Midnight Madness commences at many schools in less than an hour, but not at Pitt, which I may have mentioned once or twice. So, pre-season rankings galore. For Pitt, the best ranking received was #15 from Dick Vitale. ESPN.com’s top 10 and then 11-25 puts Pitt at #21.
What we like: Coach Jamie Dixon, point guard Carl Krauser and sophomore forward Chris Taft are all winners. Krauser, who always marks the sign of the ‘X’ when he hits a 3 to represent his native Bronx, gives the Panthers a chance in every game. He was not a heralded recruit, yet he came in and made the Panthers a better team. A year ago, he was the stud that pushed this team to a 31-5 record. Krauser is money at the free-throw line and isn’t afraid to take a late-game shot. Taft is developing into one of the top forwards in the country. He’s being billed as a possible lottery pick. He’ll get even more touches this season and could be a double-double player on a regular basis. Chevon Troutman is a glue guy who can board, pass and defend. Troutman will pick up the slack left by physical wings Julius Page and Jaron Brown. He brings the experience of multiple Sweet 16s and, like Krauser and Taft, is a winner. That will rub off on the newcomers, who are expected to come in and contribute.
Causes for concern: This team could use another lock-down defender and tough-guy. Troutman can serve in that role but the Panthers got so much out of Brown and Page. Their experience is hard to measure in simple numbers. They were the intangible pieces to this team over the past few seasons. There is room for another player like them to step up and become an enforcer, especially on the perimeter. Pittsburgh made a living of being physical at guard. The more they can repeat that, the more apt they are to keep their reputation as a physical team.
Keep an eye on: Mark McCarroll. He’s the least known of the Pitt returnees, but still could be a special talent. He’s incredibly long and could be disruptive, especially on the defensive end. His offensive game hasn’t been tapped that much, yet, but he has the potential, through putbacks, to double his production from five to 10 points a game. If he can do that, the Panthers have a shot to move up in the standings.
Non-conference nightmare: Dixon isn’t going to like this but there isn’t too much that should keep him up at night. The only truly difficult game is against Memphis in New York in the Jimmy V Classic. Playing South Carolina won’t be a walk in the park, but the game is at home. We’re not saying Richmond is a guarantee, either, but once again the game is at home, where Pittsburgh loses lately about as often as you would break out the suntan lotion in January.
Best-case scenario: The Panthers lost two key players but they are still a team that could be a very tough out come March. They play as hard as any team in the Big East and won’t give up their home court. Don’t sleep on this team and expect them to exit early out of the NCAAs. An Elite Eight visit, though, likely is one step out of reach.
Seth Davis at SI.com gives his top 20, but only in alphabetical order. Not by his guestimated rankings. Way to be bold, Seth. Pitt isn’t in his list. I can’t believe he thinks Wisconsin and Washington are top 20 teams.
I guess the bright side, is that expectations aren’t huge for Pitt, but respectable.
With Pitt’s abysmal non-con, they have to enter the Big East play undefeated or maybe(just maybe) one loss.
