Pitt vs. Wake Forest Recap

by Collin Ferguson

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Panthers have had an incredibly strange season. Pitt opened their ACC run in dead last by mid-January, with only one win over a conference team, an 83-70 win over Louisville on January 6. It looked as though the season had already collapsed for head coach Jeff Capel’s squad, especially following a total deconstruction at home against Duke, a 75-53 defeat that had both the team and fans reeling. However, following a crucial turnaround over a two-week road stretch including an 80-76 defeat of Duke and a 72-64 takedown of Georgia Tech, the Pitt Panthers seem to be on a roll, and aren’t ready to call it quits just yet, especially after tonight’s comeback victory over Wake Forest.

Pitt’s first home ACC win of the season came at the most perfect time imaginable. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons were 5-3 in ACC play coming into this game but found themselves stunned by a gargantuan 50-point surge in the second half from the Panthers, led by terrific performances from guards Bub Carrington and Ishmael Leggett. Carrington’s game-leading 24 points were a big reason that Pitt found another trip to the win column, with shots falling all over the court, especially from the floor with mid-range two-point shots. The action from beyond the arc belonged to Pitt’s resident 6th man Ish Leggett, who himself flexed 22 points, 12 of which from three. Capel had nothing but praise to say about Leggett, stating “To me, [Leggett] is a starter and I know he’s the sixth man. He plays starter minutes. He’s one of our better players.” Capel had big praise for both of his guards, two of the three that Pitt showcased today in a dominant second-half comeback.

On the other side of the coin, Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes had nothing but praise for his center Efton Reid, who was a dominant force in the paint, putting up a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. However, for the rest of his team, he was singing a different tune, stating “To me, it’s just the mental toughness. And it’s not one person, it’s the whole team.” Forbes went on to blame himself for that and the penalty trouble that the Deacs found themselves in quickly in the second half, as well as letting up 9 offensive rebounds to the Pitt Panthers, giving them more than enough second-chance opportunities to put the game on ice. The writing was truly on the wall when Coach Capel subbed in Will Jeffers to play against Efton Reid in the waning minutes of the second half. Jeffers had lacked minutes during the road run for Pitt, but with Reid making hefty work of center Federiko Federiko in the paint, the Panthers needed an answer. They found it in Jeffers, who all but removed the threat of Reid from the basketball game with rough, physical defense, thoroughly impressing Coach Capel, and being just enough to lead the Panthers to their first ACC Home win of the year.

Pitt hosts 7-14 (2-8) Notre Dame this Saturday, February 3rd, at the Petersen Events Center, with tip-off scheduled for 6:00 pm.