The bracket was released for the 2014 Maui Invitational Classic. Since Pitt will get there a little early to play Hawaii, they get an extra game. Pitt gets to start it out against the host — Chaminade. Assuming no upset (yes, yes, we all know: 1982. Virginia. Ralph Sampson. Yada, yada, yada.), Pitt moves on to face BYU or SDSU in the semis. Given the recent past, I would expect it to be SDSU.
I’m not sure if it is just a few people getting negative or just a conditioning thing, but I actually saw some complaints about Pitt’s bracket on Twitter and message boards. Mainly that it is a negative to have the game against Chaminade because it hurts the RPI. And a little unfamiliarity/little too casual in dismissing a team like SDSU. The Aztecs have been one of the best teams in the Mountain West. They were a #4 seed last year, going out in the Sweet Sixteen to Arizona. Odds are, if it is Pitt-SDSU in the semis, SDSU will be considered the favorite.
My personal feeling is that Pitt’s (likely) semi-final game will be tougher than what Arizona will face against the Purdue/K-State winner. Yes, there is more name recognition for the opponent, but BYU is the equivalent of K-State and SDSU has been superior under Steve Fisher. Missouri had its steady decline under Frank Haith — who then bolted for Tulsa ahead of the firing that would have happened after this year — so Arizona may not have it as easy as Pitt should against Chaminade, but it won’t be that hard.
The other nice thing is that the way they slated the games, Pitt is on at times that are not the middle of the day. The opening game against Chaminade is Monday, November 24 at 9pm. The semi-final is Tuesday at 10pm. No DVR delay watching or trying to watch on a computer at work.
In other basketball stuff, the Bahama trip was about what you would expect. Pitt rolled whatever competition was thrown their way. They had days at the beach. Swimming with dolphins and just a good time. Seriously, a trip to the Bahamas and a trip to Maui in the same year. Best year to be on the Pitt basketball team.
I like that we get to play in Hawaii a few days before the Chaminade game; it could only help to get acclimated for the tourney.
It would appear they have 4 of their 5 starters returning plus their best bench player.
That’s going to be a test for sure if we play them.
Newkirk only averaged 5.3 ppg, but did lead the team with 22 assists. (JR second at 14 along with surprise, Jeter and Wright all with 14)
Slim was the 3rd leading scorer at almost 10 ppg. in only 13.5 mpg. Only Luther and Randall played less. not counting the tail end of the bench.
Uchebo led rebounding by a large margin at 12.5 rpg. While shooting 67% fg and avg’g 7.5 ppg.
Encouraging for Big Joe.
1. Robinson is going to start at the “1” and Wright at the “2”. Newkirk is going to get lots of minutes subbing at both the “1” and the “2”.
2. Jones will probably start at the “3” until DJ comes back, but he may not get as many minutes as Jeter who will sub at both the “3” and the “4”.
3. Uchebo, even with his knee not 100%, is Pitt’s best option at the “5”.
4. Young will split his minutes between the “4” and the “5”, but will start at the “4”.
1. Robinson
2. Wright
3. Jones, until DJ healthy
4. Young
5. Uchebo
First guard off the bench: Newkirk
First forward off the bench: Jeter
Dixon will have Jones and Jeter compete for the starting spot at small forward. The starter has not yet been determined.
In the Bahamas, Jones and Jeter played the same number of minutes over the four games — Jones (72 minutes) and Jeter (73 minutes). Jeter had a better shooting percentage, more rebounds, more assists, and fewer turnovers. If anything, the statistics suggest that Jeter will win the position. I don’t know who is better at defense though Jones is more familiar with Dixon’s system.
1. Robinson
2. Wright
3. Jeter or Jones
4. Young
5. Uchebo or Randall
The Mountain West conference has actually been scheduling D-2 games as a technique to boost their win totals while not diluting the RPI with sub-200+ opponents.