It’s no secret that the Pittsburgh Panthers (12-13, 2-10), losers of eight straight, are struggling to find their footing. Even during their 2-2 start there were signs that Pitt would eventually come back to earth, although not everyone saw them hitting the ground this hard. If you asked someone a month ago what might lead to a potential losing streak, they likely would have told you their zone offense.
But here’s an actual secret for you: Teams have figured out how to contain the Panthers with their man-to-man defense, specifically freshman guard Xavier Johnson. My previous article on how teams were defending Johnson was based on the non-conference portion of the schedule.