Pitt advances to acc semifinals, bolsters ncaa resume with wire-to-wire win over wake forest

Raza Umerani

Staff Writer

March 14, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a wire-to-wire performance, No. 4 seed Pitt gave its NCAA Tournament hopes a much-needed boost, defeating No. 5 seed Wake Forest 81-69 in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals on Friday afternoon.

The Panthers (22-12, 12-8 ACC) never trailed, holding an advantage from tipoff to the final buzzer, including leading by as much as 19 in the second half. The Demon Deacons (20-13, 11-9) cut it to as little as three with under four minutes to play, but a late scoring burst helped Pitt seal the deal. 

“I think we're one of the best 68 teams in the country,” Panthers head coach Jeff Capel told reporters postgame. “I think we've shown that over the last couple of months. We'll see. But as long as we keep winning, then we increase our chances of getting in.”

Pitt boasted a remarkable 39-0 advantage in points off the bench, an effort spearheaded by Ishmael Leggett. The 2024 ACC Sixth Man of the Year scored a game-high 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting while grabbing eight boards and swiping away a whopping five steals.

“He was outstanding this afternoon, and we needed it,” Capel said. “I thought he provided toughness. Obviously the scoring, but he had five steals, eight rebounds. He was everywhere. He just kept making plays for us. When we needed the big basket, we went to him.”

The Panthers’ other usual suspects did their thing as well. ACC first-teamer Blake Hinson poured in 20 points and drained a game-high four triples, Jaland Lowe facilitated the offense well with 11 points, five assists and four rebounds, and Carlton Arrington chimed in with nine points while playing excellent defense on the other end.

The same could be said about Wake’s starters, although their effort simply wasn’t enough to overcome the contributions from Leggett and the Pitt bench. Still, ACC first-teamer Hunter Sallis notched 15 points, Andrew Carr poured in 13 points and nine rebounds and Cameron Hildreth led the way with 23 points.

With an extended 28-12 run in the second half, the Deacs cut the lead to three with 3:22 left in the ballgame. But thanks to more heroics from Leggett, the Panthers ended the game on a 14-5 run to lock up the win and advance to the next round.

“Wake had a lot of momentum,” Capel said. “They were driving us. They went to a smaller lineup so we tried to go to a little bit of a smaller lineup. They were forcing switches, and we were finally able to get some stops, but to step up and just make huge plays offensively.”

With the loss, the Deacs’ NCAA Tournament chances dwindle tremendously and may have completely been erased. Ending the year losing five of six games, they find themselves on the wrong side of the bubble and will likely receive one of the ACC’s two automatic bids in the NIT.

“Obviously it'll be down to the wire, but it won't be down to the wire for the NIT,” Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes said. “So we'll play. We'll get together — we'll go back tomorrow, take Saturday off, get together Sunday, figure it out and then play from there.”

The Panthers will take on top-seeded North Carolina in the ACC Tournament Semifinals on Friday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. With a win, an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament becomes a near-certainty. 

“We're fortunate to be able to win a game and advance and to have a chance to be in the semifinals and to play against one of the outstanding programs in the history of college basketball,” Capel said. “We'll be ready to go tomorrow.”