Panther of the Week: Talib Zanna

This week's Panther of the Week was easier than usual to decide for us since there was only the 77-58 win over Lehigh to take into consideration. Pacing Pitt in this game was the big senior in the middle, Talib Zanna. Zanna used a double-double to make our decision a rather easy one despite strong efforts from James Robinson, Durand Johnson, and last week's winner, Lamar Patterson.

The 6'9" Nigerian center played only 25 minutes but made the most of it with 23 points, 14 rebounds, and even added in a steal for good measure. The 9-for-10 shooting was impressive, but what was even more so was Zanna's work on the boards. He was all over the glass on both offense and defense, pulling in seven rebounds on both the offensive glass and off of Lehigh misses on defense.

We all knew that the center spot was a big issue coming into the season with Zanna changing positions and unknown Derrick Randall providing depth. But with two of the three 'Panther of the Week' awards going to men in the middle, Pitt may be alright there this season.

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