Pitt hopes week between games allows for reset ahead of matchup with Syracuse
A full week between games has offered ample time for Pitt to reflect on where things stand as the calendar prepares to flip to February.
Inside the Panthers’ locker room, there are no illusions to the reality that the team’s ongoing four-game losing streak is threatening to derail the season.
That said, players are still keeping the faith and looking toward Saturday’s tipoff at Syracuse (9-10, 3-5 ACC) as the potential starting point for a redemption arc.
“I definitely think our goals are still attainable,” senior guard Ishmael Leggett said. “At this point in the season, I think we’re just focused on one game, and that’s how it should be, honestly. Each ACC game is no cakewalk. We all know that. Just really honing in on the little things, the next game in front of us and we stack from there. We stack one game, turn one into two, two into three and so on and so forth.”
Despite the frustration of the last few weeks, coach Jeff Capel and his players insist the team’s approach in practice lately has been good and not lacking energy or effort.
If anything, this week has been welcomed by Pitt (12-6, 3-4 ACC) as a chance to refocus and recalibrate.
For Leggett, the Panthers’ approach over their last several practices has been encouraging.
“It definitely gives you an opportunity to reset, just get back to competing,” Leggett said. “This week of competition has been much needed. It’s gone well, and I feel like we’re starting to get that back-against-the-wall mentality that we had. We’re starting to get that back, and that’s a great thing.”
Also potentially aiding Pitt in emerging from its funk are the positives from last Saturday’s overtime loss to Clemson.
To be sure, there was little to like about a 10-point halftime deficit and allowing the Tigers to go up by 14 in the second half.
But fighting back and forcing overtime, even if it ended in another loss, gave the Panthers some energy that has carried over into practice.
“I thought we competed hard,” sophomore guard Jaland Lowe said. “It was a tough game. Clemson’s a great team, and they made a lot of shots. We kept competing, we stayed in there (and) we fought. We’ve just got to stop digging ourselves in holes. If we do that, we’ll be fine.”
So what will stop the bleeding and prevent the team from falling into a disadvantage?
“The one thing you’d say is be more of a bully,” Lowe said. “People come out there and bully us first. Can’t have that. That’s not like us. We’ve got to go out there and be on the attack first instead of waiting.”
Leggett agreed.
He and Lowe also alluded to a players-only meeting the Panthers conducted after their loss to Florida State, where honest assessments of individual and collective performances were offered, in addition to solutions.
The get-together didn’t translate to a win against Clemson in Pitt’s next game, nor did the Panthers put together a complete performance.
However, behind a full week of productive practices, Pitt hopes to channel its good intentions into a much-needed win vs. the Orange.
“Playing with that fire and intensity and it lasting 40 minutes is something we haven’t done in two weeks. Two weeks is a long time when you haven’t won a game,” Leggett said. “Just playing on fire with that Pittsburgh toughness for a full 40 (minutes) start to finish, the competition is kind of bringing that out of us.”
Justin Guerriero is a TribLive reporter covering the Penguins, Pirates and college sports. A Pittsburgh native, he is a Central Catholic and University of Colorado graduate. He joined the Trib in 2022 after covering the Colorado Buffaloes for Rivals and freelancing for the Denver Post. He can be reached at jguerriero@triblive.com.
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