I’ve only seen one Pitt basketball game this season, otherwise, I’ve had to rely on box scores and recaps. Still, what I saw and read jibes with this story on how teams are and will keep playing Pitt in the 2-3 zone, letting Pitt take the open 3 rather than get the ball in the paint. Looking at the team and individual stats, gives the simple explanation. Pitt is shooting 32.2% from the 3 point line (48-149). Julius Page and Carl Krauser have taken more than 2/3 of the shots (101) and are above the team norm (37.6%).

Jaron Brown, though, is killing the Panthers when he shoots. Actually, when Jaron shoots from the free throw or the 3-point range he might as well close his eyes. Brown is 3-21 from beyond the 3-point line and an embarrassing 7-17 at the free throw line. Brown is a joy to watch on defense, but unless he is driving or cutting to the basket you don’t want the ball going to him on the offensive side.

Pitt as a team has been incredibly streaky in their 3-point shots. Through their first 9 games they had 6 games where they shot under 30%. It isn’t simply a need for Julius Page to start driving to the basket more. The team needs to get consistent, and regain some of their patience for the open look.

It hasn’t cost them yet, and they shot 5-9 versus Murray St., who they crushed. But between streaky 3-point shooting, and bad free throw shooting — through the first 9 games they are 107-177, 60.5% — we can expect some of what happened last year to happen again. Pitt will lose some games that come down to making foul shots, and not be able to come back in other games because the threes aren’t falling.