It will be a somewhat quiet start to the week with Pitt getting several needed days to rest before the Thursday night game with Providence. Just a couple items to note this morning.
Seth Davis at SI.com added a Pitt scouting report from an unnamed Big East coach.
PITTSBURGH: Probably their biggest concern is their lack of depth in the backcourt. Travon Woodall comes off the bench, but beyond that it’s kind of questionable, which could hurt them as they go deeper into the tournament. I wouldn’t say percentage-wise they’re great shooters, but they do hit big shots. I would have said their inside game would be a problem, but Gary McGhee has turned out to be pretty good for them. They also don’t have a true point guard. Ashton Gibbs finds a way to get it done, though I think his quickness as a defender is a question mark. If they go against a team with quick guards that can make plays off the bounce, they can struggle with that. Marquette gave them trouble, though they ended up beating Marquette because of their size. Gilbert Brown is a really good, long, athletic wing. He has been around a long time, and the guys who left from last year passed down some of their toughness. They really share the ball on offense, they do all the right things defensively, they’re methodical. They want to grind you out in the half court more than get into an up and down game. If they had to get into a running game, that might expose their lack of a point guard and lack of depth on the perimeter.
The issue with quick guards is nothing surprising. We saw it with Seton Hall and even Indiana (when they were healthy and Pitt was not at full strength) really got under the skin of the perimeter players.
Pitt’s experience with the double-bye after one year was not great. Can any conclusions be drawn from it this quickly? I doubt it.
“You would think on paper it would be a good thing,” Dixon said. “Last year, though, it didn’t turn out to be as good a thing for teams in the tournament and it is something that is being talked about, as far as possibly changing the tournament. It’s still a long ways away from that. I know what things look like on paper, but there are some emotions and some other things that come into play.”
There is something to be said for the fatigue factor of having to play extra games. But there is also the school of thought that playing a game under the lights of Madison Square Garden in New York and getting acclimated to the pressure of the event is a positive for the teams that have to play early.
Of the four teams that had double byes last season, two lost. In addition to Pitt, Connecticut lost its first game to Syracuse in a six-overtime thriller. No. 1 seed Louisville won the tournament and No. 4 seed Villanova lost to the Cardinals in the semifinal round.
I lean towards wanting the rest. Not just for the Big East Tournament, but for the NCAA Tournament. If you are a top-4 double-bye team, then you are also very likely in-line for a top-4 seed and higher expectations in the NCAA Tournament. That’s part of the reason for the “bye” format that has been in the Big East Tournament over the years. Protect the top teams so they don’t wear down before the big dance.
