Thanks to Volvo and the Biggest Fan in the Big East contest, I’m at the Louisville-Pitt game (hint, go vote for me). Went to the morning GameDay telecast. If you are going to the game, be sure to stop by Hemingway’s to say hi beforehand. I’ve got some Volvo/Big East schwag to give away.
There will be a liveblog for tonight. Silver Panther in NYC has offered to run and moderate things. I really don’t think he knows what he has decided to do to himself. Not that I don’t appreciate it, running liveblogs this season has not exactly been rainbows and unicorns. Help is much appreciated.
You will see comments from me from Twitter during the game, but I won’t be able to respond. I may try to check in on things during halftime.
Just to remind everyone about how this works. It is a moderated chat. Not every comment will go through. Not because of bias, but because of redundancy or insanity. Get abusive or too insane and blocking is always an option. You won’t even know it, other than the fact that your comments won’t be posted. The point of the liveblog is to share the game with other Pitt fans — not to make it your personal soapbox (that’s why you start your own blog).
As always, if you need to break the liveblog from the blog, Click Here.
Otherwise, it is just a little lower.
I cannot tell you how impressed I am with Chryst and Co. so far. Jamie Dixon is one of the best coaches in the country and just needs a whole lot of talent, especially inside. You are correct Carson (forever known as) Long and wide had just become a father and was playing on no sleep. We kicked PSU’s ass all over the field and won all the stats. It was the single most distraught I ever was after a game.
Now, we have Zanna a raw talent and Taylor a no talent and neither play defense or can score consistently. I say scrap the whole thing and put the kids in to play for next year. Cannot see us winning another game unless we play Pat Skerry’s Towson team.
Nasir Robinson has more TOs — 13 more — than anyone else on the team. Further, every BE single game this year Nasir Robinson has lead or tied for the lead on the the team in turn-overs (and maybe all season, too depressed to keep looking further back). Not only that, but just as we sometimes thing of “hockey assists” ie the pass before the assist, we can consider “hockey turnovers” which Nasir has more than anyone by far. (sadly the only person with more TOs per game is Tre. our PG).
Nas lead in Rebs per game, but he only gets 0.22 reb per minute. Taylor gets 0.31 per minute. Zanna is similarly better at rebounding per minute than Nas.
Nas scores .38 pts per minute. Taylor gets .35. Zanna is similarly close to pts per minute. Nas get marginally more pts per minute, sure, but how much more of the offense runs through his hands than Taylor or Zanna?
We all ripped Taylor and Nas for the atrocious performance missing layups against Cuse. But guess who led the team in missed bunnies? Nas.
We blame Taylor all the time for missing assignments, but pay close attention next time and see how many times Nas is implicated in blown defensive plays we like to blame on Taylor.
Maybe if he had a PF to play with that wasn’t undersized and sloppy there would be some many open looks for the opposing offense.
Someone please explain to me why Nas gets so many minutes?
I hate saying it, but we need to stop playing Nas so much. Its a disaster. It’s said Taylor could never play the 4 in NCAA D1. But really, can Nas? We need more Taylor and Zanna, less Nas. If we need to go smaller or quicker, then put in Moore.
Also, if we really want to see Moore drive ever again, Dixon needs to stop pulling him after every minor mistake. Let the freaking kid play. He does not make more mistakes per possession than John Johnson, or Nas, or Wright or Tre. I really don’t get it.
This season is so frustrating.
Coaching, talent, recruiting, desire, basketball IQ…all of it deserves scrutiny right now.
After 10 years of kicking ass, we are getting ours kicked. Let’s hope it lights a fire under player, coaches, administrators, and fans alike.
I was convinced we had the talent, but that we simply weren’t jiving. Now, I’m not sure. The bottom has droppped out.
Sorry, no. It’s not like Jamie ventured onto the court one day and was surprised by some players who wandered in off the street.
He’s responsible both for the players he has and for the way they play. He makes, what, $2 million a year? Right now he’s not earning it.
Despite the past wonderful decade of Pitt basketball, criticism of Coach Dixon is well justified right now.
This kind of reminds me of this past fall. Jamie has to go back to recruiting kids for his system … or change his system.
I have watched Pitt bball since the 60’s and this group is the worst team in history at making adjustments. Iwould like to see a listing of the $$$’s each school is paying coaches other than the head coach, my bet is for abig time program we are way below average.
while this team is not the most talented bunch, they are much better tha what we are seeing, and what was once ayn incredible defense now is a joke. The bigs spend way to much time guarding guards 30 feet from the hoop while two passes later a layup or offensive board goes in.
Offensively all you need is to zone us, let the ball go to Naz at the foul line and dare him to shoot. Results, air ball if he shoots, drive into triple team, pass to no one, and one in
times a great play. Could we maybe try someone who might make a jumper in that role?
four a great lay up or pass
Yes, Jamie is well paid for his work. Given the success he has bestowed on Pitt’s basketball program, let’s not park the moving van in front of his house,yet.
HTP!
I didn’t mention the game as that would have been pretty depressing I thought. As I got up to leave he asked me if I saw the game the day before and I said “Yeah, Dorsett really let us down” (even though he went for 125 yards and went over 1500 for the year that game). He and I cracked up and walked away.
It had to tee off JoePa to no end that Pitt won the title but then again, we had 3 straight 11-1 seasons (79-81) but only reached No. 2 twice .. and didn’t even get a major bowl in 81.
I also agree that Taylor and Zanna are getting better and more physical. JJ Moore need more minutes to get into the flow. We need him and Patterson to drive to the hoop. We seem to get few easy baskets.
Last night on a two on one break Gibbs tried to drive rather than toss it up for a Taylor slam, which would have made the Zoo go crazy and kept up the momemtum. Instead he got blocked.
Robinson and Gibbs are not going to turn the season around. The young guys might. At least it will get them more ready for next year.
It also seems that just when we make a comeback our opponents start making threes and someone is always having their career game against us.
We have no shutdown defender, like in the past. Wright and Epps better work on this part of their game, because neither one looks like they will ever be known for scoring.
Where is the leadership? Stop the turnovers. Let the offense flow through Patterson and not Nas.
A good lesson for all of us Pitt fans after the basketball game (and season) last night and the football follies of the past two years. Things WILL get better….Hail to Pitt!
OUCH!
Refusing to play Pitt was an act of cowardice spoiling the joy of fans on both sides. For years he beat up on William and Mary and Temple amassing his great wins loss record. He could add Temple to his schedule (a team he never lost to), but never Pitt or WVU. He never had to play the great WVU teams. How entertaining would that have been?
When he joined the Big Ten and the world found out what an average coach he was, he was so large that he refused to be fired.
The hubris of covering up child rape, to maintain his image and that of the Penn State Way to continue growing his win record is appalling.
When he passes we will hear all about his greatness, will there be an asterick beside his records? ” I wish I would have done more “
Do the bigs ever have any kind of demonstrable offensive repertoire? Blair and McGhee got most of their points on rebounds. Gray did as well, but did possess some post offense.
One big problem, IMO, is that the offensive system is such a “system” that it allows no freedom for players to create. And I don’t get the impression that Dixon encourages creativity on offense. As a result, players become stagnant, lose confidence, and settle for jumpers, e.g., Gil Brown.
Particularly with limited talent, there is only so much a Dixon-coached team will be able to accomplish if he doesn’t start to adjust and coach up his players. And please don’t talk about all of the “most improved player” awards Pitt has had. Those were the result, primarily, of individuals taking it upon themselves to become better players. Sam Young did not become the quality player he was by his senior year because of Dixon. He took it upon himself. As did Gray.
I like Dixon and he’s a good coach. But he must change his ways. He must stop having an arbitrary short leash on certain players. He must let younger players develop in games, not practice. He’s got to learn to adapt his system to the situation, e.g., it shouldn’t take 5 straight losses for him to figure out that he at least needs to try taking Gibbs off the ball and play more zone.
And for christ’s sake, he has to lay the freakin’ hammer down on FT shooting.
And I agree on Nas. Right now he is hurting this team more than helping it.
That’s my Sunday morning rant. Enjoy the day.
Not a fan of JoePA
But…Got to say. RIP JoePA. God Bless his family.
great post….quoting the wizard of oz…”the wicked witch is dead”!!
i hate state penn as much as the next guy, but i never understood the ‘wishing joepa would die’ thing.
now, i do wish this basketball season would die. this thing just has to end so we can get on with 2013. i still can’t believe we’re this bad.
P.S.-This team would be loaded.
Both teams played zone and one area constantly open was the top of the key where Robison played. He got numerouse easy shots, but he cannot handle the ball, drive to te hoop, or shoot a 10 ft. jump shot. Ifthey had not let Birch get away by playing him at the SF he could convert many of those open looks and he could have provided a defensive prescence downlow.
So he has a different temperment, he is talented. He had the most talent on the team treat him as such. God forbid we make the same mistake with Adams, not let him make early mistakes and ruin his confidence.
Birch is gone so move our best offensive player who could possibly score from that area our drive to the hoop with some possibility of not turning over the ball. Moore or Patterson would be by choice against this defense and play Znna and Taylor at the same time.
Someone has to teach Taylor to keep the ball chest high after an offensive rebound when his back is to the basket so guards do not swope in for the steal. Tell him to go him strong with both hands or fall away for an easy kiss off the backboard.
Jumk the zone to many easy outside shots and they cannot afford to give up any second shots because of their offenssive liabilities. Stop overplaying the passing lanes and cheating to the man with the ball this team is not quick enough to steal paaess in the the passing lane. They do not rotate defensively inside when the guard is beaten.
On offense stop dribbling to the side and passing the ball to your man who is 2 ft from you on the side line who is easily doubled teamed. On the press tell the inbound man that of a score he can move along the baseline he does not have to stand at one spot.
This time has problems on both sides of the court – young guards – Woodall is not the answer Robinson id much better now and Adams will be a prescence nexy year.
This team is lacking in talent but coaching this year is not up to the past either.
Patterson should definitely be mning the middle, he can make the jumper from the foul line, is a much better passer than Nas and maybe makes a foul shot. Nas has hit his ceiling, he will not stop the TO’s and missed bunnies, driving into trouble etc. The younger guys have more upside. We need to find out who can play, if we are to turn this around next year. Unfortunately, Dixon, as any good coach, thinks he can turn this around this year. I don’t think there is any chance of that happening. Especially if he doesn’t give the young guys a chance over Nas’ 35 minutes.
I agree with having Taylor and Zanna play together. One or both of them will need to play the 4 next year anyway.
Sticking with the system is not going to work this year.
I’ve been thinking the same thing regarding Nasir Robinson. I think because he is a senior and has been a contributor (yes, even in the Butler game last year), Jamie Dixon trusts him. However that trust is misspent. Robinson continually tries to drive against larger back lines like he did several times last night. He gets into trouble and is either tied up or attempts a close-in pass that has little opportunity to connect. In essence he creates turnover opportunities. I’ve seen him frequently be beaten off the dribble this year and I’ve also seen him fail to help. He’s too small to rebound his own position against many other BE teams because he has never been a good jumper. I think it is all worse this year because of his knee problems. He probably feels like he needs to push because he’s been a contributor for so long and is one of the seniors now.
It’s not going to happen, but I still think Pitt needs to go bigger and play Zanna and Taylor in a rotation with Gilbert. That will give them some shot blocking and rebounding. Those three still might be pushed around a bit but at least there will be another big around to help.
Given that Zanna barely played last year after the conference schedule started, he’s probably demonstrated the most consistent upside of any of the front court guys this year.
Other than rebounding, the rest have been dismal. What we miss the most is the D, but the turnovers are the most correctable. Hopefully having Woodall back will help.
View from the Zoo
Louisville game recap (I was very angry while writing it)
link to iampittbasketball.blogspot.com
Hail to Pitt,
Jordan
May he rest in peace.
Just watched WVU and Cinncy go into overtime and the officials could easily have called a technical foul on a tie up where the Snake player called a TO but they didn’t have any….but the officials let it go so the game could be decided the way it should be…between the two teams on the floor. Wish we would’ve had these 2 refs at the NCAA’s. Still cannot get over that call!