Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The no. 22 Pittsburgh Panthers moved to 16-1 on the season after a good win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech put up a good fight as former Tennessee Volunteers player Trae Golden had 22 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Panthers won 81-74.
Four of Pittsburgh’s starters scored double-digits and Talib Zanna had 22 points and nine rebounds. The Panthers doubled the rebounds of the Yellow Jackets (38-19), but excess turnovers led to Georgia Tech having some success in the second half. However, a sloppy win is still a win and the Panthers will learn from their mistakes.
After the win over Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh is the only other ACC team that is undefeated in conference play along with the no. 2 Syracuse Orange. Syracuse is undefeated on the season and doesn’t look like slowing down anytime soon. Speaking of , what team is next up for the Panthers? You guessed it – Syracuse. The Orange and the Panthers face off on January 18.
The Panthers’ Zanna provides an interesting matchup for the Orange, but the game against Syracuse will come down to how well Lamar Patterson plays. The Orange has had a couple of shaky performances against some of the weaker ACC teams, and Pittsburgh could take advantage of such mistakes.
Make sure to watch the game between these two teams, because both are capable of winning the ACC, but only one will be undefeated in conference play going into next week.
Taylor Sturm is an SEC Basketball Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @TSturmRS, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
