Life interrupted things. Rest of the family got sick which put all the crap on me. In addition, this is the start of the busiest time for me with Fanhouse. So very little time the last couple as you can see by the lack of posting.
Things are somewhat sorted out. At least to the extent that there is no way in hell, there won’t be a liveblog tonight. I agreed with Gil Brown about wanting to see ND again, and after the beatdown they put on Seton Hall, I feel a little more trepidation. Holy hell, they suddenly know how to play defense and are being incredibly efficient on offense.
Fun starts at 7 with the game on ESPN.
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Always good to bring it against a squad who rolled on us. Let’s get that one back.
Would not be a bit supprised to see Pitt press some tonight to pick up the pace of the game if they fall behind. Also, 3-2 matchup zone has been worked on.
Let’s beat the snot out of the Irish! Go Pitt!
That being said, tonight was awful. 45 points – are you kidding me? Gary and Gilbert don’t bother to show up (combined three points and four turnovers). Ashton Gibbs has four total shots? What the heck is that?
I knew we were losing this game when Pitt held ND scoreless for six minutes and still couldn’t get the lead (they were down at most by five in the second half if I remember correctly).
This team seemed disinterested tonight, and the part that worries me is that this is now three out of the last five games that I can say that. The effort was awful against ND the first time, and then against Providence as well. I had hope after the Rutgers performance. After tonight, however, I am very worried about a first round exit from the real tourney.
Coach Dixon is a great coach, but the past five games I have seen some things that just confuse me. Why is Pitt switching every ball screen? They have hedged that ball screen and hedged it well since Ben/Jamie came to Pitt. Now all of a sudden they switch everything? It killed us against Providence and it hurt us tonight as well. And offensively, he’s got to do a better job getting our best offensive player more than four shots. It’s not like ND is this super-athletic, lockdown defensive team either.
Again, this has been a tremendous season but as a fan I really don’t want it to end like this. Hopefully tonight was an aberration but looking at the past five games, I don’t know that it is. I hope I am wrong.
We lost tonight to a very mediocre and poorly coached ND team who may not win a NCAA game. Let’s all take a deep breath and get ready for Sunday’s draw. Very tough loss…Hail to Pitt.
Time to get rested and await the seedings. Anything is possible.
Hail to PITT!
-al-
If we get one of those smallish-guard teams that shoot threes all game, we’ll be done in the first round.
I think I understand basketball pretty well, but I’m not quite the student of the game as some. I feel like teams totally overplay us on the perimeter, particularly Gibbs, and that there should be backdoor cuts wide open. Am I wrong? Or is just not that simple?
In any case, that just felt like a game we should have won. It was just sitting there waiting for Pitt to grab that lead and never relinquish it, but every time it was there, there was hesitancy. Gil Brown driving, then pulling up in the middle of the lane and throwing it away. Wanny with a wide open 3, only to pass it mid-shot. McGhee with a tip opportunity and inexplicably misses.
Just too much. Drink #3 coming. Hooked on the Old Fashion at the moment. Quickly working through a big bottle of Knob Creek. I freakin’ need it after that performance.
Mac and Dan 72, I agree with a lot of your points, particularly with regard to offense. I do not understand why Jamie doesn’t run more sets with double screens down low to free Gibbs. He’s our most effective weapon and he has to make his own shot – which he really can’t do – too often.
I think the difference between Dixon and everyone else is that he knows this is it for him, so he has more to lose. That led to a bad play by him at the end when we had a chance to tie it and put a little panic in ND for once.
I don’t think the team was disinterested, I think they got frustrated again by ND’s style of play. It took them out of sync on both ends. ND continues to make shots which makes that style effective. I think that’s also why Jamie had them switching instead of hedging, both with ND and PC. Both have excellent perimeter shooters across the board.
I also think a 3 is better for us than a 4, but I’m a little nervous about a 5. We set up too well for the 12 over 5 phenomenon. However, Brown will be on for the next game so that may not matter.
It has been a great year and winning a couple in the tourney will make it an awesome year. Here’s hoping for that.
Hail to PITT!
TampaT – I agree that Providence and ND have good outside shooters, both big and small, but switching those screens got us killed in both games. It’s one thing to switch guard to guard screens, but you cannot switch screens involving McGhee and Gibbs – it just doesn’t work and any coach with a brain will take advantage of it, over and over, until Pitt adjusts. That’s what Providence did, and ND did the same thing tonight.
I wish Gibbs would be more aggressive – he seems to pass up some shots that are not “wide open” but still open enough that I think he can make them.
Anyone ever wonder how frustrating Gilbert must be for Coach Dixon? I know how much we fans get frustrated – I can’t imagine what Jamie goes through. It is baffling.
Dan 72 is probably right in that we needed the guards to try fighting through the screens and take a chance that it will cost us a 3 from time to time. If the ND guard drove, McGhee would be in position for the block like he did to Jackson early on.
Hoping for the best next week!
Maybe that helped nurse that three pt lead.
As to why coach D didn’t press, I don’t know but can venture a good guess. Coaches react more to the flow of a game than individual moments. The way the game was progressing, Pitt was hanging in there and at any moment, prepared to take the lead…..why press and take the chance of ND pulling away. In retrospect, Jamie will not sleep tonight wondering why he didn’t at least pressure in the back court out of made baskets and TO’s.
ND only scored 50 points, 18 less than the first time we played them and less than they’ve scored since they went on this streak. Brey even said that the reason he stayed with his best defensive team for so long was that Pitt was shutting them down.
Unfortunately, Pitt only scored 45. Gibbs, Brown, McGhee, Taylor and Woodall were non-factors. Can’t have that happen in the tourney or we’ll be sitting it out quickly.
This team reminds me a lot of the Page/Brown team of 2003-04. They were a 3-seed that lost to a Final Four Oklahoma State team. I have faith that this edition will get at least that far.
On to The Dance.
For Gilbert Brown to bring his “C” game to Garden, as fourth year Junior, is also unacceptable. Brad and Jermaine were the only two who really brought it. Nas and Ashton were ok. But the others pretty much mailed it in.
Pitt is at its best when they control the pace of play. ND played slower than Pitt was comfortable with. Pitt needed to get a lead early, when they fell behind, with ND’s slow pace, they never could really take control.
the difference in the ND games, they were able to hit their 3_point bank shots at the end of the shot clock…impressive execution.
The ball screens continued to expose one of the flaws of this Pitt team – they just are not very good in the post. McGhee can do well enough when he can stay near the hoop on defense, but struggles against mobile big guys. I think TampaT is right – he just is not fast enough to hedge and get back to cover athletic big guys, so they are forced to switch. I really don’t like the constant switching either, but this is a limitation in his abilities, not his effort. His stone hands also limit his effectiveness on offense.
Taylor played ok on the offensive side, but was lost on defense. He is fast enough to hedge and get back, but he doesn’t seem to have the court awareness to do this effectively at this time, and many times just lost his man.
The other option is to rotate another defender over to guard the rolling big guy, but against teams that have good spacing this can be difficult and lead to open shots and offensive rebounding opportunities.
My hope is that Pitt will benefit from getting away from Big East competition next week. They will play a team or teams that are not familiar with their style and/or the physical nature of the Big East.
Right now, Pitt’s RPI is 15 and it could go up or down a couple spots based on the games over the next few days. If I had to guess, I think Pitt is looking at a 5 seed, although a 4 is not out of the question yet.
This loss is going to cost them because a 3 seed was within their grasp, but now they will be a low 4 or high 5 seed.
Gilbert Brown doing his MIA every other game did not help.
Hopefully they get a favorible matchup in their bracket, otherwise it could be another one and done.
This has been a tremendous season. Think of everything they have accomplished when many didnt even know if they would make the NCAA tournament. Take a deep breath and enjoy being part of the best tournament in all of sports. This team has already shown this year that anything is possible.
McGhee picked last night to have his first inept game. Can’t be too worried about that, because he’s been a pleasant surprise all year.
Only Wanamaker showed up last night. Jackson took Gibbs completely out of the game.
I’ve never seen Pitt get caught on so many switches. Ugly.
Even when ND was playing man, they just packed it in because everybody knows Gibbs is the only outside threat. (Except for that Robinson trey, which I still can’t believe went in 🙂
Still, have to be happy this team won 13 games in the BE. Amazing, really.
The double bye has really wrecked the BET. The BE regular season winner will never need the automatic bid for the Tourney, and the regular season title carries its own bragging rights.
My $.02
Pitt scores 16 points in a half against a team not noted for their defense, and you see them making it to the sweet 16??? Hmmmmmm. Anything is possible.
This team barely gets by the worst defensive team in Big East history by a miracle shot and then falls asleep at the wheel for a second time in three games. This team doesn’t deserve to play in the NCAA tournament and will be bumped out in the first round if they play this way again.
Can you say #4 or #5 seed….what a wasted evening!
My frustration every year is that Pitt/Dixon are the kings of December/January and always hit trouble in February with little or no momentum going into the tourney. Jamie is loathe to put in a secondary offensive set, a press or a gimmick D (and after last night;s debacle I can understand why he doesn’t …we have no Einsteins’ playing for us!)
We may even be a 6 seed now. Pitt is ranked #RPI 15 and could move as low as 20 after the loss last night….but at the beginning of the year and after Indiana ..we would have killed for this position!
no as I was often scolded by guys like TampaT and Dan 72 and everyone else its just one game… I have to be a retard to think that McGhee has not improved, etc… well looks like I may have just been right
Anyhow Pitt will probably be anywhere from a 4-6 seed in the tourney and in all likelihood lose in the 2nd round which is not bad for a team that overachieved this year…
Last night Pitt got beat, plain and simple. It happens especially when you’re a little careless with shot selection and lazy on the boards.
This is a very good basketball team. I’m not necessarily expecting a final four run, but I’m looking forward to seeing them play in the tournament. They have made tremendous strides this year and its been a great season.
So keep cheering against Pitt Jeremy, I’m glad you’re happy when they play poorly or lose.
McGhee missed about 5 bunnies…3 years ago he was missing bunnies…ok like I said before If you want to call him an improved player then go ahead and do that
I was hammered for calling Gibbs a one trick pony…the guy showed yesterday he cant create his own shot, etc…
If you want to call them a very good team then go ahead and continue to dream now they are an ok team, not “very good team”
And never said I was rooting against them…have you read any of the post above mine…they seem to say similar things that Ive mentioned on this site but when you guys see the name Jeremey its like ok lets attack him…go ahead if that will make your day…
I am now asking nicely to leave this blog. I don’t mind contrary views and engaging discussions. Trolls and troll-like beings are right out.
Arguements of 3,4,5 seed is all gravy from here IMHO.
DaveD
Please start your own blog so others like you never post on this one. Goodbye, Jeremey. You won’t be missed.
Just Kidding.
I do agree, Hugh, if you had told me at the beginning of the year that we’d get:
1. Road wins at the ‘cuse, Cinci and Uconn
2. 13 wins in the BE
3. The most improved player in the conference
4. A two seed in the BE Tourney
5. Great come back home wins against WVU and L-Ville and a buzzer beater against Prov.
I would have said “Giddy up!”. Heck, I would have taken half that.
So the program is in good shape. Next year looks bright. I can “suffer” through a few nights like last night. As I’ve been saying all year, this is not a final four capable (channelling my inner Tomlin) squad. One win in the tourney would be acceptable, two would be good, three fantastic. It is going to depend on the match ups and can they make it thru the second round game with Gil scoring 2 pts?
Thanks. I feel better already.
As for criticism, here is some…
I know a couple other folks already mentioned it, but Taylor’s defense is horrendous. He routinely gets beat on the backside after hedging out on screens. That pass should be a difficult one for an opposing ball handler to make, yet we routinely see the ball zip inside behind Taylor off of a screen hedge. He needs a lot of work on that.
Please don’t ban jeremey.
Lots of good points have been made about defensive failings in the ND game, but the facts are that ND shot ~65% in the first half and Pitt was only down by 3. ND ended up scoring only 18 in the second half and shot 50% for the game. That tells me that as Brey admitted, we shut them down in the 2nd.
BUT, we only scored 16 as BigGuy pointed out. Like Mac said “45 points – are you kidding me?” That’s why I still contend we lost the ND game on the offensive end.
Like I said earlier, this team reminds me a lot of the 2003-04 team – tough and aggressive on defense, but limited on offense. Lack of offense is what cost that team a trip to the Elite 8 against Oklahoma St. – a Final Four team that year. Lack of offense is what will end this team’s run. The difference between the teams is that the ’03-04 edition did not have a perimeter shooter. This one does – Gibbs. To me, he is the X-factor between winning an losing.
In the 6 BE losses he only scored >11 once – Seton Hall-1 where he had two good looks to win the game and missed. In the 13 wins he only scored <11 twice, Seton Hall-2 where Brown went off for 23 and Marquette, one of the most balanced wins with four scoring 10 apiece.
My contention is that for Pitt to advance in the tourney, Gibbs has to score 12+ each game. Jamie must find NEW WAYS, like Dan 72 says, to free Gibbs and Gibbs must get a little more aggressive in his shot selection as Mac said. Before his mid-season slump, Gibbs was not afraid to drive and force a shot or two. He also was using the ball screens very effectively. Since the slump, he seems to settle for open perimeter shots giving a half-hearted effort to create his own shot. I think that’s what Jeremey meant by “one-trick pony”. (It’s not Jeremey’s points that annoy. It’s how he makes them.)
I certainly understand “letting the game come to you” but in grind it out games, you sometimes have to take the game to the other team. Right now, we only have “3” players willing to do that:
1. Dixon, 2. Wanny and 3. A combination of Brown every other game, Nas when he’s on, and Woodall in an open floor game (1/3 each).
It’s hard to criticize the conference MIP considering how many games he’s won for us, but I think that in this next 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 game stretch, how he goes is how Pitt goes. We need him to bring it every game even if that means forcing the issue a bit.
Syracuse (1) and Nova (4) have lost. If history reverses itself, Pitt (2) and WVU (3) will win tonight. Pure conjecture because ND looked pretty tough last night so it’s what I’m holding onto at the moment.
See you at 7, Chas and all.