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February 3, 2009

Blind Examination of Beating RMU

Filed under: Basketball,Opponent(s) — Chas @ 12:41 pm

I did not see last night’s 92-72 win over Robert Morris. That leaves the box score info and media recaps to base the discussion.

The first thing that jumps out from the recaps is Coach Jamie Dixon really wasn’t enthusiastic about playing Robert Morris.

One of Rice’s reasons to play Pitt was for the sheer fun of it. Where’s the fun in losing, like the Colonials have to Miami (Fla.) and Xavier, ranked teams that appeared prior to Pitt on the schedule? Rice quickly pointed to the 12-1 second-half surge that nearly brought the Colonials back against a team which could win a national championship.

For the record, Dixon didn’t want to play Robert Morris. Doesn’t want to again, or at least while Rice is there.

“Mike really wanted to do it,” Dixon said.

If he does not want to play an assistant who was there for a year — two years ago — then maybe he’s being sincere about not liking the idea of facing Howland at UCLA if at all possible. This matters not just for the Arizona talk, but because Oregon is looking increasingly likely to make a change. Or it could be coaching paranoia about facing an assitant that might still have a good feel to plan against the players.

I have to say, if Pitt keeps building and sending assistants to new jobs, he’s going to have to change the philosophy and embrace it. There’s a bit of a coaching tree in the works.

Robert Morris shot extremely, extremely well in the course of the whole game.

Robert Morris shot even better than Pitt, hitting 57.4 percent from the field, the best of any Pitt opponent this season. Fields credited Rice’s offense.

“They did a good job,” Fields said. “They played real hard. They executed all the plays (Rice) called. They kept fighting. Every time they got an open shot, they didn’t miss. Some teams get open shots and they miss. Every time they had a chance, they made it.”

Pitt shot 66.7 percent from the field in the first half and led 53-33 the break. Pitt was 18 of 27 from the field and 7 of 11 from 3-point range.

Turnovers and rebounds, however, were a decided advantage for Pitt.

But unforced turnovers — the Colonials had 19 — and Pitt’s dominance on the boards — the Colonials only had two offensive rebounds and were outrebounded, 33-21 — started their demise.

“I thought we moved the ball well and we showed the versatility that we do have in the second half,” Rice said. “It’s difficult against the size, strength and discipline Pitt has.”

The size and strength of Pitt was on display with Pitt getting 33 FT attempts to RMU’s 15.  After going 10-12 in the first half, Pitt was only 12-21 in the second.

Sam Young had a solid shooting night against the Colonials. Going for 23 points on 8-13 (and 7-8 on FTs) and no 3-point shots. It isn’t something to really take too seriously yet. You hope it sparks him out of the slump going forward.

Coach Dixon would not publicly rip his team — as his approach has generally been — but there is definitely something in the underlying words suggesting that the uneven effort in this game will not be acceptable going forward.

Jamie Dixon said he would have liked for his team to finish the game better than they did, but attributed the lackluster second-half effort to a variety of things, including a quick turnaround after playing Saturday with the Steelers winning the Super Bowl in between.

“We had a 20-point lead in the first half,” he said. “In some ways you’d like to make it another 20 in the second half. But they played hard and made shots. They’re very good offensively. I’m glad to see they’re doing so well.”

Unsaid was the defensive effort, or lack of it at time.

In the past couple games, Ashton Gibbs has gotten confident in taking shots not yet in the press conference.

Ashton Gibbs sat alongside Levance Fields in the postgame press conference, and the hot spotlights made the usually gregarious Pitt guard a little nervous.

Meanwhile, Fields, the old pro at this seemingly daily Q-and-A, dribbled away with answers and perspectives and suggestions.

Clearly, Gibbs didn’t belong up there with Fields.

But after another solid performance in Monday’s 92-72 win over non-conference and crosstown opponent Robert Morris at the Petersen Events Center, Gibbs is showing why he belongs in Fields’ backcourt.

Gibbs had three 3-pointers in 15 minutes, making that 22 points in two games for the true freshman.

“Getting in the gym every day and practicing hard made me more confident in my game,” he said, his only words into the microphone all night.

Know your cliches. Trust them. They are your friend.





went to saturdays game vs Notre Dame for my one trip to the Pete this season….thoughts and observations (for what its worth a game late):

– Blair is a beast, he was enthusiastic from before the opening tip til the final buzzer…that extended play where he dove for the save and then slammed home the rebound was one of the craziest plays ive ever seen……he’s fun to watch…..

– its going to hurt losing fields (alot), but i like the possibilities with a gibbs/dixon/wannamaker backcourt and having woodall and epps in the wings….

– sammy looks like he’s pressing, and he doesnt seem to be having fun out there….he mopes A LOT…and when he was taken out with 4 fouls, he was always the last off the bench during the huddle/time-outs…i hope im wrong, but it just seems like the team goes crazy with fields and blair but is subdued with young…i hope there isnt any inner rumblings, but it just seems like he wants to be the superstar, and gets angry that he isnt……..god i hope im wrong….

– the supporting cast has been fantastic…wannamaker, gibbs, brown and even nasir played great in their minutes….

– it was nice to see jamie stick with gibbs for the last 12 of the first when it was obvious he was hot..it was also smart of him to not give him too much down the stretch when we were protecting the lead…..i saw a post omar did a little back saying he was better then ramon, and i agree 100%…gibbs can play d and drive a lot better than ramon…his shot isnt as nice, but it falls more often than not……

– mcghee is goofy to watch, but he played well in his limited minutes d’ing up harangody…..

– harangody is great, but he can’t play against blair…..blair is a 10 foot jump shot away from being the best player in the country…..

– props to the zoo for being really loud the whole game..

– and the cheerleaders/dance team are more ‘talented’ then i remember from my days there……a few of them are stunning…..

all in all, a great experience, and a pleasure watching this team play……..

Comment by schoey 02.03.09 @ 1:20 pm

did anyone see dejuan blair on the stage during the superbowl parade? i didn’t see the whole thing, so was wondering if anybody had heard him say anything.

superbowl is over…time for pitt hoops

Comment by ryan glenn 02.03.09 @ 1:40 pm

Sam Young just isn’t the type of guy to get too high or too low. Somebody please tell me if they can remember him pumping his fists or showboating (other than his breakaway dunks which are a little too in your face, but unreal nonetheless). The guy just has a truly robotic demeanor on the court. I think it is an advantage for the kid. It will help him in tight games. He has come through in so many big games, that I am just not worried about him. Obviously it is more fun when you are not in foul trouble and your shots are falling, but I think the team understands when Sam is frustrated and have gotten used to his mannerisms and lack of emotion. Everybody can’t be like Blair or Fields who play with so much emotion. Sam seems to help keep the team level-headed. He will be fine I think.

Comment by Omar 02.03.09 @ 1:50 pm

omar – agree with your points….my point wasn’t to say sam needs to be more like dujuan or fields from an emotional standpoint…id just like to see sam talking with his teammates instead of moping in the background during a huddle…..again, i hope im wrong…its just when you see all of the teams interactions, and you see sam not involved, you get a little concerns…maybe thats just how he is……

Comment by schoey 02.03.09 @ 2:15 pm

schoey:

i’ve noticed the same things you have, but i just think that is how he is. let’s just hope he snaps out of his shooting slump sooner rather than later.

Comment by Omar 02.03.09 @ 2:43 pm

Harangody can’t play against Blair? If scoring 27 points is not playing, then what would he have to do for you to say he could play against Blair? Harangody is a superstar in the BE despite playing for a horrible coach that fails to realize his meal ticket is Harangody’s inside game. Brey’s first choice is, and always has been, to have his guards gun up three’s. Harangody gets his points on put backs; or when the guards go cold. Then and only then does Brey run his offense through Harangody. Trust me, if Harangody was at Pitt, he would be starting, and he would be the first choice for Dixon’s offense, not the last as he is now.

Comment by HbgFrank 02.03.09 @ 2:48 pm

I agree with Schoey.
it has been painful watching Sam walking around hanging his head, showing non-interest in team huddles if he is out of the game. Loafing around when calls go against him. Absolutely zero support for other teammates in the game. The guys doesn’t have to be a crazy hoopla guy, but it would be nice if he showed some interest. I think as a senior and leader, he needs a serious attitude adjustment when things aren’t going his way. If they are he’s great, but if they aren’t, he looses interest.

Comment by Ontario Lett's go Pitt 02.03.09 @ 3:12 pm

Harangody doesn’t play any defense. Blair also had 23 points and 22 rebounds basically negating all of Harangody’s points and grabbing 11 more rebounds. The guy just doesn’t make his teamates better. I would pick Blair over Harangody every single time. It really isn’t close. In fact, against Notre Dame the guy starting for Pitt was better than the guy starting for them at every position. This fact is true against most teams in the Big East, save for the true contenders in Louisville and UCONN. Syracuse has a couple players that would start over Pitt’s (Flynn over Fields or Dixon and Onuaku over Biggs). Villanova has one in Cunningham over Biggs. Georgetown has Summers, but that would be close over Young (maybe move Young to the 4 and have Summers at the 3).

Even Louisville only has Earl Clark over Biggs. T-Will and Sam Young is a wash. UCONN has Dyson over Dixon and Adrien over Biggs. I don’t know about Thabeet over Blair.

Comment by Omar 02.03.09 @ 3:18 pm

harangody is great, but blair owned him on saturday…i was shocked when i saw the box score after the game, seeing harangody with 27 and 11..it seemingly came out of nowhere…normally he’s a great player, but blair man-handled him….

blairs only faults are his shooting away from the basket and his propensity to get too emotional..he’s good for at least one tickeytack foul after a miss (but honestly, most kids are good for one of those a night)….he handles the ball incredibly for a big man….he even brought the ball up once after a steal and it wasnt ugly..he did a great job….

Comment by schoey 02.03.09 @ 3:30 pm

Forgot about Marquette who has McNeal over Dixon.

Comment by Omar 02.03.09 @ 3:37 pm

Where exactly did people get the idea that Harangody is this mediocre player? I hate Notre Dame and I think Harangody is the missing link, but the guy can play. He scores in the 20’s every night, gets rebounds, and doesn’t do stupid stuff. The matchup he had against Blair was fun to watch and yeah, Blair is a better rebounder – and since he plays for Pitt, I would take Blair – but Harangody is no stiff. Roy Hibbert was a stiff.

Comment by Joey D 02.03.09 @ 3:58 pm

I saw a guy on the stage today wearing a Pitt Football hoodie? Was that Blair, because I read somewhere that he was in the parade in some capacity.

Comment by Jimbo Covert's my dad 02.03.09 @ 4:55 pm

Harangody took his usual 25+ shots to score his 27 pts. I totally agree that he is a talented scorer and rebounder, but we all know the reason why there are 10th in the BE — they play no defense and are soft — I wouldn’t necessarily call Harangody soft but nobody on that teams plays D.

Ryan, I saw on TV a guy on stage today at the Steelers parade with a Pitt Basketball hoody but didn’t get a good look at his face — assumed that he was one of the players.

Comment by w bill 02.03.09 @ 5:03 pm

I really think Sam Young appears to be mopping, when, in fact, that is just how he is. The palyers who’ve been around him long enough know that that’s just Sam being Sam. Sam, in my opinion, does NOT lose interest in the game, ever, it just seems that way.

Comment by Crackbaldo 02.03.09 @ 5:07 pm

My comments were slightly misunderstood…I did not say that Harangody would start over Blair, I said that if he was on our team, Harangody would start, and he would be the focus of our offense. He is that good offensively…As for his defense, do you think Mike Brey even spends 5 minutes of practice time discussing the subject? If Harangody was on our team he would be far better on defense because he would be getting a level of coaching he does not currently receive.

Comment by HbgFrank 02.03.09 @ 5:46 pm

Stats:

Harrangody (18 games) 25.1 PPG 172 FGM 359 FGA 47.9% FG% 13.2 rpg (next highest rpg is Hillesand at 5.4)

Blair (21 games) 14.9 PPG 131 FGM 220 FGA 59.5% FG% 12.9 RPG (Sam is next at 5.6)

analysis is that Harangody takes about twice the number of shots per game, he plays more minutes than Blair probably because he stays out of fould trouble since he plays little D

Comment by w bill 02.03.09 @ 5:49 pm

Yes Blair was there…on a “float” and on the stage…a friend of charley batch. He didn’t do/say anything as far as i know.

Gody doesn’t play any D and doesn’t rebound as well. He also has to take 400 shots to get his 20 points. That said, he is a very good player…and would start at Pitt in place of Biggs.

For the person who said Flynn would start over Fields: i’m glad you’re not our coach.

Comment by Stuart 02.03.09 @ 7:18 pm

jusr saw a replay of Big Ben addressing the crowd today, and can clearly see Blair with the Pitt hoody in the background

if Fields and Flynn play one on one, my bet is on Flynn. However, it is a team game and Fields make his fellow teammates much better. (note, a smilar argument about Koby vs Lebron. Koby may have better individual talent, but if he replaced Lebron on the Cavs, no way in hell would the Cavs have near the wins they now have)

Comment by w bill 02.03.09 @ 7:28 pm

I meant maybe Flynn over Fields or Dixon. Probably Dixon, but that would be a very diminutive backcourt. Flynn is more talented, but Fields is a better point guard in the college game. They are both mediocre defenders, although Fields did play decent defense on McAlarney the other night. When he is heatlhy, Fields is the best point guard in the conference and one of the best in the country.

Comment by omar 02.03.09 @ 7:41 pm

One huge disappointment of Monday against Bobby Mo was the huge lack of turnout by the Zoo. It had the turnout of a preseason game, which is simply shameful. I realize they were probably tired from trying to burn down Oakland like they were in Morgantown, but c’mon… if we want to be looked at as an elite fans, you need to show up for the games that you should win. They still sleep outside Cameron for the crap games… just walk up the hill for ours.

Comment by Mike 02.03.09 @ 7:48 pm

Yeah, it is a shame that thousands of students didn’t camp outside in Pittsburgh in early February to see Bobby Mo. People should have turned off the Super Bowl at halftime and not gone out afterward to be ready to see Robert Morris get killed…. It had the turnout of a preseason game …… because it was a preseason game.

Comment by Joey D 02.03.09 @ 8:06 pm

Seriously, I’ve always wondered why a school would be OK with its students sleeping out sometimes for 3 or 4 days at a time before bb games. Does that also mean that these students must skip class to maintain their ground? Even if not, while I recognize the ‘Crazies’ to be groundbreaking, this doesn’t sit well with me. I realize that Duke is a well respected academic institution; you would think that they would come up with a better process that would make life better for the students.

Comment by w bill 02.03.09 @ 8:09 pm

Don’t forget that Harangoty has the advantage of being the Big East’s version of Duke to the refs. He pushes people out of the way to clear space and goes over the back for rebounds but never gets called.

Comment by KeyboardKev 02.04.09 @ 7:41 am

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