Pittsburgh Basketball: The Most Hated Players from the Panthers' Biggest Rivals

Fortunately for the blue-and-gold faithful who pack the Petersen Events Center, they'll never have to see one of the biggest villains in Pitt history again. Tyler Ennis has left Syracuse for the NBA, and Jabari Parker, T.J. Warren and Okaro White are among the other ACC standouts who are pursuing opportunities in the Association.

Pitt finished fifth in the ACC in 2013-14, and when it did struggle, an inability to keep up with some of the biggest stars in the conference was at the root of its problems. So it's probably for the best that most of those players are gone.

But when the Panthers begin conference play in the 2014-15 season, which remaining stars will be hated as much as Ennis was after his 40-foot leaner on Feb. 12?

To be clear, we at Bleacher Report don't really hate these guys (including Ennis). But Pitt fans will if the Panthers don't find answers for them this season.

Pat Connaughton, Notre Dame

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It's funny how, across all sports, history tends to repeat itself. Certain teams always seem to give certain other teams problems. For whatever reason, Notre Dame has often been a tough matchup for even the best Pitt teams of the Jamie Dixon era.

A key factor in this has been counterpart Mike Brey's desire to mirror Pitt's style of slowing things down and leaning on a rugged inside game. Senior two-sport star Pat Connaughton, the key to the Irish's inside game, is capable of causing these Panthers the most problems. After all, can you name anyone else in the ACC who's dunked on Jabari Parker and struck out Jameis Winston?

While you're letting that sink in, we'll remind you that the 6'5", 214-pound swingman was having a pretty good day against the Panthers in South Bend on Mar. 1 until an injury slowed him in the second half. Connaughton scored 17 of his team-best 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field before the break. He buried four three-pointers on six tries.

Fueled by Connaughton's hot hand, Notre Dame built an early 12-point lead, only to see Pitt rally in the second half and pull out an 85-81 win in overtime.

He's big and strong, but he also has range, as he demonstrated in that losing effort. Last season Connaughton ranked fifth in the ACC in three-point field goal percentage with a 37.8 clip. Furthermore, using the advanced stat known as effective field-goal percentage (which takes into account the value of three-pointers), he placed fourth in the conference at 56.3.

With a bit of uncertainty in the Panthers frontcourt right now, he could put up more big numbers when these teams meet again in Pittsburgh on Jan. 31.

The Baltimore Orioles picked Connaughton in this year's Major League Baseball amateur draft—three years after he refused to sign with the San Diego Padres so he could focus on college. The sooner he gets back on the diamond and out of the gym, the better for Pitt hoops.

Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia

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Ten days before Ennis became an infamous figure in the Panthers' inaugural ACC season, all-conference guard Malcolm Brogdon broke quite a few hearts at The Pete.

Brogdon broke a defensive deadlock with a contested three-pointer right down the middle, and right before the final buzzer, that gave Virginia a 48-45 stunner over No. 18 Pitt.

Coming off a brutal nationally televised home loss to No. 17 Duke, a win over the Hoos would have been a welcome ego boost for the Panthers. Instead, Virginia seized control of the conference lead and ultimately did not relinquish it.

Not much changed when the teams were reunited at the Greensboro Coliseum for the ACC semifinals. Once again, the game was a defensive struggle from start to finish, and once again, the No. 6 Cavaliers escaped with a three-point win, with Brogdon toughing out 10 points.

Brogdon (6'5", 217 lbs) led his team in every major category as a redshirt sophomore, and the proverbial clutch gene he displayed with that game-winning three was also evident in his free-throw shooting, which ranked second in the conference at 87.5 percent.

Teams with superb guard play usually go a long way, and Virginia should be quite good again this season. Teams with suspect perimeter defense, which the Panthers had at times last season, usually pay the price.

He'll have another chance to launch himself into ignominy—and the Panthers will have another chance to stop him—when they meet in Charlottesville for ESPN "Big Monday" Feb. 16.

Marcus Paige, North Carolina

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One of the ACC's traditional powers, North Carolina has had any number of players who could play hero, or from a Pitt perspective, villain, at any time. Junior all-conference guard Marcus Paige was the burr in the Panthers' collective saddle last season.

In Chapel Hill on Feb. 15, Paige registered 18 points, chiefly on 5-of-6 three-point shooting. His critical four-point play highlighted an 11-2 run by the Heels late in the first half that changed the complexion of their eventual 75-71 victory.

So much for the Panthers recovering quickly from Tyler Ennis' dagger.

But recover they did, and Pitt finally got its signature win of the season with an 80-75 triumph over No. 15 North Carolina in the ACC quarterfinal in Greensboro. Still, Paige did everything in his power to will his team to the next round, as he led all with 27 points on 9-of-20 shooting from the field.

Paige (6'1", 175 lbs) ranked fourth in the conference with 17.5 points per game in 2013-14. He ranked third in three-point percentage (38.9), led the league in free-throw percentage (87.7) and averaged 4.2 assists per game—a hair better than James Robinson.

Not only is he the most dynamic player on the 2014-15 Tar Heels, but he is one of the most dynamic players in the country. A bona fide NBA prospect, he's the kind of player, as an opposing fan, you'll hate not out of anger but only out of jealousy.

The Panthers won't want to give him any love on Valentine's Day, when UNC travels to the Petersen Center. With Pitt coming off a tough test three days earlier at Louisville, preparing for Paige won't be easy.

Parting Shots

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Even with Maryland leaving for the Big Ten, the ACC won't get any easier for the Panthers. Louisville will join the conference coming off an American Conference tournament championship and just two seasons removed from winning a national title in its last year as Pitt's Big East rival.

Never mind the total confusion that will ensue when Chris Jones matches up against Chris Jones. Junior forward Montrezl Harrell will be the one giving fits to the Panthers, who collide with the Cardinals twice during the 2014-15 conference slate.

Harrell (6'8", 235 lbs) is one of their two returning starters, and he can dominate the paint. He ranked sixth nationally with a 60.9 field-goal percentage last season, and he rounds out this short list of players Pitt fans will love to hate.

The contempt from the Oakland Zoo will be worn as a badge of honor if the Panthers don't do a better job in 2014-15 of protecting their house.

Statistics courtesy of the Associated Press, TheACC.com, KenPom.com (subscription required) and the University of Pittsburgh Athletic Media Relations Office.