2 game losing streak. Road game. Another slow-paced defensive-minded opponent.
Miami is off to a 2-6 start in the ACC. In no small part because their schedule has been brutal for what should be a middle to lower middle team in the ACC — Syracuse (twice), Duke, FSU, at Maryland.
The team plays a matchup zone defense.
“Theirs is a matchup zone, we haven’t seen a lot of that matchup zone this year. We’ve seen more of it in other years, but not so much this year,” Dixon said. “They also play a little bit of the Syracuse zone, a type of 2-3, but we saw it a little more in the Big East. It is something that coach Larranaga hasn’t played a lot of [in the past], but is this year because he feels it matches his personnel.
“They match up more with their three perimeter guys, they play more man-to-man on the ball than say a 2-3 zone.”
Dixon said the key to Miami’s zone is it slows teams down on offense. That meshes with the Hurricanes’ philosophy of keeping the possessions low and scoring down.
He said the only way to attack it successfully is to be patient. Dixon thought the Panthers were pretty good at that Sunday in the loss against Virginia but noted they were not good at making shots.
“I think we are good against a zone,” Dixon said. “The matchup zone is something that we prepare for, but we are also built to have success against zones because we pass it well and shoot it well. But it is something that we are going to have to be patient with and adjust [to] as they adjust as the game goes on.
The Canes have some length on the perimeter which is why they play the zone.
Lamar Patterson will be a focus for them — as he has been for the past couple of teams. So unless other guys start making shots with more consistency and finishing at (not simply getting to) the basket, that isn’t going to change.
This will be a slow tempo game. Hopefully it will be more along the Clemson game than the Virginia/Cinci style.
Miami media cares little for this sort of thing. Especially on signing day. Their lone story focuses on how there will be four players from Nigeria on the court tonight — not the actual game. As for Talib Zanna, there isn’t much being said about whether his ankle is okay from the nasty roll it got on Sunday.
It’s a 7pm game down in Coral Gables.
The game is on ESPN3.com and ESPN’s FullCourt package. The RSN distribution includes Root Sports — Pittsubrgh, YES, NESN, SportsTime Ohio, Sun Sports and others.
Jackagain, the selection committee looks at things like RPI and record. Both things Pitt isn’t horrible at. Pitt’s non conference RPI is 5. Maybe you’ll learn more about NCAA basketball sometime.
Pitt is getting looks they just aren’t converting those looks. Missing lots of shots they didn’t before the slump.
Either the Selection Committee will be touting Pitt’s strong RPI for their great seeding or their weak NC schedule. That’s the bet…you can guess where my money’s going…
Artis played 13 min, 0/3 shooting (0/2 from beyond the arc), 1/2 from the FT line, 1 reb, 1 TO, 2 fouls
I know they will get better but it can’t happen soon enough.
And I agree that Dixon needs to introduce some wrinkles into the offense. As the season goes on, it just becomes stagnant and predictable.
They won. Don’t think they deserved it, but I’ll take it. But the confidence I had that this was a strong team just struggling a little bit is gone. Evaporated like Zanna’s presence in the paint.
73 percent free throws wins the game.
Is it possible to shoot worse?
Against Clemson, we made everything, I guess we shot our wad on one game.
At least Patterson broke out of his slump starting with the two threes at the end of the half.
Now if we could get Zanna going again…
Is Pitt a National Title contender? No. But Pitt has shown they can hang with the big boys. As ugly as this game was, it was important. Pitt has to keep beating the teams they are supposed. They’ll get over the hump.
We got another game against Cuse and history suggests we play well against them. Pitt could be a bad match up for UNC even though they are playing better. UNC is not physically or mentally tough as Duke.
This team is definitely Sweet 16 capable and with the right match up, Elite 8. They’ve hit a rough patch in the middle of February. They just came off two emotionally taxing losses to Duke and UVA in front of a crazy Zoo only to play at Miami in front of the rafters. Not an easy thing to do.
No need to throw in the towel yet. Enjoy the last 10 games or so we have of Patterson and Zanna. Two players that finally reached their potential. I still think this team will surprise and I haven’t said that in a few years.
Thanks for the level-headed comments. And talking me off-of the ledge.
I agree.
We definitely need a big win and that will not happen with LP alone. Stats say CW did his job but nobody else. Play by play suggests Miami blew it at the Ft line. The VT game will tell nothing and there is no way I see us beating Syracuse unless TZ plays unlike Zanna AND someone else contributes in a big way.
I don’t see it, so I hope to get surprised by someone. Not fair commenting without having watched, but JD constantly quotes the stats, so why not me too.
Either Zanna helps me back off or…………………… I’m gonna’ jump.
Right now I feel a push rather than a pull coming.
Every team in the nation will have 2-3 games in a season where they shoot in the mid 30% range. They will lose most of those games but we didn’t. Even great Pitt teams…I remember a game up at Rutgers about 6 years ago when we came back and squeaked it right at the end. Rutgers was a joke of a team…but we nearly lost with a far better Pitt team than we have today. It just happens. At least we won.
Nevertheless, I don’t see how we go .500 from here on out unless a) the bench can give the starters some more rest b) we figure out how to win when Patterson is double teamed all game or just has an off game, or c) someone becomes more of a 3 point threat. Preferably 2 out of 3.
The crisp passing is gone, the offense is stagnant. It feels just like… the past few seasons. Dixon has got to take steps to loosen up the team, himself, and introduce some things into the offense to freshen it up, create scoring opportunities for other players beside Patterson.
Some things need to change.
Its my opinion, Jamie’s negative energy is sapping the strength from his players.
I expect inconsistency from the freshmen and the bench, I don’t expect it so much from the upperclassmen.
At the beginning of the 2nd half with all the starters on the floor, Pitt went 5:09 without scoring. Then it was stuck on 39 pts for 5:02 (from 8:47 to 3:45). The younger players eem hesitant and out of step, the upperclassmen seem not to be athletic enough to create and when they do get an open shot, they clang it.
Wooden and Knight are just two coaches who relied on their players’ instincts as opposed to calling TOs … of course, they had pretty talented players.
Let’s have some perspective and remember who Pitt has struggled to score against. Scoring D rank of the teams Pitt has struggled to score against:
Miami 10th in the nation
UVA 2nd in the nation
Cuse 8th in the nation
Cinci 4th in the nation
Pitt just can’t score against the best Ds in the nation. Bright side Pitt can play good enough D to stick in those games until the very end.
Pitt’s draw will be more important than seeding this year.
I am hoping that they get washed before Saturday.
H2P
