Plenty to run through as UConn-Pitt was the marquee game in college basketball last night. The overarching theme is that UConn had the best player on the court, but Pitt was so clearly the better team. Not to mention the argument in favor of experience over a young team.
Pitt, the Big East preseason favorite, never trailed and led by as many as 17 points in the second half to improve to 48-1 in its past 49 home games.
“I think we showed what a veteran team we are,” Gibbs said. “I think it was more of us being an experienced team rather than them being a young team.”
The past 11 meetings between the two Big East rivals have been decided by 10 points or fewer, but the over-capacity crowd of 12,725 saw Pitt’s most lopsided regular-season victory over Connecticut in 23 years.
A point that even Jim Calhoun had to acknowledge.
I thought they just locked us up defensively. … We thought the bailout would be a fall away three pointer or some tough shots. The only thing we did was rebound. … I thought we didn’t react well to being manhandled defensively. I think a lot of players, young players in particular, predicate their whole game [making jump shots]. They weren’t allowing us to get good shots. We took some ill-advised ones.
When you look at the box score — whether the basic or advanced — UConn’s shot numbers jump out. Pitt held the Huskies overall to 19 of 60 (31.7%). It gets more absurd when you see that Kemba Walker shot 10-27 (37%) and the rest of the UConn squad shot 9-33 (27.3%).
“He had 31 points,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “But the fact that they came on 27 shots speaks for itself. Shooting percentage is key in defending him. Obviously, he’s a very big part of what they do.”
The big thing for Pitt was the domination inside. Gary McGhee and Nasir Robinson (moving back into the starting line-up) were so strong inside. And Dante Taylor and Talib Zanna provided quality minutes as well. The disappearance of Alex Oriakhi for UConn has been a big problem lately.
Oriakhi managed just one basket and one rebound as No. 4 UConn suffered its first loss of the season, 78-63, in the season’s Big East opener before an overflow crowd of 12,725 at the Petersen Events Center.
And trying to find his way back to the top of his game will have to begin with Oriakhi finding his way out of the doghouse of UConn coach Jim Calhoun. Frustrated with Oriakhi’s effort, Calhoun played him only 19 minutes and was even reluctant to put the 6-9 sophomore back in the game when Charles Okwandu fouled out and he clearly had no other choice.
“I’m not sure if Alex is better sitting or playing,” Calhoun said. “I love Alex to death. With a body like that and the games that he’s had this year … but he left a lot of that back in Maui, it appears to me. He’s not playing well.
“I think he’s got a chance to be a very good player, but he’s not proving right now that he’s the player I know he’s capable of being. When he started running those double-doubles against Michigan State and Kentucky, obviously there was great promise — and there still is. But his effort tonight wasn’t anywhere near the effort he needs.”
Both McGhee and Robinson finished with double-doubles, and made all of the big men for UConn look small. A trend over the last few years it seems.
It also doesn’t hurt that Pitt was playing at the Pete. A place where they don’t lose big games. Not that UConn homers didn’t do their best to downplay the loss and the Pete.
It was just one game. Granted, it was a game between the fourth- and sixth-ranked teams in the country but it really doesn’t have much bearing on anything at this point. Of course, it will have a great deal of bearing on things if the Huskies suddenly head south but I wouldn’t expect that to happen. That said, the nature of the Big East means it will be a tough road from here on out.
Some notes and observations:
– The crowd of 12,725 was not as boisterous as it normally is at the Petersen Events Center. Surely the students’ being on break had something to do with that. It was loud but not crazy loud as it often gets in the building.
I’m not saying the guy is wrong. It is still the opening game, and the Big East is a long grind. You just know, however, that if UConn had won, it would have been heralded as how special this UConn team is and evidence of what kind of force they will be in the Big East.
Leading up to the game, UConn Coach Calhoun decided that his topic on which to bitch was playing a Big East game before the New Year.
Calhoun wasn’t thrilled about opening the Big East season on the road two days after Christmas. Calhoun thinks each conference team should be off for the holiday week, perhaps sneaking in a non-conference game to stay fresh, and then begin conference play the first week of January.
“It’s kind of a big, big game for two days after Christmas,” Calhoun said. “Every one of these games that could be highlighted, they should be. As we try to promote our own sport, that’s another reason for it to be delayed a little. … I just don’t think the day after Christmas [you should] be traveling to play the best team in the league. I’m not just saying us. I’m talking about some of the other games this week. “
Coach Dixon, was nonplussed.
“It is what it is,” he said. “We don’t make the schedule. The conference does. I think some people have made their own comments about it. It is what it is. [Pittsburgh and UConn[ have had incredibly close games with two highly-ranked teams. Whenever it was going to be, wherever it’s been, whatever day of the year we’ve played it, it’s lived up to its billing.”
What makes Calhoun’s complaints more idiotic than usual, is that the reason for the game being scheduled this early is UConn’s schedule. They have two non-con nationally televised games that they want for the exposure. So to accommodate the Huskies, the Big East scheduled the games a little earlier. But never reality get in the way of a good whine.
From the bizarro world, Bob Smizik stops just short of elevating Coach Dixon to godhood.
Love watching Pitt execute screens to free Ashton Gibbs? Here’s an excellent breakdown of how good Ashton Gibbs is at making sure they are used well (hattip to CBS’ CBB Blog).
If you are looking for the downside from this game, then arguably it was that Pitt didn’t win as convincingly as it could have/should have.
Despite Pitt’s dominance in nearly every facet of the game, UConn was still within striking distance late and could’ve sliced the lead to six if Walker connected on a wide-open three from the corner with less than four minutes remaining. This isn’t the first time the Panthers have had trouble finishing, as they let Texas erase a six-point deficit to attempt a game-tying layup as time expired in their earlier 68-66 win.
With showdowns against Georgetown, Syracuse and Notre Dame in the coming month, the Panthers better learn how to close. Otherwise, they could be facing some heartbreaking, and largely undeserved, losses.
While the game did have that moment that had myself and plenty on the liveblog holding their breath, I’m not sure this game was the best example. It was as much one excellent player doing everything in his power to keep his team in it.
Still… Pitt did seem to struggle in that stretch. It was like the team didn’t quite know what to do. Should they be running more clock? Keep doing what they were doing up to that point? Press the advantage further? So instead, things got hung up. Play got ragged and sloppy and suddenly Kemba Walker was making them pay for the indecision.
Overall I thought this was a very good effort against a very good team. A 15 point win over UConn is huge and was not expected.
I was OK with taking the air out of the ball late, but wish they could have taken better care of it. The game would have been a rout had they not committed so many late turnovers. Woodall could improve in this area. I’ve come to accept that ball security is Wannamaker’s only real weakness, but he often atones by stepping up with big shots.
Overall it’s hard to complain about a win against a quality opponnent. Despite UConn’s surprise start, I think they may have been a little exposed to the rigors of BE play. It will be interesting to see how they fare against Syracuse and Nova.
If UConn isn’t a Top 20 team, who is? It’s crazy, but rankings are impossible to justify at this point of the season. The Big East has some decent nonconference wins, but look at a team like OSU. Has it really beaten anyone? The media was all over their win at Florida, who has three losses now. UConn earned a high ranking but it’s impossible to say who is No. 4, 6 or 10.
Gibbs lit up like we expected. UCONN’s perimeter defense was below average. Walker got his points, but through tough shots. Gary & Nasir were a fantastic duo down low– both on offense and defense. And JJ/Gil did a lot to match the athleticism of UCONN. From a team defense standpoint, we certainly played the best of this year.
AND……
we shot 77% from the FT line as a team!!!
Wohoo!!!!
Hail to Pitt.
Hail to Jamie Dixon…for ALWAYS delivering on our home court and ALWAYS building our brand nationally!!
Side note– I had one of my Michigan State buddies call me and say….”Damn, you guys always roll on Big Monday!”…. yeah, THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT WANNY….When we get the chance to influence the national public….we DO with the BBall team.
Thank you, Jamie Dixon and thanks to this scrappy, intelligent, hard working 2010/2011 team!
Their fg% is lousy (ranked 142) and turnover rate is just about average. They only shine on the offensive boards.
Omar, I back your support of Wanny, but your goiong a little overboard saying he’s by far our best player. But i will give you he’s all-Big East caliber and he’s a great leader. Keep an eye out for him coaching the younger guys like Taylor and Moore (something Gibbs doesn’t really do in games. which is fine, just a difference).
Loved Moore’s energy/feistyness last night. He’s gonna be a great asset later in the year, aready starting to steal some of Brown’s minutes. Brown, btw, played solidy with his typical few bonehead mistakes. But if we can get this out of him every game, that’d be just fine with me.
Also Taylor’s looking a lot better on D. UConn’s bigs aren’t great but he was smothering them and it was a big part of our defensive success last night. I still want to see more of Taylor — he’s just flat out better than Gary. Gary played well but against a smaller/less-physical-than-average opposing front court, and at least 4 of his points were basically lucky bounces. I love the guys energy/attitude and think he’s valuable, he just doesn’t have the hands. Taylor is the future and he’s the present if we want to make a run in the tourny. Get him minutes!
Lastly, Gibbs gets 20pts quieter than any player in the world.
long road ahead, but it was solid win with good signs of the team’s (esp the bench’s) continuing progress.
Bossdaws – Zanna turned his ankle, which limited his play. Also, Taylor has been playing with a bum knee, which also has limited him. Hopefully the relatively long layoff over the New Year holiday will help both heal up a bit.
As for UConn, they are a talented but young team. I think the lack of assists is a byproduct of how much Pitt took them out of their game plan. With virtually no transition scoring, their half court offense devolved into trying to isolate Walker. Unless they are counting on the fact that not many teams will be able to stop them from running, they will need to develop alternatives in the half court. They also appeared to be very average defensively.
The loudest I’ve ever heard the crowd at the Pete was the UConn game two years ago (Blair, Young, Fields, et al) when Pitt knocked off the #1 ranked Huskies. The WVU game last year got loud at the end, but a lot of people had already left before the overtimes, so there just wasn’t the same volume of bodies. The 2009 UConn game, however, was loud and intense from start to finish.
But my absolute fav in-person was the Garden Duke win in front of all those Duke subway alumni. Unforgettable-squared.
Hail to Pitt!
Reminder:
link to alumni.pitt.edu
UConn has no interior presence. They have one guy with an absurd usage rate. They have little to no ability to go on the road against a hostile crowd. I think people see the brand name and give them credit, but this team is not stocked with vets who know how to get it done in February and March. Far from it. Kemba Walker was known as a HUGE disappointment before this year. The rest of the guys are not even on the radar.
There are a bundle of strong teams out there this year, but just off the top of my head:
Pitt, Syracuse, Georgetown, Louisville, West Virginia
Duke
Kentucky, Vanderbilt
Kansas, Kansas State, Texas
Michigan State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Ohio State
Washington State
Gonzaga, Butler, San Diego State
Then you have a pack of teams that includes UConn, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Arizona, and a few others. That’s where UConn belongs. Probably ahead of the St. Mary’s and Boston College and Providence-type teams that are looking better than expected, but certainly not in those first few tiers.
How many times does Pitt have to prove it? One man does not make a top-flight team.
But you can’t fault the perimeter game when it’s working. Maybe Jamie will work on it during walkovers.
And, alcofan, are we even going to play on Jan 8 or whatever?
Lamb and Napier are great freshmen, but they should be learning this year, not being counted on to contribute major minutes.
Walker’s a freak, an absolute freak. It was like watching Gordon again, with a little more quickness and a little less shot.
Add it all together and they’re a Top 30 or Top 40 team.
The only improvement I’ve seen with Taylor is a slight step up in defense. He’s no longer a complete liability, but he’s still a major risk to have on the floor for long. I’d risk the lack of D if it looked like he had some offensive game, especially considering Pitt’s need for some points inside. But there’s been no hint of any ability to take someone down low and drop step or get off a little hook in the middle.
Agree on Wanamaker. Heart and soul of team….only alpha male and by far the best player. Passes, drives, can even hit an occasional jumper nowadays and lives at the free throw line. Gibbs is a one-trick pony and it’s a good trick, but that’s all there is.
Will be very intersting to watch the Zanna/Robinson combo in the Big East. I’m still not sure Zanna’s ready, but maybe against some smaller teams he can shine. I love Robinson’s hustle and he makes up for his lack of size by beating other bigs down the floor. He also seems to be the only Pitt big to inherit the inside passing gene from Lett and Troutman, so I think he deserves the major minutes right now.
He’s not been given the chance offfensively. Sets have been for perimeter players, the role of interior players is to rebound. Even Nasir.
Anyway, getting back to the Pitt game, this game could have been a complete rout, like 25 points +. It was almost like Pitt was keeping Uconn in the game with some real loose play. Agree with Omar, Wannamaker is the glue for this team, yet it seems like a lot don’t realize this and want to harp on his play in previous seasons. Gibbs did have his best assist game of the year, with seven, so maybe he’s looking a little more for someone more open, before shooting. Was a little shocked that Uconn was that pathetic inside that BOTH McGee & Robinson had Double/Doubles. They are after all the weak links in Pitt’s offense. If they can do that more often, we become that much better. I certainly hope so. As for Gilbert, he didn’t do much after the impressive dunk in the 1rst half, nor did he rebound much. Taylor is sort of an enigma, while he has scored more against the weaklings of the non-con and rebounded much better, again mostly against the non-con weaklings, he seems to only get points on dunks and put back layups in transition. I can’t remember him ever, hitting a short jumper, baby hook or any other type of shot. How did he score in HS to become a Parade All-American? Well, here’s hoping he goes thru a Aaron Gray-like enormous transformation from his sophomore to junior years. The win was great, however the bench shrank to 9 players and nobody off the bench was particularly effective except for Woodall. We still need to develop this bench, for us to do well in March. After all, that is the goal, not wins in December (sans the Uconn game).
I hadn’t ever thought of Taylor as an elite offensive rebounder — don’t think he had any offensive rebounds that I can remember against UConn’s terrible front line, but I’ll keep an eye out to see if that is his strength. I’d be happy if he were a beast on the offensive glass.
IMHO, the glue of this team is Nasir and the most important is Gibbs. Nasir has a calming effect on the players, and it is noticeable. It’s no coincidence that when we started the BE schedule, Nasir was back in the starting lineup. His defensive rebounding is excellent, and he is ability to hedge screens/set picks are those intangibles that never show up on stat sheets but really make a difference. I wish he could finish a little better (think Blair or Troutman) when he is under the rim, and of course…a little better at the line….but I really like the team when he is out there. McGhee plays better. Gibbs plays better. Even GB feels more inclined to move away from the ball when he sees Nasir working hard to free everyone up.
As far as important…no doubt about it…it is Gibbs. He is a tremendous free throw shooter and spot shooter. His defense is average (at best), and his PG skills are sloly getting better, but we go as far as Gibbs can take us IMHO.
Beyond those two…I still have to give some props out to our boy Gary McGhee. People rail him on this board for his “stone hands” and not being “Blair-like”…but I gotta tell ya, his intensity in the UCONN, his defense (which frankly, is miles ahead of Blair at this point), and his ability to hedge/set screens has been very good. The fact that he is relevant after seeing him his freshman year is a tribute to the Jamie Dixon.
Pitt did exactly what a top team should do to a team like UConn at home..beat them by 15 points.
All Big East wins are quality wins; but this was not any bigger then other wins they’ll get this year.
agree with your assessment of Nasir as a glue guy but I think you underestimate wanny’s worth to the team. I think he’s a big glue guy who makes everyone around him better, always seems to give us an important hoop or dime when we need one, and hits his free throws. I think like Nasir he’s been coached up by Jamie into a very solid performer.
1. UConn probably is overrated but Pitt really needed a showing like that after the Tennessee debacle. Mentally (for the fans and players) this was huge.
2. Have to agree that Wannamaker is our best player. I’m not sure what Lebron James’ game would have looked like in college, but I’ll bet it would not be too far off from Wannamaker’s style (Relax, everybody — not saying Wanny is Lebron!).
3. Lots of posts here; shocked, just shocked, there isn’t more conversation about the game Gary McGhee had: 11 points (5-6 shooting), 11 rebounds, 3 blocks in 22 minutes. True, he’s had his ups and downs but that was an outstanding effort on both ends of the floor from him.
4. The more I watch Nasir play, the more I understand why Dixon loves him. Total glue guy, high basketball IQ and has learned to use his lack of size to his advantage. The energy level is totally different when he is out there.
5. Gilbert is not attacking the basket anymore. Why?
6. Love the minutes Jamie Dixon is giving JJ Moore; the results so far have been mixed but the payoff could be huge for Pitt once this kid gets his feet under him.
7. After watching Pitt trounce UConn on Monday, it’s apparent that Jamie Dixon was as big of a reason Wannstedt was fired than anything. If Wannstedt needs to be mad at anybody, it’s Dixon for constantly reminding everybody how a program should be built and ran. I’m guessing if the Pitt basketball program was mired in mediocrity, we’d still have Wanny roaming the sidelines on Saturdays.
I think one of the problems with Gary is he is still perceived as the “stone hands / 3 fouls in one minute vs. UCONN 2008” guy…that, and he was the air apparent to one of the most dominating offensive and fan loving centers in Pitt recent history (Blair). ANd offense, to the layman, is what gets on SC and is easy to pump up. A power jam or facing up a big on the baseline for an offbalanced shot…which do you think will get on Sportscenter?
But, if you really look at his defensive posture/positioning…he is miles ahead of any player at that position in recent Pitt history. Look no further than our coach…even JD proclaimed how good Gary could be saying he expects BE DefPOY potential out of him.
He has his WTF moments…but I would argue that most of those are because the entry pass is absolutely terrible. People forget that recent big men at Pitt have been blessed with very good PGs that can actually make an entry pass to a big. THis is something that is an art. Levance and Brandin were fantastic at that. Gibbs and Wanny are terrible at it. Heck, they don’t even LOOK to feed the 5 position on most possessions. And when they do, it is ussually a bail out pass that is in traffic, too hard, or forces the big out of positioning. Not making excuses, but just trying to put into context what may lead to his perception problem (on the offensive end).
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t see him as a 25 a night guy….but it is not out of possibility to see him get 10 to 12 points a night (half from putbacks, a few from bunny hooks, and a couple from FTs)….
Wanny is the best player on the team and by a very large margin. It’s not a debate. It’s a fact.
Watch Gibb’s numbers next year without #22. Don’t be shocked when they are down across the board.
According to Pomeroy, Dante Taylor grabs 23.3% of the available offensive rebounds when he is on the floor. That is 2nd in the country behind Josh Smith of UCLA.
I agree hugh, Pitt should drop it into the post once in awhile and see what Dante can do.
