr. | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | Trey Ziegler | G | 6’5′ | 205 | Fr. | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
TEAM SCHEDULE AREA
| Date | Opponent |
|---|---|
| Feb. 9 | at Cincinnati |
| Feb. 16 | at Marquette |
| Feb. 18 | Notre Dame |
| Feb. 24 | at St. John’s |
| Feb. 27 | South Florida |
| Mar. 3 | Villanova |
| Mar. 9 | at DePaul |
MARCHVEGAS 2013To catch the Pittsburgh Panthers for March Madness, why not take a break, “March to Vegas” and see all the excitement at once for the first round of the tournament? Watch hoops and gamble by day, play and party by night for 4 blissful days; it’ll feel just like a 4-day™ holiday.
MARCHVEGAS 2013 is from Thursday March 21st till Sunday March 24th. Though visiting Las Vegas is the greatest during this time, it is only optional. You must think real hard young Jedi and decide if you want to “work” or take the MARCHVEGAS 4-day Holiday. If you choose the later, then Sign the Petition, “Make MARCHVEGAS a 4-day holiday and check out our travel options to Las Vegas.
By Roy George
[MARCHVEGAS] – noun 1. “March to Vegas” symbolizes the humanistic tendency to march, migrate, or advance as a deliberate or organized body in a habitual manner back to Las Vegas. 2. Marriage of March Madness and Las Vegas, especially during tournament time. 3. The “MARCHVEGAS 4-day™ Holiday” (March 21 – 24, 2013) – Sign the Petition.