Noon game on ESPNU. Here are the Game Notes (PDF).
Domestic issues keep me from sneaking to a bar and somehow convincing a Cleveland area bar to give me one screen while the rest blare the Browns-Falcons game. That would be a tough sell around here, and the best argument to muster is the Ohio State women play at 3:30. It’s the trade-off to getting 12 hours or so of uninterrupted college football watching on Saturday. I have to do lots of other stuff on Sunday.
The Broncos are expected to be middle-of-the pack in the MAC. They don’t have a starter over 6′ 7″. The one thing that might make them a bit of a challenge or confusing is that they junked their old offense and are in a new style that Pitt hasn’t scouted or reviewed from old tapes.
Hawkins has, implementing an attack that, in a nutshell, leaves Reitz alone inside and four players on the perimeter — with an emphasis on pushing the ball up the floor and having a fluid inside-out game once the offense enters its halfcourt sets.
Through a month of practice and two exhibition games, the players have been vocal supporters of the change.
“Part of the reason we’re shooting better is we’re getting open shots instead of checked shots,” sophomore forward Derek Drews said after WMU’s second exhibition, during which the Broncos shot better than 48 percent for the second time. “If we don’t get an open shot in transition, we feel we can work our way to the middle and, once we’re in the middle, kick out for more open shots.”
Hawkins said last year’s team would struggle to score if it failed on the fastbreak. That, coupled with limited offensive talent, led to less than 41 percent shooting for the season.
Another player the spread-out attack benefits is Reitz, who averaged 15.5 points as a sophomore despite almost always having four to six hands in his face.
Apparently it got to the point in the MAC last year that teams were calling out exactly what the Broncos were doing as they were setting it up. Joe Reitz is their 6′ 7″ Center/Forward. It should present an early challenge to the perimeter defense and see if the Pitt players can keep the guys outside and from penetrating with the ball.
For Pitt, it’s about the expectations. The team and fans are ready to get this season going (especially after yesterday’s football game). THe team isn’t shying away from expecting big things this season. All the way through the NCAA Tournament.
“I’ve always had unrealistic expectations here,” Dixon said. “When I came here, they told me I had unrealistic expectations. Ben (Howland) told me I had unrealistic expectations. What people think are new expectations, I’ve already been through those and had those.”
Joe Starkey wants to remind everyone to enjoy the ride with all the expectations.
Realize how lucky you are.
Do you know how many teams in the brutal Big East have a better conference winning percentage than Pitt’s during that span? Only Connecticut, at 77.5 percent. Pitt has won 73.8 percent of its Big East games.
Do you know how many teams in the country have a better overall winning percentage? Precisely three. Here are the top five:
• Gonzaga – 84.5
• Duke – 84.3
• Illinois – 81.4
• Pitt – 80.1
• UConn – 79.5
Pitt has reached the championship game of the Big East Tournament four times in the past five years and has an NCAA Tournament record of 7-5, which means you’ve seen more exciting games, more victories, than just about any group of college basketball fans in the country.
Counterpoint, is that all of those other teams made it past the Sweet Sixteen at least once.
But do yourself a favor. Avoid putting too much thought into March. You might miss a lot of memorable nights along the way.
Fair enough. I’m hoping to enjoy this season immensely.
Didn’t get to the line very often and we got a little sloppy down the stretch, but overall, a good start to what I hope will be a memorable season.
What football team?
Fields – Did a good job of running the floor. No real penetration to speak of (other than a sweet dish to Cook on a mini-fast break), but solid game.
Gray – What you expect against this level of opponent. Was dismayed that several times he put the ball on the floor with 2 or 3 guys around him.
Ramon – Looks bigger, stronger, and the stroke was smooth as silk. I expect him to have a huge year.
Biggs – As other said, he is now buff, slim, and displayed remarkable range, stroking a number of shots from 17-20 feet. Makes him an important contributor off the bench.
Graves – Subpar. Looked like the Graves of old. A few bad turnovers, ill-advised drive to the hoop. Thought he was past that.
Kendall – Typical Kendall performance. Good D, rebounding, hit a few shots. Ol’ reliable.
Cook – As advertised. Looked great inside and out. He will be a tough matchup for a lot of teams. Color me impressed.
Young – Looked very good. Still continues to believe that, by definition, if the ball is passed to him, he must shoot. That said, made most of his shots. I hope against better competition he shows a little more patience.
Benjamin – Never got into the flow of the game. A few nice shots, though.
Good win. Pounded them like they should.
Just kidding, it is getting that bad with the football team. Not quite Pirate-esque, but that was bad.
Anyways, I didn’t get to see any of the game, but it sounds like we did what we’re supposed to do against an inferior opponent, pound the crap out of them.
Now if only the football team could learn to do the same to its inferior opponents.
I’m lovin it so far.
He did hit a nice short baseline jumper, and if he can add that to his repertoire, which he’ll need for the NBA, that will make teams have to come out and guard him a little bit, which will open up the inside for Young and Cook to slash to the hoop.
