Pitt faces uphill battle in next four games

The Pitt men’s basketball team is still looking for its first ACC victory. But after two solid chances to get it last week, the Panthers have their work cut out for them over their next four contests.

Pitt starts this stretch with a road game against Miami. The Hurricanes are 15-5 and while not ranked, they’re No. 28 in the Coaches Poll and were previously ranked this season. None of that even mentions that Miami already beat Pitt by 14 points in Pittsburgh earlier this year.

After that, Pitt has an even tougher test, travelling to Top 20 North Carolina. The Tar Heels have proven to be a little vulnerable lately with consecutive losses to NC State and Virginia Tech, but they’re still ranked and facing them on the road won’t be easy, to say the least.

The Panthers then head to face another Top 20 team on the road in Clemson. The Tigers have dropped three of their last six games but two of them were against ranked Virginia and North Carolina teams. They also had a close call against Georgia Tech their last time (72-70 win) so I’m not as convinced they’re as great as their 17-4 record indicates. Still, easy game? No way.

Pitt wraps things up with a home contest against Louisville after that. Like Miami, the Cardinals aren’t ranked but are plenty tough. They beat Pitt by 26 in Louisville earlier this year and, the Kevin Stallings outburst will be a part of the storyline, I’m sure.

All of that sort of makes not getting a win in the last two contests against NC State and Syracuse even tougher. The Panthers had a sizable late lead against the Wolfpack and were right there with the Orange for most of the game. The team couldn’t pull out a win there and the schedule is increasingly more difficult in the next four games.

Maybe something goes Pitt’s way in these games but with three of them on the road, I’m not seeing a great chance for the team to get its first ACC victory.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill’s Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the author and founder/editor @AnsonWhaley.