Tudor: Pitt's season is the pits

The addition of Pittsburgh and Syracuse to the ACC basketball race no doubt will strengthen the league.

But so far this season, Pitt is having one of the most disappointing seasons by any college team.

At 15-12 overall and 4-10 in the Big East, the Panthers will need to win the league tournament in order to extend its NCAA tournament streak under coach Jamie Dixon to nine years.

After Dixon's last three teams went 28-6, 25-9 and 31-5, there was no reason to think the winning would stop.

But a startling 59-54 loss to Wagner on Dec. 23 signaled the onset of a team-wide shooting slump that led to a 10-game losing streak.

An ensuing four-game win streak, highlighted by a win over Georgetown, gave the impression that the Panthers had solved their problems.

After Thursday's 68-48 loss to West Virginia, though, their latest losing string hit three games.

ACC fans who aren't familiar with Dixon's team's playing style may not be overwhelmed by what they see next season.

Schematically, the Panthers are offensive grinders, much like Virginia and Boston College.

Dixon's winning has been based more on an aggressive, lockdown defense and dominant rebounding than anything relating to the offense. Among the defeats this season were a 63-51 loss to South Florida and a 62-39 stumble against Rutgers.

Looking ahead, Pitt will lose two of its top three scorers - guard Ashton Gibbs and forward Nasir Robinson - at the end of the season.

On the way in, however, is one of the top recruits signed by Dixon - 6-foot-10 center Steven Adams from New Zealand.

But the powerhouse Pitt team that the ACC thought it had landed has to do a lot of regrouping.