When you are facing a team like Coppin St., where the outcome is never truly in doubt. The most important thing is to rest those that need it and not have anyone get hurt. Pitt rested Mark McCarroll, who suffered a concussion last Saturday against Penn State. Unfortunatlely, Antonio Graves re-injured his left ankle — he had a high ankle sprain at the start of the season that allowed the freshman Ronald Ramon to start some games. Graves was on crutches at the end of the game, and is uncertain for Thursday’s game against the Richmond Spiders (ESPN2, 7pm).
The game stories, though, focused on a very good night for Chris Taft, when the Coppin St. Eagles focused much of their energy on successfully containing Chevy Troutman. Taft had a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds. This came in only 24 minutes. Benjamin got 13 minutes, so I think we can assume that he will not be redshirting this season (he might be eligible for a medical redshirt, but he has already appeared in 6 games — the limit for the entire year).
The next game is against the Spiders. Richmond is one of the few potentially dangerous teams on Pitt’s non-con. They are 4-3, with blowout losses to Wake Forest and Virginia. They did beat Seton Hall in New Jersey to open the season.