After loss to Clemson, Pitt will carry a No. 12 seed into ACC Tournament

Mar. 7—While assessing Pitt's 77-62 loss to Clemson on Saturday, the opponent must be taken into account. Clemson (16-6, 10-6) is one of the best teams in the ACC and will play in the NCAA Tournament.

In light of recent roster upheaval and how far the program sunk before coach Jeff Capel's arrival three years ago, Pitt can beat good ACC teams occasionally, just not consistently.

The loss, coupled with Notre Dame's 83-73 upset of Florida State, drops Pitt (10-11, 6-10) from the No. 11 to the No. 12 seed in the ACC Tournament. The Panthers, who have lost six of their past seven, will play No. 13 Miami in a first-round game at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Greensboro, N.C. The Hurricanes (8-16, 4-15) broke a six-game losing streak with an 80-76 victory Friday against Boston College.

Because of covid-19 concerns, Pitt played four fewer conference games than originally scheduled but won the same number as it did in a 20-game season last year. Pitt hasn't had a winning record in the ACC since 2013-14, its first season in the league.

"We fought throughout the whole game," Capel said. "I'm really, really proud of our fight."

But the Panthers couldn't survive Clemson's physicality around the basket while shooting 44.4% from the field (20 of 45) to Clemson's 55.8% (29 of 52). The Tigers hit 12 of 25 3-point attempts.

Elsewhere, Pitt was on target, hitting 9 of 18 from beyond the 3-point arc and 13 of 17 free throws.

"We have to be able to finish through contact. We have to be a little bit stronger. We missed some stuff right there at the basket," said Capel, who was unhappy with how the game was officiated.

As a team in the second half, Pitt shot only five free throws.

Justin Champagnie, the second-leading scorer in the ACC, scored 13 points — nearly six below is average — and did not attempt a free throw for the first time this season. Champagnie is the ACC leader in rebounds (11.5 coming into the game), but he recorded a season-low four and none off the offensive glass for the first time this season.

"I'm not going to get every call," he said. "I think the refs did a pretty good job. I have to be better at finishing. I take the blame for that.

"It's frustrating, but at the same time, you have to play through it. Basketball's not a non-touch sport."

The loss appeared inevitable when the Tigers built a 29-13 lead 8 minutes, 23 seconds before halftime. Two minutes later, Champagnie went to the bench with his second foul.

Of Clemson's 29 points in the half, 21 came via 7-of-13 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. But the Panthers recovered, scoring 14 points in less than four minutes. Pitt scored in consecutive three-point increments — 3-pointers from Nike Sibande, Ithiel Horton and Femi Odukale and an old-fashioned 3-pointer by Abdoul Karim Coulibaly. William Jeffress added two free throws during the run, and Pitt was able to trim its deficit to 38-36 at halftime.

The score remained close early in the second half before Clemson went on a 19-5 run that ensured the victory.

Clemson's point total was the second-highest allowed by Pitt in the past 10 games.

"It's not being able to, at times, identify shooter, non-shooter, what we talked through in scouting," Capel said. "Sometimes, it's a little bit fatigue. When it's a really, really physical game like it was (Saturday), you tend to get a little bit more tired.

"There was a lot of contact. We got frustrated and then they were able to get some easy baskets. We got some of the same looks (in the second half). We didn't finish."

Capel used nine players in the game, and everyone scored at least three points. Walk-on Onyebuchi Ezeakudo started at point guard over Femi Odukale, who was benched after being late for a meeting, Capel said.

Odukale ended up scoring nine points, with four steals and three assists, in 31 minutes. Ithiel Horton added 11 points.

While acknowledging his team's shortcomings around the basket, Capel had a difficult time accepting the fact that Champagnie, who is averaging only five foul attempts per game while playing mainly in the paint, never got to the line.

"I know we have not been one of the better teams in this league since I've been here. Eventually, we will. That will happen," he said. "But it's not right what's happening to us."

Jerry DiPaola is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jerry by email at jdipaola@triblive.com or via Twitter .