You can argue that Pitt did nothing that impressive by beating up on a team that was clearly not that good. That all Pitt did, was play at their talent and skill level. Considering, though, that Pitt lost games to teams with lower talent and skill — Bucknell and St. John’s — and had complete lapses of effort and focus that nearly cost them — Rutgers and Seton Hall — wins; this was a very strong statement game from Pitt.
Pitt never trailed in the game. After the opening tip, the best Providence could do was tie the game twice at 13 and at 15. The last time, was with nearly 11 minutes left in the half. Providence not only couldn’t seem to hang with Pitt inside, they had trouble defending them and keeping players in front of them, as witnessed by the numerous Providence fouls committed away from the basket.
The stat sheet shows a completely dominating performance and not a lot to have complaints.
Pitt shot 51.7% (30-58) overall. The only area of concern or question is that Pitt only shot 5-13 (38.5%) on 3s. You would have liked to have seen a little better shooting, especially considering how many open looks the perimeter shooters were getting. Ramon has been a little off on his shots the last couple of games. Otherwise, that makes them 25-45 (55.6%) from the rest of the field. Pitt had 39 rebounds, 15 of which were on the offensive glass, 22 assists and 9 steals. Even the always problematic free throw shooting was dead-on at 21-24.
Pitt was also able to give most of the starters plenty of time off, except for Krauser who stayed on the floor for 38 minutes. 8 players with 13 minutes or more of PT.
Chris Taft had the kind of huge, dominating game we’ve been waiting for. The kind you would expect him to have against a team like this, but hasn’t. Yes, he needs to do it more often, especially against better opponents, but this was still a great game and an important one for him to have. In only 27 minutes, he grabbed 15 rebounds (6 offense, 9 defense), scored 25 points (11-16), made his free throws (3-3), had a block and an assist. He just dominated inside.
Carl Krauser had his second straight great game. Not a lot of room for anyone to complain. Yes he showboated at a point, but with Pitt up so high, so late, you let him have his fun. He scored 19 points on 7-13 shooting (3-4 on 3s), had 9 assists, 2 steals and only 1 turnover.
Chevon Troutman almost seemed to be taking the night off, by comparison. He had a sub-.500 shooting night (5-11) for only 14 points, and only 7 rebounds. What he was doing, though, was making sure everyone was involved. He had 5 assists in the game. He also went 4-5 at the free throw line.
Levon Kendall, in his second start had a quiet night in the stats. He only had one basket on his lone shot. Only grabbed 4 rebounds, but he was concentrating on defense all night. Provided good help on Gomes and even handled him a few times solo.
Antonio Graves started, but only played 13 minutes. He was hurt by picking up 2 fouls before ESPN2 even switched to the game — had to keep everyone watching the excrutiatingly dull, foul-fest-filled conclusion of the women’s Georgia-Tennessee game. What a shock, Tennessee won. Still, his confidence looks gone. 0-4 shooting, though he did have 2 points from the free throw line. I hate seeing that. He probably shouldn’t be starting at this point, but he needs to find something to give him a lift.
Ronald Ramon struggled a bit in this game. He missed some open looks for 3s (1-5 ), and had some issues bringing the ball up court when Providence pressured. He was bailed out by several sloppy reach-ins by Providence defenders. This sent him to the free throw line 3 times for 1&1s. He nailed all 6 of his free throws, helping him to 9 points in the game. He did have 2 assists and a steal.
Aaron Gray was great in place of Taft for 13 minutes. He was 3-3, sticking with the high percentage slams or lay-ins, finishing with 9 points. He had a little trouble with Providence’s speed, picking up 4 fouls.
Keith Benjamin played 16 minutes. He had 3 points, only taking 2 shots (1-2, both 3s), and grabbed 3 rebounds and had 2 assists and 2 steals. He did commit 4 turnovers, though.
Providence just had no chance. Pitt’s starting frontcourt — Taft, Troutman and Kendall — outrebounded the entire team. Gomes had 24 points, but had to take 20 shots to do so, and 10 of his points came at the charity stripe. Providence is just in a tailspin.
More later.
