If the team needed any reminding that the seeding doesn’t matter once the games start, they saw it in their hotel rooms.
Since 1989, No. 12 seeds have knocked off No. 5 seeds 24 times in 68 games. That’s 35 percent. The upsets have been more frequent in recent years. Since 2001, No. 12 seeds had won 9 of 20 games (not counting this tournament), including three in 2001.
Those are the odds Pitt is up against today when it plays No. 12 seed Kent State in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
“I think a lot of teams think too far ahead,” junior guard Antonio Graves said. “All it takes is one mishap. These teams are just waiting to upset people. We have to think every team is UConn or Duke.”
Already half the 5 seeds went down this tournament.
In the MAC Tournament, Kent was shooting very well. They try to play up-tempo with players often trying to create their own shot. Expect a lot of 3s from Kent tonight.
But while Pitt (24-7) is the better rebounding team, the Panthers have shown some weaknesses guarding the outside.
Earlier this week, Panthers coach Jamie Dixon described his team’s perimeter defense as “not where we want it to be, but getting better.”
The Flashes average nearly 20 3-point attempts per game (hitting on 35.7 percent).
Dixon noticed how the Flashes’ offense utilizes a lot of ball screens and handoffs as it tries to create scoring opportunities.
Pitt has, to be kind, been inconsistent when it comes to fighting through screens and not getting burned.
On defense, they play a man-to-man, but try to trap in the post by doubling down.
The trapping in the post on big men was born out of necessity. Nate Gerwig is their biggest player at 6’9″, but continued to be injury-prone this season.
In December, KSU was dog-paddling through the season at 5-3 when senior center Nate Gerwig injured his knee in the first game of the two-day St. Mary’s Tournament in California. He would not be able to play against St. Mary’s, an NCAA Tournament team from the previous season that had a pair of 6-10 players under the hoop.
Before the game, Kent head coach Jim Christian decided he would start swing man Mike Scott, a 6-6 sophomore being groomed to play in the backcourt, at power forward. At 175 pounds, Scott had no bulk for the inside combat of post defense and rebounding.
But Scott was tall enough and had long enough arms to harass a taller post player into passing the ball back to the perimeter.
In the land of the 49ers, Kent struck gold.
“He had 16 points in that game and he trapped his butt off,” KSU assistant coach Rob Senderoff said.
“Even though we lost [61-59], we played our best game to that point, certainly our best for long stretches in a game,” Christian said. “It just fell into place.”
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With Scott’s athleticism, he was able to rotate out of the double-team and cover an open man quicker than most players. Even if Scott was late, his 7-0 wingspan would help make up for his tardy feet.
As we all know, Gray has struggled against the double team. Len Elmore, during the Big East Tournament, often pointed out that Gray was all too often dropping the ball too low with his hands. That could be a problem. They way to eleviate that, though, is for the guards to knock down some open shots and mid-range jumpers.
With Kent not being a particularly big team, they rely on leaping and mistakes by their opponents to grab rebounds. This is where boxing out will be very important for Pitt. An area, Sam Young has struggled when around the glass. Kendall could be very important in that respect.
Krauser is Pitt’s motor, and everyone knows it starts verbally.
“He gets us going,” for Levon Kendall said. “The team tends to go how he goes… It gets him going and gets us going.'”
Expect crowd shots featuring San Diego Charger Antonio Gates tonight, as well as the expected flashbacks to the 2002 game.
Someone did press UCLA Coach Ben Howland about the possibility of facing Pitt in the Tournament.
UCLA, which is coached by recent Pitt head coach Ben Howland, is the No. 2 seed and Gonzaga is the No. 3 seed.
UCLA will be the favored opponent Pitt advances to the elite eight.
“It would obviously be great for us to play Pitt since it would mean we would both be advancing far into the tournament,” UCLA coach Howland said.
“Jamie (Dixon) has done a great job with the program since I left.”
Something to help confuse perception further, in a brief Sam Young Q&A, Young says that John DeGroat is the toughest person to go against him in practice.
Finally another Krauser piece, but this is one of the better ones I’ve read.
Krauser has a fondness for language, although it hasn’t always manifested itself in the most polite and conventional fashion. Earlier this month, in a Sports Illustrated poll of the major college basketball conferences, Kraser was named the biggest trash talker in the Big East (and yes, Syracuse’s Gerry McNamara was picked as the most overrated player).
He’s actually proud of the designation. Krauser, a 6-foot-2 senior insists sts he doesn’t cross the line on the floor. He doesn’t swear or insult an opponent’s appearance or his family. He’s a passionate guy who never stops competing and never shuts up. He likens his competitive style to that of his boxing hero, Muhammad Ali.
“Ali fights with passion and keeps his mouth moving,” said Krauser. “He throws his opponent off and gets him frustrated. Then he attacks and he beats you. That’s it. Game.”
Krauser doesn’t have the most elegant game. He has been skewered on the Pittsburgh talk shows for his 39.9 percent shooting. But in the one stat that truly matters – wins – he has few peers in the college ranks. The Panthers (24-7) have won 103 games in his four years. He is one of three Pitt players to win 20 games in four straight seasons.
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Krauser nearly moved on after his junior year. He worked out at some NBA draft camps, but scouts told him he needed to become a more consistent shooter and wasn’t likely to be drafted. He moved from point guard to off guard, but had the worst shooting year of his career, percentage-wise. Still, Krauser said he has no regrets about returning for his senior year.“I looked at myself and said, “Hey, you’ve got the opportunity to come back to Pittsburgh and be a better father, a better student/athlete, a better person,’ ” Krauser said. “I got to share my experiences with these young guys who needed my leadership. “I learn from them,” he said, “and they pick up things from me. So I wanted to come back and do those things. I love teaching and I love learning at the same time, and I love working with young people.”
