I forgot to mention it yesterday, but Pitt moved up to #10 in both the coaches and writers polls in basketball. I didn’t think Pitt would, but UConn’s unexplected and shocking loss to UMass allowed Pitt entry.
Pitt not missing a beat so far this season, has caught the eye of at least on reporter up in Connecticut.
Through the first seven games of the season, nothing much has changed. Pitt improved to 7-0 for the third consecutive season with an 84-71 victory over Penn State Saturday. The Panthers, ranked No. 10, might not win their first 18 games as they did last season, but there’s no doubt the NCAA Tournament is in their future again.
The steady influence of coach Jamie Dixon, in his second season of replacing Ben Howland, is a major reason.
“We really look at every game as the same,” Dixon said before the Penn State game, which was built up by the Nittany Lions as a big rivalry game. “We prepare every game the same, and I think that’s why we’ve been so consistent last year and this year. We look at every game as the most important on our schedule.”
…
Pitt’s offense doesn’t get much praise, but the Panthers are shooting 50 percent from the field.“Last year we led the Big East in field goal percentage offense [46.9] and we were near the top in [fewest] turnovers,” Dixon said. “Those generally are the things that indicate offense efficiency. We were very good on the offensive end last year.
“I think the way we play defense, make it tough for teams to run their stuff, and force teams to use a lot of clock before they do take up a shot … that has a lot to do with the score of our games. We’ve executed pretty well in the offensive end. We’re trying to get better. I hope we continue to improve like we did last year.”
…
UConn was the first team to beat Pitt last season, snapping that 18-0 start on Jan. 19 at the Civic Center with a 68-65 victory. The Panthers might not go that long without a loss this season, but they are headed in the right direction.
The writer is the regular on UConn’s b-ball beat. Looks like he is already taking Pitt seriously again as a rival for the Big East.
