Had things to do with the family today, so I will not be doing my game notes. Instead, just a review of the game.
The BC-Pitt game was not easy, but no one should have expected it to be. BC has been one of the hottest teams in the Big East, and they have the bodies inside to bang with Pitt. The difference, though, is that Pitt has guards that can hit a shot. BC’s starting guards had 4 points in the game. By comparison, Pitt’s guards had 22 points. BC’s forwards and center provided 35 points, but Pitt got 29 from theirs. Not enough to make up the difference.
The first half was ugly. Not the kind of ugly Pitt wins, but the kind they lose. Nothing falling. Confusion on the offense. Settling for too many jumpers rather than getting the ball inside. Both teams shot around 30%. BC got its lead because Pitt fouled them on shots, and BC was brilliant at the line. They went 12-12 in the first half. Pitt was 5-8. Pitt stayed in the game and won because of their defense. They got 11 steals in the game and forced 15 turnovers from BC.
The second half was different. Both teams shot better, but Pitt solved their 2-3 zone and got inside more for easier shots. This forced them back to man-to-man. Pitt shot 15-28 in the second half. Part of how they solved the zone was by Krauser and Brown taking the ball and slashing to the hoop more. Brown especially caught them off guard. The second half was classic Pitt. They never completely pulled away, they just grinded BC down as the game continued.
BC should be glad they have one more year in the Big East with this team. They are not built for ACC play, they are a big inside team that should do very well next year in the Big East.
Individual Evaluations
Chevon Troutman: ESPN sideline analyst, Len Elmore, raved about his game before and during the game. Troutman didn’t disappoint. Despite the foul trouble that limited him to “only” 33 minutes, Troutman’s defense on BC’s Craig Smith was huge. Smith abused anyone else who had to guard him (see, McCarroll). Troutman got 6 steals, a block and 6 rebounds to go with his 8 points (4-7).
Chris Taft: A little too eager to try for the tip-ins in the first half, he got smarter in the second half pulling the ball down before trying to put it in. 10 points and 8 rebounds in 29 minutes. A very typical game for Taft.
Jaron Brown: The stat sheet doesn’t do him justice. He had 11 points and 9 rebounds, but like his 2 steals, they always seemed to come just at the right time. He turned his ankle midway through the second half grabbing a rebound, but didn’t go down until he was able to pass the ball to someone. Got it re-taped and came back into the game after only a couple minutes. Even with the sore ankle, he made a key steal at about 7:47 and took it down for the lay-up himself to get Pitt’s lead back to 5. He kept BC’s star freshman Jared Dudley in check all night.
Carl Krauser: He is, without a doubt, the key on Pitt’s offense. He got 18 points, even though he didn’t shoot well, 5 assists and 2 steals. He is constantly in motion. Played the entire 40 minutes, and I expect the same tonight.
Julius Page: Watching Page go from a slasher and athletic nightmare on offense to a poor jump shooter has sucked. I hate to say this, but Dixon should have sat him more and played McCarroll or Graves in his place for this game. Page is a great defender, but it wasn’t necessary given BC doesn’t have good perimeter players. Considering how well he shot against VT when he had some rest, it seems that he should have gotten a little extra break last night. Page’s shots didn’t go down early or much. He had only 4 points on 2-6. One of the buckets came when he actually chose to take the ball to the basket. It surprised everyone.
Mark McCarroll: Pitt’s not-yet-ready-for-prime-time player. He has the skills on offense, but his defense will keep him on the bench. When he went in for Troutman, he was abused by Smith. In the first half, Smith got 4 straight baskets as McCarroll was helpless — though maybe Page should have been asked to help double him up some more. On offense, he still has a little trouble handling the pass inside.
Torree Morris: The big man had 6 points (3-3) in only 3 minutes of action. He provided a spark on offense, by not missing under the basket.
Tonight against UConn in the Championship.
