PITTSBURGH – Scotty Hopson sliced through No. 3 Pitt’s man-to-man defense for a career-high 27 points and No. 11 Tennessee dealt the Panthers their first non-conference loss in Pittsburgh in nearly six years, winning 83-76 on Saturday.
Melvin Goins added 19 points and Cameron Tatum hit a succession of big shots while scoring 14 points as the Volunteers (7-0) opened leads of as many as 21 points against the Panthers (10-1). Pitt needed a late flurry just to cut the final margin to single digits.
Brad Wanamaker scored 21 points, but Pitt still lost a non-conference game in the city for the first time in 58 games, or since a Jan. 2, 2005 loss to Bucknell.
The SEC-Big East Invitational matchup was played at the new Consol Energy Center rather than Pitt’s on-campus Petersen Events Center, and it certainly wasn’t a home-court advantage for the Panthers. They hadn’t played a team ranked this high in Pittsburgh, outside of Big East play, since a 66-49 loss to then-No. 11 North Carolina in December 1995.
Pitt shot 42 free throws to Tennessee’s 30, but the disparity made no difference as the Panthers couldn’t match the Volunteers’ size and quickness, especially on the defensive end.