Is there hope for the Panthers? 
by Andrew McDermott
January 19, 2012
Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball has become used to winning games by double-digits and making strong runs in the NCAA Tournament the past few years. This year, however, the city and team have received a wake-up call.
Pitt has stumbled out of the gate to an 11-8 record, winless in Big East play. The team started off with an 11-1 record to earn a Top-25 ranking. The troubles started when the team suffered an embarrassing home loss to Wagner. The Panthers have now dropped seven straight conference games, suffering a bad loss to DePaul and getting blown out at home against Rutgers. Usually in the top five in the conference, they are sitting at the very bottom of the rankings.
What has caused Pitt's woes this year?
Well, first, the Panthers lost a lot of talent this year. Two major players lost were Gary McGhee and Brad Wanamaker, seniors who held the team together last year. This year, Travon Woodall, a starting guard in the backcourt, suffered an injury that has caused him to miss almost every game this season. Also, Khem Birch, a top recruit, abruptly left school at the beginning of December. The loss of these four players has poked holes in team leadership, thus requiring many freshmen and sophomores to step up into starting roles against some very tough and competitive teams.
Even though Pitt has been thin, the team still has a lot of talent on their roster. Dante Taylor and Nasir Robinson provide the physicality and toughness in the paint. Ashton Gibbs and Isaiah Epps, Woodall's replacement, provide adequate guard play. JJ Moore has been a good fit at the swingman position. These players have tried to be competitive, but in a strong Big East Conference, they’ve struggled.
Even though Pitt hasn't won a conference game, I predict that they will eventually win a few games and, with some luck, even get an upset.
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