Pitt vs. NC State: Open Gamethread

After a tumultuous week, the Pitt men’s basketball team is back in action today with a game against NC State.

This week, things have been all over the map for the Panthers. They haven’t played a game in a little more than a week, for one thing. For another, the team was stunned by unexpected midseason departures of star players Xavier Johnson and Au’Diese Toney. The pair, along with the team’s best player, Justin Champagnie, formed a Big Three of sorts.

Now, the Panthers are left reeling without two of their best players and the makeup of the lineup suddenly looks a lot different.

Expecting much out of the Panthers the rest of the way seems difficult. With games remaining (for now) against NC State, Wake Forest, and Clemson, the schedule isn’t terribly rough. But for a team that had already been reeling, losing seven of their past eight games, I’m not terribly optimistic.

Maybe the reverse happens and guys like Femi Odukale step in and overperform. Maybe Pitt catches some of these teams off guard. Maybe Jeff Capel lights a fire under these guys in an effort to prove they can win without two stars in their key triumvirate.

Or maybe .. more losing?

Tune in at 4:00 p.m. to find out. The game will be on the ACC Network and you can comment live here.

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