Pitt looks for another win vs. No. 23 Louisville: Open Gamethread

Last time out, Pitt (12-7) grabbed a 89-86 overtime win against Louisville on January 10. The victory was notable in that it was the first win for the Panthers in ACC play since 2017.

Today, Louisville (14-5) will have a chance to get some revenge and will have the benefit of playing on their home court. They’re also playing with a now No. 23 ranking in the polls.

The good news is that Pitt has already proven they can defeat the Cardinals. The Cardinals will desperately be trying to avenge their earlier loss and the Panthers will have to win this one on the road. But keep in mind that Pitt not only won the last game but really dominated Louisville for the most part.

In that game, the Panthers had a 10-point halftime lead and then grew that lead to as much as 16 in the second half. Pitt still had a 12-point lead inside of five minutes left in the game before Louisville stormed back to tie it and send it to overtime. Pitt clearly looked like the better team in that one.

I probably expect Louisville to win this one and they’re favored by 10-10 ¹⁄₂ points. And the road part of a home-road series after you’ve won the first contest sort of makes it seem like you’re facing an uphill battle. But Pitt outplayed them the first time out and that should make for a competitive game. I also expect to see them motivated to try to knock off another Top 25 team. Hopefully, Pitt avoids another terrible performance from the free throw line as they were only 49% from the stripe against the Cardinals the last time out.

Game time is at 2:00 p.m. on WatchESPN. Locally, it is also on COZI-TV.

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