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January 17, 2010

Free Throws Were the Difference

Filed under: Basketball,Players,Tactics — Chas @ 11:56 pm

In a good way, for once.

One of those things that has eaten at Pitt fans over the years has been the free throw shooting of Pitt. Coach Dixon, much like every coach of a team that has not shot them well dismissed the concerns publicly. Usually with a, “we make them when we have to” type comment.

Oddly enough Pitt’s free throw shooting has been about the same. At half way through the season and a little less than 1/3 through the Big East schedule Pitt is shooting FTs at about the same rate as last year. Except that the past couple weeks have been driving up the numbers.

“I really don’t know,” said guard Jermaine Dixon. “We practice free throws every practice, before during and after. We did that last year, too. It’s just more of them are going in.”

Last year, Pitt was 67.6 percent from the line. This year, it was 67.4 entering the game. But a further inspection shows that the Panthers were 17 of 20 in a road win at Connecticut last Wednesday, 20 of 27 in a win at Cincinnati and 26 of 36 in a win at Syracuse. Including Saturday, that’s 73.6 percent in an impressive block of four wins and 41 of 50 (82 percent) in their last two games.

Saturday, Pitt shot 24-30 (80%) at the line. And oh my, yes, Pitt made them when they counted.

Wanamaker got advice from a good source before making two game-tying free throws with 1.9 seconds to play. The junior guard talked to Gibbs, who is among the nation’s top free-throw shooters at 92.6 percent.

“Ashton told me to take it like it was practice and nobody around,” he said.

Wanamaker went 11 for 12 from the line against Louisville. Since shooting 48 percent as a freshman, Wanamaker has made 73.1 percent from the line.

And then there is the other side.

But even Pitino had to acknowledge the obvious: Despite its mistakes, UofL did enough to win in a tough Big East Conference venue, had it only made those free throws.

“If you make those free throws, the game’s over,” he said. “It’s mathematically impossible, unless you turn it over, for them to win.”

Sosa’s first big miss came with 1:37 left and the Cards up five. It was the front end of a one-and-one, and Jared Swopshire missed another one of those with the Cards still up five with 42 seconds left. The Cards were up four when Sosa missed a pair with 28.4 seconds left.

You can’t keep missing them without paying, and you can’t make up for missing them by taking the entire game into your hands.

And consequently ignoring Samardo Samuels in the OT to compound things.





Coach Dixon was quoted in the Trib as saying that Pitino probably didn’t press Pitt as much since we now have several guys who can handle the press by passing and dribbling whereas LeVance had his issues with the press last year and 3 years ago.

Is it possible that this is a better team than last year when there was more individual talent? You keep reading how everone is putting in extra work by shooting more free throws. Another story in the P-G talks how McGhee wakes us Wannamaker for extra morning practice on their own. Finally, only a week ago, we were expecting Taylor and Brown to supplant McGhee and Robinson as the principle players …and we may well see that again Wed vs Georgetown … hey, whoever has the hot hand will finish the game. Brown, who was hot 2 weeks ago, only took 2 shots but did a great job in handling the pressure, but gave way to Nasir in crunch time beacuse he was playing so well.

The team is unselfish and apparently willing to do whatever it takes.

Comment by wbb 01.18.10 @ 7:59 am

its pretty funny, but it seems like every year, Pitt and coach Dixon are discounted in the media for one reason or another, only to have sportswriters turn around and praise coach Dixon as if they are surprised…I came across this past excerpt (sound familiar?):

“IMPRESSED BY DIXON’S PANTHERS

I know I said it after Pittsburgh was able to knock off Duke at Madison Square Garden, but Panthers coach Jamie Dixon has established himself as one of the top coaches in the country.

Dixon knocked off Georgetown without his MVP – Levance Fields. He was also without another starter, Mike Cook, who was lost for the season in the win against the Blue Devils with a knee injury.

Dixon has moved Ronald Ramon to the point, inserted veteran Keith Benjamin into the starting lineup and the team hasn’t lost much of a beat.

I figured the Panthers that anything beyond a .500 record in Big East play might be difficult for Dixon & Co., but the victory against the Hoyas proved that Pittsburgh can still beat the big boys without Fields in the lineup.”

Comment by bgPitt 01.18.10 @ 8:57 am

chas you said:
“And consequently ignoring Samardo Samuels in the OT to compound things.”…not saying i disagree with you but did you notice in the OT that all of a sudden mcgee was guarding samuels way outside of the post and as soon as they passed or even looked to pass to him robinson would help with the double team? again, its dixon’s coaching – its like he said – “samuels is not beating us in overtime”. again it worked!

Comment by Dobber 01.18.10 @ 9:55 am

I agree that they were redoubling on Samuels and extending how far out on him. Samuels, though, was having a monster game. You have to feed that player somehow.

Contrast that with how Monroe of G-town has been for the last few games. Starting in the second-half of that UConn game and through yesterday at Villanova he has been demanding and getting the ball more. He not only has been killing with it, it has opened things up for Freeman and others.

Louisville — regardless of Pitt’s defense — really gave up on that. In no small part because players like Sosa decided they had to make up for their mistakes by doing it themselves. That’s on players that came a little unglued and fell back to old habits.

Comment by chas 01.18.10 @ 10:04 am

McGhee starts the fast break.

G-A-R-Y — G-A-R-Y

McGhee with the flush.

G-A-R-Y — G-A-R-Y

Comment by shadyforpresident 01.18.10 @ 10:11 am

Comment by BigGuy 01.18.10 @ 10:53 am

BigGuy, Myers is 6’4 220, runs the 110 high hurdles, plays BB, and Rivals has him ranked among the strongest arms nationally … he went from non-rated to his current 4 star status. With signing date of Feb 3, we will be hearing much more about him and other recruits in two weeks. BTW, Myers is playing in an all-star game being telveised on NFL Network at the end of the month.

but back to basketball … I think the expectation level has been raised to where we will now be disappointed when they lose now … which is not a bad thing. While I still don’t expect a BE regular season title, I also wouldn’t be shocked either. I’ll be more surprised now if this team starts to falter to the level of a mid-tier BE team.

Coach Dixon keeps harping on how coachable these players are and they really do want to get better … and sometimes I think that may be better than having a lot of blue chips who think they have already arrived … and a lot more fun to watch if you ask me.

Comment by wbb 01.18.10 @ 11:45 am

The numbers might not show it completely, but McGhee did a really nice job on Samuels. Keep in mind that Samuels is a much better player than last year (and much better than I thought he would be in this game). Although he is still a dominant right-hand player, he has a really nice hook shot from about 5-7 feet, and is surprisingly agile with his post moves, particularly the drop step when Pitt tried to take away his right hand.

That being said, McGhee did a nice job of not allowing him to get the ball too low, and forced him to make shots. Keep in mind that until the OT, Pitt left McGhee and Taylor on an island with him, 1-on-1. I though both guys did a pretty good job executing what the coaches wanted, generally without fouling, but McGhee in particular forced Samuels to work hard for his points. He clearly was the better matchup with Samuels, and did a nice job.

The Georgetown matchup should be interesting. Monroe can be a very effective traditional post player, but he also has the athletic ability to move away from the hoop a bit and make plays. McGhee isn’t as effective away from the hoop, but they may need his strength inside. It will be interesting to see how Pitt defends him.

Damn, this is fun!

Comment by Pantherman13 01.18.10 @ 12:05 pm

I, too, thought that McGhee played Samuels about as well as he was able. Samuels made some good hook shots. If McGhee tried to front Samuels, McGhee would have fouled out. I thought that it was interesting, however, that McGhee’s teammates appeared to have zero confidence in his ability to score even a relatively short distance away from the basket. Several times he was wide open in the key. He got a look, but the guy with the ball opted to pass it elsewhere.

Comment by BigGuy 01.18.10 @ 12:21 pm

Congratulations to Pitt and to Scott Turner on the latter’s promotion to WR’s coach. The Panthers have been doing well in the Maryland, Virginia and D,C, area of late and Mr. Turner’s addition should be a plus. Also, I’d like to call attention to the glowing tribute to Gary McGhee in today’s PG. George

Comment by rev. george mehaffey 01.18.10 @ 12:23 pm

Pitt at #11 in the new coaches poll (ESPN/USA Today), up from #20. The AP poll should be released soon…

Comment by Pantherman13 01.18.10 @ 1:00 pm

Here is write up from Brian Bennett ESPN.com about Scott Turner promotion:

Pittsburgh has looked within for its new receivers coach.

Scott Turner, an offensive assistant the past two seasons, was promoted to replace Bryan Bossard, who was not retained.

“Scott Turner was a major contributor in our offensive staff room this past season,” Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said in a statement. “He is a very bright football coach whose strong knowledge is matched by his equally strong energy and commitment. Our receivers are going to benefit tremendously from his influence. He is also going to be a great asset on the recruiting trail, especially in his assigned areas of Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C.”

A former quarterback at UNLV, Turner joined the Pitt staff in 2008 after working the previous two years at a Virginia high school. He is the son of San Diego Chargers head coach Norv Turner, who worked closely with Wannstedt on the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins staffs.

Turner will have a lot of talent to work with at receiver, with junior Jonathan Baldwin entering 2010 as perhaps the best receiver in the Big East. Sophomore Mike Shanahan showed great promise at the end of the season as well.

Comment by wbb 01.18.10 @ 1:14 pm

Pitt # 9 in the AP poll

Comment by TMGPanther 01.18.10 @ 1:34 pm

More fun with numbers – Lunardi has Pitt as a #2 seed in his latest Bracketology. This fits with their RPI, which is currently #7.

On to the Hoyas!

Comment by Pantherman13 01.18.10 @ 1:36 pm

Big East has 5 teams in the Top 12 in AP. Nova, Cuse, Pitt, WVU & GT.

Comment by TMGPanther 01.18.10 @ 1:37 pm

Pitt #2 seed in Lunardi’s latest Bracketology. This is fun. Hope it doesn’t lead to a let down against GT.

Comment by TMGPanther 01.18.10 @ 1:39 pm

I need to read before I type. Pantherman13 had it covered.

Comment by TMGPanther 01.18.10 @ 1:40 pm

I’m just astounded by the Top 10 ranking and projected seed. What a start! How much fun is this? Let’s enjoy the ride and appreciate what we have. Hopefully we can leverage this season to even better recruiting classes… Nordy better take care of Dixon. W-O-W is all I keep saying…

Side not…Syracuse as 4th #1 seed according to Lunardi.

Comment by Final Four 01.18.10 @ 1:52 pm

From Cook’s article in the PG:

Wanamaker and McGhee have been roommates for three years. “Many times, he’s woken me up in the morning and said, ‘Let’s go to the gym,’ ” Wanamaker said. “A lot of times he practically carried me there. He’s made me work hard.”

I trust that Gary and Wanamaker aren’t going to let classes and homework get in the way of sleep and extra practice.

Comment by BigGuy 01.18.10 @ 3:32 pm

A couple of thoughts on the free throw shooting improvements recently:

First, Coach Dixon (as opposed to Player Dixon, I guess) commented on Saturday that this team may not necessarily have better free throw shooters than past teams, but that the style of play is allowing the better shooters to get to the line more often than in the past. In other words, last year we saw more of Young, Blair, and Biggs going to the line. This year, it is the guards getting to the line – Gibbs, Wanamaker, Dixon, etc.

The other thought that I had is that it seems like Pitt is just getting to the line a lot more in the recent games than in the earlier games. There is a school of thought among basketball statisticians that one of the most predictive stats for wins/losses is the number of free throws a team attempts. My recollection is that before Dixon and Brown returned, Pitt was not getting to the free throw line, with several games where they attempted 10 or less. Since they have returned, it seems like Pitt is taking 20-30 free throws per game. I don’t have the stats to back it up, but it seems to match the perception that this team is much more aggressive and efficient on offense since late December.

Comment by Pantherman13 01.18.10 @ 4:29 pm

BTW, the guys play BB year-round. They play in leagues during the summer, sometimes two games a night. During the season, it is my understanding they practice for a couple of hours every day that they do not play a game, even on Sundays. Apparently some practice in addition to the regularly schedule practice. They also lift weights. Yet some on this board have expressed concern that playing an extra 5 or 10 minutes during a game perhaps twice a week will extract a heavy toll next March. Hmmm. Makes for an interesting discussion,

Comment by BigGuy 01.18.10 @ 4:32 pm

Note = Grizzlies & Sam Young on TNT right now. It is 6:40 pm and just started halftime

Comment by wbb 01.18.10 @ 6:39 pm

I thought that Ville ran out of gas late in the game and that was the reason for the missed FTs, especally Sosa. I was taught the best time to practice the free throws was after practice.

Comment by joel 01.19.10 @ 10:13 am

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