Let’s get the optimism out of the way first.
Pitt won. Always good. If you want to keep it simple. That’s the simplest part of a 63-53 final score and the best. Pitt got a win, and after a couple losses you don’t quibble with how it happens just that the Panthers came out with a win.
Other goods:
The Red Storm has lost games to Villanova and UConn. Against UConn they only trailed by 3 on the road and led ‘Nova by 1 at home at the hal. So Pitt trailing by 4 at the half was almost par for the course with St. John’s. They hang in the first half. Look like they might pull the upset. Then after the other side adjusts they stay the course and go down in double-digit defeat.
You are going to have to drag Wanamaker-haters out of the gutter after this one. He goes 2-3s on 3s (rest of the team 0-9), shoots 50% overall (60% eFG), 4-4 on FTs, 16 points, 4 rebounds,6 assists, 2 steals and only 1 turnover.
Despite (however ineffective it was) St. John’s attempt to pressure Pitt did not result in Pitt turning over the ball. Pitt only had 9 turnovers for the game.
Free throw shooting rules. 21-24 at the line.
Responding to Jermaine Dixon going out of the game. It was almost like a collective moment for the team. They got it together and did it themselves. The ball movement picked up. Defensive effort improved. Right around the 12 minute mark of the second half, it seemed that the whole tenor of the game shifted. The energy overall changed. It seemed that Pitt just got it together.
Content neutral: Shots falling was less than consistent. Some good shots in the first half, just didn’t fall. They fell in the second half when Pitt stuck with going inside. That Pitt didn’t give up on that was good. That it seemed no predicting whether it was going to go or not was less fun.
Bad: Hope Jermaine Dixon is okay.
Can someone ^$*%#@! hit a 3-pointer?
Chas brings out a good point that must be recognized/applauded– the tremendous improvement in FT%. Making FTs (like 21-24 last night) as a team is the missing piece in the JD “Winning ugly” formula. If there is one major gripe I have had about JD’s teams over the years has been their inability to make FTs as a team (and individually)
I’ve bitched about this for years. I hate the “we don’t recruit FT shooters” and the “they make ’em when they count” arguments that I always here from our coaches, players, and fans. I find it deplorable that any self-respecting guard in D1 basketball cannot make 80%+ FT%. I also find it deplorable that a team cannot go over 70%+ FT%.
To me, if you’re going to play an efficiency game (strong defense, high& fg attempts, aggressive), you need to be able to make the EASIEST SHOT IN THE GAME..a FT..when you are given the opportunity. The style requires it more than others!
I never forget Coach K stating in interviews, years after the collapse of his J-Williams-led Duke team in the tourney (I think against IU? Several key missed FTs), that his lack of FT work in practice throughout the season diminished its value to his players…and he regretted that..
I’m not implying that JD doesn’t put in the work with the team, just saying it’s F’IN IMPORTANT!
We are still less than 70% as a team, but data is showing that we are trending up through the BE conference play.
FT% is important, and kudos to our guys for paying attention to their FT time and delivering on gameday.
Before Ashton, when could you ever say a Pitt player was money as he stepped up to the the FT line?
Say what you will about him (and I have), but Gary continues to grow as a player. The effort is always there, he rebounds, he plays solid defense, he runs the floor, and he is starting to develop some semblance of game on the offensive end. If you could only teach “hands.”
Also second the props to McGhee. He’ll never be a guy you run your offense through like Gray or Blair, but those three baskets in a row he got late in the game were huge for us.
It will be interesting to see what the lineup looks like without him. My expectation is that Gil Brown will start, with Wanamaker shifting to the 2 guard. Although he didn’t score much from the floor last night (if at all), I thought Brown did several other things that really helped. His defense was good, and he also dribble penetrated to the foul line area well, which led to foul shot opportunities, as well as open passing lanes.
Woodall also played more under control last night. They are going to need more of that, particularly if Dixon is out for a time.
James is a stud, Jarrid Famous (a recruit we whiffed on) looked very aggressive in the win, and Howard is solid. If Gilchrist was healthy, I’d be really concerned.
Should be interesting. I’ll be there. Hopefully we can get up for the early noon start and be ready to play coming out of the gates.
BTW – Dokish on Famous in April of 2009 (link to bit.ly):
“Ideally, they want a center, but the only center out there now that they are looking at is Jarrid Famous, and he isn’t very good.”
Keep in mind Famous is averaging 12/8 (albeit, with a lot of turnovers). Those numbers are comparable to what we’re getting out of McGhee and Taylor combined. Whoops!
link to today.sportingnews.com
2001
Also, hell yeah Brad. Great game.
In order, here’s who needs to step it up while he’s out:
1) Woodall – time to take the training wheels off and play like a sophomore and the player Jamie recruited: No turnovers, aggressive defense, and get others shots. He has shown flashes of the ability to do all three. NOW IS THE TIME!
2) Gibbs – Needs to be a little tougher on D, draw a few fouls going to the hoop (not really his game, but he needs to try) and make the shots he was hitting earlier.
3) Brown – Needs to pick up some of the minutes and more importantly the scoring.
4) Wannamaker – Continue scoring, and embrace Dixon’s stopper role guarding the other team’s best perimeter player.
5) Everyone else – might we see Miller get another shot like Adams did last night? Will Adams get some more productive minutes? How about Lamar Patterson, is he destined for an “injury” that leads him to a redshirt or will he be pressed into duty? Nas and Gary could help by doing a little more, too.
Oh and for the record, that first half last night was absolutely was brutal! The positive spin would be that both teams played good defense, the reality is that both teams STUNK on offense. Had I not been at the Pete, I would have changed the channel and watched the Pens get beat.
A team that usually sucks, but is actually playing some tough (if not always 100% successful) basketball.
I’m just not sure if this is the year where we can immediately count road games against those types of teams as automatic wins. I just hope our guys aren’t looking forward to the big WVU game next week.
Pitt prominently ID’ed. Academics as important as athletics. How hard will it be to score tickets in Happy Valley?
As a point on that, Andy Katz picked this one as his “upset special” this week out of all the games. Bad omen ’cause he’s 2-0 so far.
Like Dave, I’ll be there to watch our guys prove Katz wrong.
Hail to PITT!
Pitt recruit Mark Myers has been selected to QB Ohio in Big 33 game, while Pitt recruit Anthony Gonzalez is a PA QB. Of course, Gonzalez just had surgery so his status for the game may be up in the air.
BTW, Myers can be seen today at noon on NFL network QBing the USA team in an all-star game … while the Senior Bowl is on same network at 4 with D Dickerson on the North squad.
Not sure how real…
I’ve seen some these speculative rumors (for lack of better phrase) turn to be true and I have seen them to be just rumors … who knows?
What I fnd puzzling is that all of this speculation seems to be coming from Pitt people and not from anyone connected to the B10 (other than their own bloggers reading the Pitt boards.) Unless something more is uncovered, I refuse to take anything to heart at this point.
