Pitt men’s basketball (10-11 overall, 6-10 ACC) was unable to overcome sluggishness on both ends of the court early. The Panthers’ comeback effort fell short in a 77-62 loss at Clemson (16-6 overall, 10-6 ACC) on Saturday afternoon.

With a vocal, five-person contingent of the Oakland Zoo jeering and cheering from just to the left of the media suite for the first time this season, Pitt (9-9 overall, 5-8 ACC) battled No. 16 Florida State (13-3 overall, 9-2 ACC) for most of Saturday’s contest at the Petersen Events Center. But the Seminoles’ size and depth proved to be too much for Pitt to handle in the end. FSU dominated the paint offensively, en route to a 79-72 win over the Panthers.

A late rally from Pitt (9-7 overall, 5-5 ACC) was not enough to overcome its own sloppy play in a 71-65 loss to Georgia Tech (10-8 overall, 6-6 ACC) on Sunday night in Atlanta. Pitt’s 18 turnovers and lowly 53% shooting from the free throw line proved fatal in the second half as the Panthers dropped their second loss in a row since upsetting No. 16 Virginia Tech.

Nonconference games against non-power five programs aren’t supposed to be stressful. The Panthers first two games of the season featured tight matchups, but Pitt (2-1) finally earned a worry-free blowout victory on Saturday, defeating the Northern Illinois Huskies (0-3) 89-59 at the Petersen Events Center.

One topic surprisingly rose to the forefront of Pitt basketball’s Monday media session — the behind-the-scenes play of sophomore transfer guard Ithiel Horton.