You know, I actually started writing this before noon, but a sick daughter and a visiting mother-in-law caused a major slow down in posting. On the bright side, we were treated to some good food and really good beers at the local brewpub last night, and I pulled off a spectacular grilled salmon with a cilantro pesto tonight.
There is no doubt this was a very physical game. Part of the reason was that was the way the game was (not) being called. The refs were just letting them play, letting the players get tangled up, and calling a held ball sooner than a foul. Marquette only got to the line 12 times and Pitt 18 (with 6 coming in the final minute).
So as we all know, Marquette came out hot and Pitt not:
Already playing without another freshman guard in Wesley Matthews (foot) and with hobbled senior forward Steve Novak (ankle), the Golden Eagles roared out of the gate against the Panthers (17-1, 6-1), who entered the day ranked 12th in the Associated Press’ poll and 10th in the coaches’.
They harassed Pittsburgh into misses on 11 of its first 12 shots in jumping out to a 13-3 lead and responded each time the Panthers made a run at them. Three-pointers by Graves and Ronald Ramon sandwiched around a Dan Fitzgerald three sent MU into the locker room nursing a 40-33 lead built by 53.3% shooting and in spite of a 17-0 deficit in second-chance points.
For the game, Pitt held a 26-7 advantage in second chance points. Gray was the second BE player to get 20 boards in a game (Cedric McGowan of Cinci also did it). Marquette shot 46.0% against Pitt. The highest of any foe this season.
The hero of the game, was obviously, Antonio Graves. He hadn’t disappeared from box scores, just from statistical relevance. Today, at least, he found his stroke. He took patient, unhurried shots and buried them.
The other big factor for Pitt was inside. The team just kept grabbing rebounds. And while Marquette hung with Pitt on defensive boards in the first half (14 D-rbds to 13 in favor of the Golden Eagles), they gave up the second chance points and Pitt wore them down inside in the sceond half (13-8 D-rbds). Off the offensive glass it was never close (19-9).
Mike DeCourcy summarized Pitt and the way the team is playing very well.
It’s that element of Pitt’s depth that has led to the 17-1 start. Often, the best players excel. When they do not, there’s always someone else to try.
That’s why Pitt has won games at South Carolina, at Louisville, at Rutgers and against Marquette (to name the first ones that popped into my head). Others have stepped up.
One of the things Graves was able to do was handle a hobbled Steve Novak.
Graves spent most of his minutes defending 6-foot-10 shooter Steve Novak, the reigning Big East Player of the Week. Novak was held to eight points, or half of his 16.3 average.
“I realized that I was quicker than him and he wasn’t the type of guy that was going to stick inside,” Graves said. “I tried to pressure him and limit his touches.”
Aaron Gray showed his sense of humor after the game.
Gray got 20 of them, nine on the offensive end. The total looks great, but proves deceiving. Gray shot 6 of 14 from the floor – he made only one shot Monday against Syracuse – and collected many of his own misses.
“A lot of times my offense is so bad, I’m just glad even with my offensive struggles that I’ve been able to get offensive rebounds,” Gray added.
Heading to a big match-up with UConn, Gray got a story in the Connecticut Post.
After playing behind Panther post heavyweights like Chevon Troutman and Chris Taft for his first two years, Gray is getting his first chance to start and play significant minutes this season for the 12th-ranked Panthers. He’s making the most of it.
Gray, a junior from Emmaus, Pa., averaged 4.3 points and 2.8 rebounds last season. This season, he’s scoring 13.1 points per game and pulling down a league-best 10.4 rebounds each night through Friday’s games.
“It hasn’t been like an overnight thing or even an over-the-summer thing,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “It’s been a continuous process really since we signed him. His improvement’s been constant, yet dramatic when you look at it.”
Associate Head Coach Barry Rohrssen got a puff piece in the NY Post.
DURING his playing days at St. Francis, Brooklyn’s Barry Rohrssen was nicknamed “Slice,” because he knifed through defenses like butter. Eventually, like many others, he swapped the uniform for a suit, embarking on a coaching career.
But the nickname — unlike the butter — stuck.
Now, as Pitt’s top assistant, it’s still quite appropriate. Instead of opponents, he now slices through the recruiting trail.
At least now we know how the nickname originated.
Krauser made the cut-down to the remaining 30 for the Wooden Award. He really doesn’t have much of a chance of winning it, but it is impressive that he made the cut-down.
And finally a Pittsburgh sports columnist takes a break from writing up another Steeler story to give Pitt a backhanded compliment — so, yes, it must be Smizik.
The Panthers had been ranked in the Top 10 until their loss last week against St. John’s. With this win, they might move back into that elite group. But despite the record, despite the ranking, no one should be getting carried away with this success.
This is a good team that gets the most out of its ability, but it is not a championship-caliber team.
Not this season, at least.
There are so many ways to put this, but “screw you” feels like the most succinct and least vulgar possibility.
It is very rare that teams peak absolutely when they are supposed to. In pros or college. It takes some opportunities and things happening right. Not to mention just a team playing extremely well together.
Last year was supposed to be the big, big year for Pitt. How’d that work out?
Villanova was supposed to be unbeatable in the BE this year — then Curtis Sumpter went out and things are a lot more open.
Should UConn be this good when Boone isn’t stepping up, Gay is still inconsistent, and Marcus Williams spent half the season suspended. But then Jeff Adrien has been fantastic as a freshman; Hilton Armstrong has decided to step-up and Denham Brown is still doing his thing (and people make cracks about Krauser being around forever?). You have to take advantage of the chances when they come.
