So, I tweaked my right shoulder a couple weeks ago, and this week it has been killing me. Makes using the computer a bit difficult, so that hasn’t helped with posting.
Luke Winn keeps Pitt in the power rankings at #6, but complains of Pitt’s non-con.
January 3. I’m excited for that date, and not because of the International Bowl. It’s the day Pitt travels to Georgetown and finally gets to play a ranked team. I know go-to-guy Sam Young is a first-round draft pick, and I believe the Panthers are good, but how can I be sure when the best team they’ll play in the entire non-conference schedule is Washington State? It’s a shame that the Panthers’ non-league slate includes nary a sure-fire NCAA tournament squad. Wazzu might be in the Dance, and so might Texas Tech and Vermont, but none is a lock.
The lack of a marquee non-con game is something even Pitt fans have been a bit unhappy with it. With Florida State looking like the most dangerous game remaining in the non-con. I mean Siena will be desperate, but they haven’t been anywhere near as good as expected. Heck, the fact that I’m even pointing to the Siena game as a possible threat says it all.
Over at ESPN.com, Pitt moved up to #3 (though tied with Gonzaga) without playing a game.
The Panthers seem determined to show the America East who’s boss. They destroyed Vermont last week, and defending AE champ Maryland-Baltimore County is next.
In the ESPN panelists, Fran Fraschilla and Mark Schlabach had Pitt at #2. Hubert Davis was the lowest, putting Pitt at #5.
Seth Davis at SI.com mostly loves Pitt this year.
The two games I saw illustrated the number one reason to like Pitt’s chances to finally break past the Sweet 16 and reach the Final Four. The semifinal against Texas Tech was an open-floor, run-and-shoot affair, and Pitt prevailed 80-67. The final against Washington State, on the other hand, was a nails-on-a-chalkboard halfcourt grinder. Yet Pitt still won, 57-43. Because this team is deeper and more athletic than any other Jamie Dixon has had, Pitt can beat good teams no matter the tempo of the game. That’s a critical asset to take into the NCAA tournament, because in the course of trying to win four or six games, you have to be able to prevail playing different styles.
This team will also improve as Levance Fields plays his way back into shape after gaining a lot of weight during an inactive summer spent recovering from a foot injury. Fields told me he still has another 10 pounds to go, and as we all know those last 10 are the hardest.
Even so, the one nagging question I have about Pitt is whether they’ll be able to score enough quick, easy points to win the whole thing. Yes, this is as good a defensive team as you’ll see, buy can the Panthers make up for their lack of outside shooting with offensive rebounding? More and more I see teams suffer during the tournament because they are not proficient enough at the offensive end. Sam Young is scoring a ton of points right now (20.8 through the first nine games), but this team lacks a three-point sniper like Ronald Ramon, who graduated last spring. Their starting shooting guard, Jermaine Dixon, is there primarily for his defensive abilities.
Obviously, no one would be surprised if Pitt makes the Final Four. But if you’re asking me, in the second week of December, to choose, yes or no, whether they’ll get there? My answer would be no.
A concern echoed by Mike DeCourcy at the Sporting News.
2. Does Pitt deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as UConn and UNC?
That question presupposes UConn is to be mentioned in the same breath with North Carolina, and it’s not yet clear that’s the case. We’ve got to see some more development from the Huskies, and what they’ll look like when forward Stanley Robinson returns at the semester break. I continue to believe they will serve as North Carolina’s strongest challenger, but at this point there is a gap between No. 1 and No. 2.
The Panthers are a terrific team with the kind of toughness Pittsburgh loves to see. Given Sam Young’s development and the presence of DeJuan Blair, they might have a couple of the NBA-level talents that can make a difference in the later rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
One thing I’ve suspected would hold Pitt back is the absence of a great jump-shooting threat. Memphis was not a great 3-point shooting team a year ago and made it to the NCAA title game — but even at that the Tigers shot just short of 35 percent for the year. Pitt is at 33 percent and hasn’t begun to face the most difficult part of its schedule.
If the question amounts to whether Pitt is third in line to win the NCAA title, I suspect not. Gonzaga has more of those kinds of weapons.
We will see if some of that sorts itself out as Coach Dixon sorts out the guards in the rotation and/or there is some separation from an offensive production standpoint. Maybe it will be Brad Wanamaker, after all.
Dixon said Wanamaker is unselfish to the point where it has become a detriment to his game. He has the tendency to rush in transition, and that has led a bevy of turnovers. Despite averaging only 14 minutes per game, he leads the team with 17 turnovers.
Dixon has been stressing to Wanamaker to take the open shot when he has it. Wanamaker worked tirelessly in the offseason to improve his jump shot, and Dixon would like to see him show more confidence in that improved part of his game.
Wanamaker, who shot 16.7 percent from 3-point range last season, has made 4 of 7 shots from behind the 3-point arc this season.
“He’s a much improved shooter,” Dixon said. “It’s not even close. He’s shooting the ball well. We’re trying to get him to the point where he’s shooting the open shot rather than driving in and taking a more contested shot. That’s something he has to get used to. That’s a common thing going from high school to college, but probably more so with him because he was such an effective driver in high school.
“He is a far better shooter than he was. He’s put in the work. I thought he could become a good shooter because of his form and his release. He’s a good free throw shooter. It was building on that form and just getting more comfortable doing it.”
Of course, these discussions are whether Pitt can win the National Championship/Final Four. I’ll take that discussion any day over whether the team is a bubble or even if it can get to the Sweet 16.
Coach Dixon has been pleased with the team’s performance to date.
The Panthers have played different styles of teams in the opening month — Texas Tech and Duquesne were more up-tempo, Miami and Akron ran deliberate half-court sets, Belmont was reliant on perimeter shooting and Washington State was a tough, hard-nosed defensive team.
“It’s been good so far,” Dixon said. “We’ve improved; there is no question about that. We’ve taken care of business. We’ve won by large margins in every game.”
About the only missing ingredient has been any sort of inside challenge for sophomore center DeJuan Blair, averaging 14.9 points and 13.4 rebounds. Florida State’s 7-foot-1, 241-pound Solomon Alabi probably will present the toughest non-conference test.
“We’ve played a lot of teams, as usual, that operate without a post guy inside,” Dixon said. “That’s something we always seem to face in the non-conference. It will be interesting when we play against a bigger post guy.”
That won’t be happening tonight against UMBC. They aren’t big and they aren’t deep.
UMBC can’t afford any injuries. All five starters average at least 29 minutes per game, led by workhorses Darryl Proctor and Jay Greene, who log as much court time as just about anyone in the nation.
Proctor, a 6-foot-4 senior forward, is playing 38.9 minutes per game, and point guard Greene, a 5-8 senior point guard, is averaging 37.6.
Take away the season-opening victory over Stevenson University, when starting forward Rich Flemming didn’t play, and sixth-man Chauncey Gilliam’s playing time, and the remaining reserve players on the Retrievers’ bench have played a total of 13 minutes all season.
Expect a bit of rust from Pitt, but this should still be a blowout.
