The Big East opened play Monday night with a showdown between two of its best teams, No.4 Pitt and No. 6 UConn. At least for tonight, the Panthers showed themselves the better, more complete team in a 78-63 victory over the Huskies.
No. 4 UConn Vs. No. 6 Pitt: Top-10 Throwdown In Pittsburgh
Ashton Gibbs posted 21 points and seven assists in No. 6 Pittsburgh early statement victory. Brad Wanamaker chipped in 14 points, while Gary McGhee and Nasir Robinson each recorded double-doubles for the Panthers (13-1, 1-0 Big East), who held the Huskies to 32-percent shooting en route to a third straight win.
Kemba Walker logged 31 points but shot just 10-of-27 from the field for UConn (10-1, 0-1), which lost in its first true road test of the season.
SB Nation Pittsburgh had watched the Panthers struggle to maintain early leads this season, but not tonight.
One thing I’ve been critical about has been Pitt’s inability to play with and maintain a lead in several games this year. That wasn’t the case tonight as Pitt held a pretty comfortable lead throughout and never let Connecticut get too close for much of the game.
Kemba Walker showed up in a big way and was certainly as good as advertised. He scored 31 points and had four rebounds and five steals. Pitt was never able to find an answer for him defensively and had he had even a bit of help, the game would have been closer. It also didn’t help that the team as a whole shot a dismal 32% from the field.
Pitt was the exact opposite of UConn in that regard. The team won this game with its depth and balance. Eight players scored and four reached double figures. No one player dominated and guys stepped up when they needed to. Ashton Gibbs, like he’s done so many times, led Pitt in scoring with 21 points. But the real heroes may have been Gary McGhee and Nasir Robinson who both had double doubles and a variety of hustle plays.
Keep and eye on Pitt blog Cardiac Hill and UConn blog The UConn Blog for more post-game analysis.
See More:
