84 - 55 After four games of ACC tournament play, you might not have witnessed the type of play you’ll brag about to your grand kids one day, but at the very least, all the games were competitive.
That is, until Wake Forest was absolutely crushed by Pittsburgh, 84-55.
If you felt like it was over at the tip off, I can’t blame you. The Panthers scored on eight of their first nine possessions, built a double-digit lead midway through the first half and never looked back thanks to a 28-10 run that started right before the break and continued right afterward.
Pitt shot 50% from the floor, out rebounded the Demon Deacons by 13 and recorded ten steals.
To the surprise of no one, Lamar Patterson led the way with 24 points, scoring at will from a variety of spots on the floor. Inside, Talib Zanna chipped in with 18 points and nine board.
The Panthers came into the game knowing they had to stop Devin Thomas and they did quite easily, holding him to just eight points.
Of course, beating inferior foes has been Pitts specialty this season. On Friday they’ll try to do something they haven’t done all season…Beat a better team. If they can best 4-seeded North Carolina, it would probably be enough to punch their NCAA tournament ticket.
