Tough stretch of ACC games awaits Pitt, star guard Jaland Lowe

Many times when teams face adversity, they turn to their best player in an attempt to reverse fortunes.

Perhaps that’s what Pitt must do over the next three games when they confront Louisville, Florida State and Clemson in an attempt to wipe away the misery of the eight scoreless minutes at the end of a 76-47 loss at Duke on Tuesday. The Cardinals (11-5, 4-1 ACC), Seminoles (11-4, 2-2) and Tigers (12-4, 4-1) are among a group of nine ACC schools that have recorded a double-digit victory total.

The next three games offer opportunities for Pitt to remain among the most respected teams in the ACC. If the current NCAA NET rankings hold, the No. 20 Panthers (12-3, 3-1) can earn a Quad 1 road victory at No. 72 Florida State on Wednesday in between Quad 2 home games against No. 39 Louisville and No. 41 Clemson over the next two Saturdays. Even winning two of three would help when win/loss results are evaluated at the end of the season.

This is the time when a player the caliber of sophomore guard Jaland Lowe, arguably Pitt’s most talented player, must stand out in a crowd.

Although it’s too early to predict Lowe (6-foot-3, 175 pounds) will enter the 2025 NBA Draft and be selected in one of the two rounds, he has the makings of becoming one of the best players at Pitt in recent seasons. He’s already garnering national attention after 48 career games, earning a No. 93 ranking in ESPN analyst Jonathan Givony’s NBA Draft Big Board.

Lowe is second on the team in scoring (16.7 per game) and No. 1 in total assists (89) and average minutes (34.8), with a unique ability to create shots, especially when he drives to the basket and puts up his under-handed scoop layup.

Duke found a way to minimize Lowe’s effectiveness with its length on the perimeter and defensive switches, holding him to eight points after he had recorded at least 18 in eight previous games. The day before the game, however, Duke coach Jon Scheyer was clear on his opinion of Lowe.

“He can attack the basket. He can create. He plays pretty much the whole game,” Scheyer said. “He’s not a guy who shies away after missing a couple. He continues to shoot, no matter what’s happening. He has great next-play mentality in that regard.

“You have to continue to stay in a stance and make sure you make it as hard as possible. He’s going to score. You just don’t want him to get any easy ones, whenever possible.”

The hope inside coach Jeff Capel’s office is Lowe will continue to display good bounce-back ability. Two months ago after three consecutive games of eight, eight and 11 points, he scored 103, with 20 assists, in the next five against power conference schools LSU, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Mississippi State and Virginia Tech.

But the ACC is wise to Lowe, and scoring will become more difficult as the season progresses. He must improve his shooting accuracy that has fallen to 37.8%, last among the 10 Pitt players who are on the court for the most minutes.

He leads the team in attempts (217) and is second to Ishmael Leggett in field goals (82), but his 3-point percentage is only 29.1 (23 of 79). Pitt is entering a difficult stretch of conference games, and the Panthers need Lowe to be great again.