NEW YORK — The bright lights and excitement that come from the big apple are known to create magic on the hardwood. However, not even the excitement of a hot start against a high-profile opponent was enough for Pitt in its 91-60 loss to Michigan Wednesday night in the Legends Classic at the Barclays Center.
A combination of sharp shooting, along with the return of All-ACC center John Hugley IV provided a spark early on for the Panthers (1-2), who led for the first nine minutes of the contest. Yet, as time went on, the Wolverines (3-0) proved why they entered the contest as the favorite.
After sinking three of its first four shots from 3-point range, Pitt cooled off drastically from the outside, ending the night shooting just 30% (6-20) from behind the arc. Veteran guard Jamarius Burton was the lone consistent scoring threat for Jeff Capel’s team throughout the entire 40 minutes, ending the night with 14 points.
On the defensive end, Pitt had few answers for Michigan’s lethal trio of high-profile freshman Jett Howard, graduate transfer point guard Kobe Bufkin and junior All-American center Hunter Dickinson, who ended the night with 17, 14 and 11 points respectively. Following a pedestrian first half, where it led just 38-32 heading into the locker room, Juwan Howard’s squad turned things up a notch in the final 20 minutes of play, out-scoring Pitt 53-28 in the second half. Joey Baker also had a big night for Michigan off the bench, scoring 14 points.
In his first game back from a knee injury, Hugley showed glimpses of his old self, contributing 9 points to Pitt’s total, but displayed an equal amount of rust due to his lengthy time away from the court, ending with just a single rebound in 22 minutes of action. Blake Hinson and Greg Elliott also contributed double figures in scoring for Pitt in the loss, finishing with 13 and 12 respectively.
Key stat: Even with Hugley back on the floor, Pitt was noticeably outmatched down low against Michigan. The Wolverines dominated in the front-court from start to finish, outsourcing Pitt 38-18 in the paint.
Michigan made the most of its chances, knocking down 17 of its 22 layup attempts. Overall, the Wolverines shot an efficient 58% from the field.
Up next: The Panthers are back in action Thursday evening, once again at the Barclays Center, as they will face the loser of the event’s other Wednesday night matchup between Arizona State and VCU. The contest will tip-off at 7 p.m.
