Yesterday, both ‘Burgh papers gave the attention to Troutman. Today, the love is shifted to Antonio Graves.
Graves, a 6-foot-3 sophomore whose up-and-down season has mirrored Pitt’s in many ways, scored six of his 11 points in the final 6:37 to help salt away Pitt’s 85-77 victory at the Joyce Center. He had a team-high 13 points and three 3-pointers in Pitt’s 72-50 victory at Boston College five days earlier and has scored in double figures in three of the past four games.
“I’m in the moment and playing,” Graves said. “The coaches have been telling me to go out there and do what I do. There’s not a whole lot of thought process now. I’m just out there playing.”
It’s no coincidence that the emergence of Graves and Taft late in the season has translated into the Panthers playing their best basketball heading into a Big East Conference quarterfinal game against Villanova at 2 p.m. tomorrow. Graves, the replacement for Julius Page at shooting guard, knows his play will go a long way in determining how far Pitt goes this postseason.
“I’m ready for that,” said Graves, from Mansfield, Ohio. “The last two games against Boston College and Notre Dame really showed what I can do. It’s given me a lot of confidence. I just can’t sit there and watch. I can’t let Carl, Chevy and Chris do everything. We need strong contributions from everybody.”
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Graves’ play is usually a pretty good indicator for the way Pitt plays. When he struggles, Pitt usually does, too. In Pitt’s seven losses this season, Graves was 17 for 50 (34 percent) from the field with 14 turnovers. In Pitt’s 20 victories, he is 48 for 107 from the field (45 percent) with 25 turnovers.
Coach Dixon suggests part of his improved play is increasing maturity, but Graves leans more towards having his ankle fully healthy. I tend to lean towards the latter. Graves is looking forward to Thursday’s game.
One game that remains stuck in Graves’ craw is the eight-point loss to Villanova on Feb. 20, when the Wildcats struck for 12 3-pointers and Graves committed several late-game turnovers. Graves, Krauser and Co. could not keep up with the Villanova guards.
“I have revenge on my mind,” Graves said. “I feel like it’s the beginning of the season again for me. My confidence is good. I’m ready to take the next step.”
I was kind of surprised both papers did a story on Graves, but then I realized he’s the only other starter, aside from Troutman, not from the 5 boroughs. There were plenty of “homecoming” stories last year, and more to be expected. Might as well give the others their moment.
As for Villanova, I’ve made no secret that to me, the biggest match-up issue will be forward Curtis Sumpter. Sumpter and several of his teammates are getting their own “homecoming” storylines. A big issue for ‘Nova and Sumpter in the BET will be Sumpter’s knee. It’s been giving him problems since January. It probably won’t be much of an issue in the Pitt game, but is more a concern for the Wildcats if they hope to go beyond in the BET. How can it handle back-to-back games?
In the BET, Pitt has not had much luck against Villanova. Pitt has only beaten them once in 6 tries.
Bad weather, delayed Pitt getting to NYC by 9 hours. They literally flew to NYC, then after circling for a while, had to fly back to Pittsburgh. They ended up flying to Philly and busing it the rest of the way.
