By Harry Barsan
No. 19 Louisville will host the Pittsburgh Panthers for their second match of the season.
Is it contagious?
Despite a strong start to the year, and being a fringe top 25 team at the time of their Jan. 11 game, the Panthers have gone 4-8 since playing Louisville.
Specifically, Pitt has spiraled since the loss of Damian Dunn. The Panthers have gone 2-6 since his latest injury, and have clearly missed him in their rotation.
In their earlier match, Dunn put up 15 points off the bench including a team-leading eight rebounds. The loss of his presence will certainly be felt Saturday.
Pitt has also been dealing with injuries to two of their rotational players, Amsal Delalic and Papa Amadou Kante, which has severely shortened their bench.
Pitt is now in the same air as Louisville, with both schools only having about seven players who will see meaningful minutes.
Is there a cure?
The Panthers still average an impressive 76.8 points on a fairly slow tempo. However, Pitt has only reached that number twice since playing Louisville.
The two-headed force of Jaland Lowe and Ishmael Leggett is as powerful as ever. After combining for 40 in their earlier contest, the two are continuing their tear each averaging around 16 points per game.
While their offense has fallen off, their defense has disappeared. Pitt now ranks 96th on Kenpom in defensive efficiency, and they’ve only held opponents below 70 points four times.
They have been a disaster at defending the three-point arc, and the number of turnovers they’ve forced has fallen off a cliff. The loss of Dunn is probably the single biggest reason for their diminished defensive numbers.
While their team defense has been lacking, Zack Austin is a surefire candidate for ACC defensive player of the year. He has been a problem, leading the ACC with 1.7 blocks per game and adding 1.2 steals per game.
With March right around the corner and in desperate need of some momentum before the tournament, Pitt will be looking to pull out all the stops on Saturday.
With the two teams having gone opposite directions since their first meeting, Louisville should be heavy favorites.
Louisville has already locked up a top three seed in the ACC tournament, but they can still potentially battle for a regular season title.
A win would give the Cards a record of 23-6 and an ACC record of 16-2. The win would also extend their winning streak to seven games.
Tip-off is set for Saturday evening at 6 p.m. here at the KFC Yum! Center.
Photo Courtesy // Mallory Peak, Louisville Athletics
