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Teams just aren’t supposed to shoot 60 percent from the floor against the Pitt Panthers. On… Teams just aren’t supposed to shoot 60 percent from the floor against the Pitt Panthers. On an even broader level, teams that shoot such a lofty percentage aren’t supposed to walk away with the taste of defeat in their mouths.

Try telling that to the Georgetown Hoyas.

Despite hitting 60.9 percent (28-of-46) of their attempts from the floor (against a Pitt defense that had held its previous two opponents under 50 points, nonetheless), registering 16 assists and turning the ball over only 10 times, the Hoyas (11-5 overall, 1-2 Big East) couldn’t find a way to parlay an outstanding offensive performance into a win Saturday night.

John Thompson III’s team snapped several Pitt defensive marks but still came away from it all on the short end of what was billed to be a defensive slugfest.

“That’s a very good team. We didn’t play poorly, they’re just that good,” he said of a Pitt team that hadn’t allowed an opponent to shoot over 50 percent from the floor since a January loss to Bucknell two years ago. “They’re all experienced. Every single one of them has played in big games like this. They’re poised and all around just a very good team.”

This one had to sting for the third-year head coach, though, whose team also set a record for highest field goal percentage by an opponent in the Petersen Events Center, a building in which Pitt (16-2, 4-0) is now 75-6 overall and 29-5 in conference play. In fact his team’s shooting, as torrid as it was, wasn’t even good enough to get the lead back after Pitt seized it midway through the opening half.

“It’s unbelievable,” Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon said of the two team’s offensive performances. “I think sometimes both programs get more credit for their defense, but we’re both pretty good offensive teams as well. Our execution, our passing and really our unselfishness held throughout the entire game.”

All of those really had to hold, though, if Pitt was to counteract the Hoyas’ absurd percentages. Pitt shot 59.6 percent (28-for-47) from the field itself, explaining the very few rebounds each team snatched (the Panthers out-rebounded Georgetown 23-18).

It wound up being as fundamental as can be – Pitt held onto the ball and passed it on offense to get good shots.

Boasting the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the nation, Pitt proved that taking care of the ball (only seven turnovers) and sharing the offensive wealth (22 assists on 28 baskets) can offset even the hottest shooting team.

“It’s what we do and have been doing all season, so it doesn’t come totally as a surprise,” Dixon said of his team’s passing, which usually produces 20 assists a game. “To have so many weapons makes it easy to read a defense and then take what they’re giving you in a particular set. It’s also helpful that we have nine guys who can create spacing, then make a pass to exploit it. Not many programs have that many players that can play like that.”

Levance Fields led Pitt with six assists while Antonio Graves had five himself for the Panthers, who also put four players in double figures.

“That’s why they’re good. It’s that balance that they have,” Thompson III, who coaches an eight-deep team himself, said of Pitt’s depth. “They have all been in tough situations, and they’ve become tough players.”

Gray didn’t have a big night himself, scoring 11 points and pulling in only four rebounds, but he did what every Panther did on this night – he passed the ball, opening things up for others, like Mike Cook, who scored 18 points and handed out five assists.

“Mike really had impressive numbers across the board tonight. His assists-to-turnover ratio [five-to-one] in particular stands out on the state sheet,” Dixon said of his junior transfer from East Carolina. “He’s really gotten better as the year has gone on, as he did last year, even though he wasn’t playing in games.”

“We try to play like that all the time, in every game,” Cook said of Pitt’s unselfish nature. “We know the players around us are talented and trust them to make the right play when they have the ball. Coaches preach unselfishness to us all the time. It’s just a matter of executing when you’re on the court.”

Executing isn’t always enough, though. Georgetown is likely to remember that when the teams hook up again on Feb. 24 in Washington, D.C. The only lurking question is how much better can the Hoyas play than they did in Saturday’s loss? Jeff Green, Georgetown’s star forward who scored 15 points in the loss, seems to think the team is capable of more.

“This doesn’t feel good at all,” he said after the loss. “We missed a few stops and we needed to get the win. We need to get better on defense. If we continue to let big teams score, we’re going to continue to lose.”

Thompson III wasn’t going to let him end with that thought, though.

“And that’s not going to happen,” he quickly interjected.