A strong win. Pitt didn’t panic when Colin Falls was dropping 3 after 3 in the first half — it was scary impressive to see him drop 6 straight after missing his first. The thing was, take him out of the equation and the rest of the team was 5-16 in the first half. For the game, the ND guards shot poorly.
The first half was all about runs. Both teams made them. Neither team seemed out of it. It didn’t matter that ND went up by 9, you knew Pitt was going to close the gap.
This ND team just does not match-up well against Pitt. They lack a penetrating guard or small forward — Pitt’s kryptonite this season — so they either shoot deep shots or they throw it in to let their bigs try and score.
Chris Taft had a dominating game from start to finish. The kind of game that we knew he could have. This game cinched it for me that he is an NBA-caliber player. How else do you describe a b-ball player who seemingly sleeps through most of the season, then turns it on as the season winds down and the Tournaments loom.
Troutman got off to a slow start, but started getting more opportunities deeper in the game as he wore down the defense inside, and more attention was being paid to Taft.
Krauser did his thing. Not a great shooting percentage, but lots of penetrating and solid passes for the open bucket inside.
A very encouraging thing was seeing both Ramon and Graves driving to the basket. As a whole, Pitt seemed to be driving to the basket. Especially in the second half, it seemed that Pitt made a conscious effort to drive to the hoop. Clearly evidenced by the fact that Pitt only attempted 2 3-point shots in the second half. If the perimeter guys can start taking their guys off the dribble to get inside, it really opens up Pitt’s options on offense.
Pitt showed it could play a more open and faster game, while still playing defense. ND barely shot 40% in getting 77 points. Nearly 25% of the Irish’s points came from the free throw line. Pitt was able to run, and still get back on defense. Not something I’d advise them to do too often, but good to see them capable of doing it.
Defensively, Pitt played a solid game. Falls was hot for a while, but then only hit 2 more in the second half. For the game, ND could only muster 9 3s on 28 attempts. From the rest of the field they were pretty good hitting 16 for 34. Really, ND killed themselves by being impatient and taking too many 3s. Torin Francis was playing well. He was able to push back against Troutman and Taft, getting inside and some good looks at the basket.
In the end, though, it was their senior point gaurd, Chris Thomas, who keys this ND team. He had a miserable game. 2-13 shooting, and didn’t get that first bucket until about 5 minutes were left in the game. He did get to the free throw line several times and went 8-8. He just could not get any spacing. Krauser hounded him all game.
One other nice thing. At the end of the game walk-ons Bowman and Small got in for the final 30 seconds or so.
With this win, Pitt finishes 5th in the Big East and gets the first round bye. On Thursday they will play Villanova. Good. Not necessarily for revenge. I want Pitt to play ‘Nova for more experience against a forward like Sumpter who can take the ball inside or go out for a shot. Pitt needs to show if they have figured out how to defend against that type of player.
Individual Players
Chris Taft — In the game from beginning to end. Played 30 minutes of domination. 26 points (12-17 and 2-3 on FT), 11 rebounds and 4 blocks. Makes me believe he will be looking to take over in the tournaments.
Chevon Troutman — ND was keyed on stopping him, which is why he ended up with 12 free throw attempts (making 8). As the game wore on, Troutman got more and more clean shots at the basket and converted. Finished with 22 points and 9 rebounds. Did embarrass himself when he had a clear line to the basket, went up for the dunk and nailed the rim. Dropped himself on his ass.
Carl Krauser — Krauser was finding the open guy. Had 11 assists to go with 15 points. Played great defense, completely shutting down Chris Thomas. Had 5 turnovers, but also 3 steals. Did get a little too casual about free throw shooting and it cost him. He only went 4-8 at the line.
Antonio Graves — Some early fouls kept him on the bench for most of the first half. In the second half, he was excellent. Quietly, it was one of his most efficient and complete games. He drove inside successfully (4-6 for 11 points), took care of the ball (5 assists and 0 turnovers), and played good man defense grabbing 3 rebounds and 2 steals.
Ronald Ramon — He showed much more patience in letting the ball find him. Ramon made a conscious decision to go inside on offense a bit more, and converted. Most of his energy was spent on defense.
