If I had to lay odds, I would have had Ron Cook as the prohibitive favorite among Pittsburgh newspaper columnists penning the “Pitt’s weak schedule is the reason for the loss” column this morning. But, no. Dejan Kovacevic grabs the superficial brass ring. Oh, he’s not coming and saying it’s the reason. He’s just saying the question is still out there.
You’d better believe the topic came up again, as it’ll continue to do for as long as it goes unaddressed. In this context, the question was whether or not Pitt might have been better prepared for Cincinnati with an out-of-conference schedule ranked better than 167th in the country.
You may remember Kovacevic’s previous “question” of whether this Pitt team is better without Steven Adams.
Time for a personal aside. I hate. HATE the “I’m just asking questions” pieces. Regardless of the medium. At the end of the day, it is nothing but pot-stirring crap that someone doesn’t have the actual courage to stand behind. They aren’t saying they believe it (wink, wink). They are just acknowledging the question is out there and opening it up to others to discuss. That way they don’t have to back up what they are saying. They don’t have to take one side.
They can just toss it out there. Repeat it. Let others pick it up, and see what happens. Skew the debate without having to get your hands dirty.
Skip Bayless may be a gasbag troll best ignored, but at least you know what side he is taking on something (usually the side that gets the most controversy and attention). When a media person can’t even reach that level, it should be a concern.
/end rant
“We’re disappointed, to put it mildly, and did not deserve to win,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “We didn’t play well the whole game. Give them credit.”
I’ll take that as a no.
As for the game itself. Let’s hit the standards.
But an unusual thing happened in this battle of toughness, heart and will — Pitt lost in all three categories and, as a result, lost the game, 44-43, in the Jimmy V Classic.
“We didn’t handle their physicality well at all, and that is disappointing for us,” said Pitt coach Jamie Dixon. “They were more physical than we were, they were more aggressive than we were and they were physical at the same time.”
Pitt senior forward Lamar Patterson added, “they were more physical today, and we knew that’s how they would play but we didn’t throw punches back like we are supposed to. Numbers don’t lie.”
The biggest issue for Pitt was the number of offensive rebounds it surrendered. Including the game winning putback. Cinci grabbed 16 offensive rebounds while Pitt only got 8 second chances on offense.
The ESPN crew noted it during the game, and it was strange. Pitt was getting out of position for offensive rebounds because several players would all go for blocks on drives or shots inside. They didn’t have position, became off-balanced and left themselves exposed to Cinci players getting to the ball first.
Then there were the freethrows. Up until the final couple minutes of the game, they were the thing that had Pitt in a position to at least escape with the win. Zanna went 2-4 from the line and then the brutal misses by Lamar Patterson with 22 seconds left.
Patterson, who was 6 for 7 from the foul line before his two key misses, said that, as the team leader, he should have knocked down the two free throws in order to give the Panthers a wider margin.
“I feel like I lost the game for us,” Patterson said. “Not only missing one, but both, I need to make them, I’ll take that one on the chin for the team, it is on me.”
Wright quickly stepped in and said, “it wasn’t Lamar’s fault. You don’t lose the game on two free throws. There are a lot of possessions. It was a team loss, and you have to give a lot of credit to Cincinnati.”
Well, sort of. This was such a slow, grinding game. Pitt only had 47 possessions. I don’t know, maybe scoring is really up because the old Big East is no more and that style of play is now more diffused. I suppose not.
The Cinci side rejoiced at simply stopping their two-game slide.
“Our guys were so upset about what happened Saturday night we had guys that couldn’t eat,” said UC coach Mick Cronin. “I was more of a psychologist than a coach the last couple of days.”
The players were feeling a lot better Tuesday night after they reclaimed their reputation for toughness against an unbeaten Pittsburgh team that also takes pride in standing its ground on the basketball court.
So what else stands out from this game that could be part of a broader theme? Well, the 3-point shooting has become a struggle. Over the course of the last five games, Pitt is shooting a touch over 20% from outside (13-64). That’s going to make things crowded inside as teams focus on preventing penetration and cut off passing lanes.
Perhaps not so coincidentally, Durand Johnson is 3-18 (16.7%) on 3s in that stretch. It’s hard to miss J.J. Moore when Johnson has so seamlessly replaced him as the sixth man with ridiculous athletic talent who should be attacking the basket rather than launching so many 3s. Johnson is 9-14 from anywhere inside the arc in that same stretch.
It isn’t just Johnson struggling to shoot. Michael Young is a great young player. I will really enjoy watching him continue to get better. But right now he shows his inexperience on offense. Bringing and gathering the ball before going up for shots to get challenged most of the time. In the last five games, only one game had him score more points from the field than the free throw line. It is rightly noted that his free throw shooting is excellent. While an occasional game where all the offense comes from the free throw line is a good offset, it shouldn’t be the norm. Especially for a front court player.
The only players who have continually hit double figures in scoring for this five game stretch are Talib Zanna and Lamar Patterson. Cam Wright had his run snapped last night.
James Robinson does so much right on the court. And it should be noted that he is shooting better from inside the arc to this point in the season versus last year. But, his 3-point shooting is actually down from last year, and that is worrisome. We saw it last year in Big East play. Teams didn’t fear him shooting the ball. They played off him. Covering the passing lanes and staying back to prevent drives. Daring him to shoot.
Panther247 ?@Panther_247 50m
Just confirmed it. Alex Bookser has given his verbal commitment to #Pitt. Here’s the 4* OT’s profile: link to 247sports.com …
Mt. Lebanon OL Alex Bookser has committed to Pitt. Confirmed by Alex himself. #pitt Pitt also might get Gateway’s Montae Nicholson tomorrow
RT @Panther_247: Just confirmed it. Alex Bookser has given his verbal commitment to #Pitt. Here’s the 4* OT’s profile: link to t.co
Alex Bookser
Alex Bookser Mt. Lebanon (Pittsburgh, PA) OT 6-6/295
4 0.9275
4 94
Uncommitted
Interests
School Interest Offer Recruited By Visit Date
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Warm true
Chris Haering
Jim Hueber
Jan 17
Ohio State Ohio State Warm true
Luke Fickell
Ed Warinner
Dec 13
Penn State Penn State Warm true
Charles London
Mac McWhorter
Dec 6
Tennessee Tennessee Warm true
Don Mahoney
Nov 22
Michigan State Michigan State Warm true
Mark Staten
Jim Bollman
–
Virginia Virginia Warm true
Bill Lazor
Scott Wachenheim
–
Alabama Alabama None true
Lance Thompson
Mario Cristobal
–
Florida State Florida State None true
–
–
Kentucky Kentucky None true
–
–
Maryland Maryland None true
–
–
Northwestern Northwestern None true
–
–
Rutgers Rutgers None true
–
–
Toledo Toledo None true
Jason Candle
–
USC USC None true
Mike Ekeler
–
West Virginia West Virginia None true
Tony Gibson
IT IS OLD HE HAS NOT COMMITED TO ANY ONE YET
IN OUTHER WORDS IT IS JUST A GUESS AND A OLD GUESS AT THAT.
Here’s an article from the Tribune Review’s Jerry Dipaola. You’ll notice that the date is for TODAY.
check any of the local guys’ twitters. its done. enjoy it
i beg forgive ness so sorry to doubt you.
but what wonderful news thank you for posting it
Twitter is a great way to get information.
Possibly more good news next couple days with Nicholson committing tomorrow and McKenzie comitting on Friday.
If McKenzie goes elsewhere, I understand that Pitt is still in play for the RB in Georgia (CJ Leggett). Skimming through on Twitter recently, it seems that Leggett played pretty well during the GA playoffs. I think his team may have made the state title game.
An opponent we beat. By 21 points. In a game where we scored 88 points.
Corrected and as you wrote, “Still…
…and UConn scores 13 in the second half.
But Alex Bookser just committed.
So I guess I won’t do that.
Sorry Frankcannnnnnnnnn
As I’ve said before, I don’t care if we’re ranked any day before April 7, 2014.
bookser was good news.
you have lost your mind have you not all this koolaid drinking you have even made DR Tom wonder what is wrong with you.
but i know you will find your self and start bitching once more lets hope it is soon.
Now the Pitt naysayers can kindly stop saying PITT has beaten no one of note. The twits.
Maybe an Urban warfare, Summer Camp in Compton or some such place would do them well.
Especially kids from Fox Chapel & Mt Lebo.
Just a thought ! lol
“You need three guys to offensive rebound, two to take the contact on and one to get the ball, and we did a great job of that all [game].”
Cincinnati Coach Mick Cronin
********
QUESTIONS…
Does Jamie knows this? Does he teach this? Does he motivate his players to the point that they’re willing to put it into action?
The first answer is obvious. The other two not so much.
Something is amiss here.
On the BB game:
Four missed free throws 2 each by Zanna and Patterson cost
Pitt the game on a bad night
Zanna better stay out of foul trouble; Randall provides little beyond a big body
Zanna was open most of the night but rarely got the ball down low
Pitt must rebound to win; team is offensively challenged
Durand Johnson needs to be more patient on his 3 point attempts
Robinson/Newkirk are talented PGs
Welcome to Bookster!
When Noll emerged from locker room into Tulane stadium his face said I’ve got the best team in the NFL and we’re going to kick the Vikings ass in every phase. At the NCAA’s in Dayton I watched closely as team came onto the floor and was shocked at Dixon’s body language; he looked too uptight, all of the same facial expressions described above except they were heightened. He had one of the best if not thee best team in college ball, he should have had that look that so many championship coaches have, that pissed off yet confident look that says we’re here to kick ass. And the foe was ETSU that day and we didn’t put it away till late.
I like Dixon but I think he’s got a case of anxiety disorder that gets in the way. Anxiety stops people from being brave and bravery is what’s missing from Dixon and his teams when the moment is big. A brave shooter hits those two foul shots, or the one that GB missed vs Butler. A brave coach grasps the moment and adjusts, and there Dixon fails more than he succeeds. When J Dixon was about to get trapped on right sideline by Villanova an instinctive coach calls immediate TO. If Fields had been handling the ball there we make the final four. When GB missed that foul shot Dixon should have known to pull them off the line for two obvious reasons. In NY the other night he should have gone brave and allow Newkirk the opportunity to drive to create passing lanes to Zanna who was open underneath. A few Zanna baskets and the perimeter shooter would have gotten a little bit more time to set.
The Blair teams should have been final four team, same with Brad’s team that lost to Butler. Put a brave guy like Izzo on the bench it would have happened. I think Dixon should work with a therapist on his anxiety disorder. The irony is that Dixon failed to be brave in a tournament named for a very brave man.
Maybe this has played a part in some of the more critical games. Not all, but some.
Can not be conducive to having the kind of clear thinking required for making smart decisions when they’re needed most.
BUT… if they don’t get the REBOUNDING thing figured out… it’s going to be ugly.
As COLD as the team went against Cincy… had Pitt put forth a better effort in the rebounding department, it wouldn’t have mattered. Pitt would have WON going away.
If Palermo still has some juice our O-Line is going to be scary good in 2-3 years. Bisno, Johnson, Grimm and Bookser. W. PA Road Graders.
Start the war chant…Montae-Montae.
McKenzie likely a “no.”
But keep in mind CJ Leggett.
With all the attention that I pay to recruiting, I find it strange that I’m enlightened for the first time that Bookser played both ways in HS, Although he was recruited as an offensive lineman for college.
This is fantastic news! That means that we have five OL recruits in this class too, just like last year. What once was a glaring weakness in the trenches for Pitt, Chryst is methodically building to be a primary asset going forward. Can you imagine an OL in a year or two with the likes of Dorian Johnson, Alex Bookser and Mike Grimm all as starters? And who knows out of the bunch of other good recruits that we now have who turns out to be the next Grimm, May, or Fralic in that bunch. $hit, this is the same team that needed to move an untested defensive lineman over to offense just to have enough warm bodies in the starting OL lineup who could contribute and play.
Fling all the criticisim that you want to at Coach Chryst, but during the last two years he has just been gojng about his business humming the famous Sinatra tune “My Way”.
Not saying that this is going to happen, but in this class both Mike Herndon and now Bookser have HS experience on the defensive side of the ball also. It is not out of the realm of possibility that we could either of these OL recruits moved over to shore up the depth issue on that side of the ball. I especially like that option for Herndon, since he played some LB at his HS and in his Junior highlight video looked dominant in that role. Pretty frickin quick on film for a kid carrying around over 300 lbs.
Now on to Nicholson and McKenzie. Even though I think that Shai might be taking into consideration that with Briggs, Ollison and our most recent RB recruit Chris James all on board in this class, “will there be room for playing time for me”, but if in fact, he is the competitor that I hope he is, he’ll be imagining how many yards that he’s going to be gaining behind the future OL that I’ve described above when he has earned his significant playing time in a year or two. BTW, Shell who? Come on down Shai and join the party!
I’m telling you guys, if we are lucky enough to reel in both Nicholson plus either Jennings/Kamara in this class and we discover that we have a promising QB developing in the group of Voytik, Freebeck or Bertke, then my friends, we are in for some dynamic Pitt offensive fireworks in the not so distant future IMO.
In closing, I sat on Santa’s lap this week during my recent mall visit and I gave him my Christmas wishlist. Montae Nicholson was #1 on it! Old St. Nick turned around and peeked in his sack sitting next to him then turned and whispered in my ear, “it’s in the bag”. Just hope that Chris Kringle wasn’t just BSing to get me out of there!
Hoping for more good recruiting news today. Hail to Pitt!
Don’t understand why none of the teams in the SEC have
Have offered Leggett???
Can’t wait.
Good point. Have no clue.
He does look pretty good on tape. Physical.
There was a little confusion late but they had time outs to burn. It wasn’t an issue. Dixon can’t shoot free throws or get rebounds for them. Thought he coached a decent game. Made a switch to zone to get a few stops. When that didn’t work out, switched back to man. When subs started sucking, he put the starters back in and pretty much kept them in….It was just a shitty game.
I guess they believe people would rather read about Pitt’s failures, but it sure seems like they have an agenda.
even thou they were listed as OT and OG
on some sites they are listed as d line men.
I have said this often. Teams learn much more from a loss than from an easy win . There will be more learning to come
It’s funny Silver Panther how two guys can view the same thing and have opposite opinions. Reminds me of the story of the Aborigini who was debriefed after seeing civilization for the first time could only report see a man selling bananas. His level of consciousness was limited by his perceptions.
Pissing and moaning and speculating about the Head Coach’s facial expressions and body language seems right on up there with that. I’m sure you’re kind to puppies and children, pay taxes on time, and are a fine supporter of our athletic programs. But if this were a bar conversation, I’d laugh in your fucking grill for talking about that kind of crap. Jamie Dixon could have been wearing kabuki make-up and it still wouldn’t have stopped Reynolds from making the layup.
I’ve been at MSG for the Big East Championship win, for many other wins, for some loses, I’ve been to a bunch of away games as well. Jamie’s facial expressions are fine. If we’re going to break down late game strategy, tactics, decisions, overall composure, bring on some basketball analysis. Otherwise let’s just move on. This is so lame.
