Okay, so that first game in the 5oth state didn’t go as planned. Not in the least. If you are looking for the silver lining — and admittedly you really have to look — losing that way probably made the point about needing to play defense better than any lecture, practice session or film session could have. Not that Coach Dixon didn’t emphasize the film session.
And it was lots and lots and lots of film watching. And then when there was a little more film to watch before the day was done. It apparently was an all day affair in the video room as he tried to, as he said “get them to see the things we need them to do that they aren’t doing defensively. Each team had a designated practice time at the gym but Dixon opted not to use it and again, instead had a very long and at times, unpleasant, film session.
Hopefully things can only go up from there. Tonight Pitt takes on the Chaminade Silverswords.Which is just awesome to type. The game is on ESPNU at 9pm.
Obviously Pitt will improve defensively when Cameron Wright returns, but the other individual players need to be better at the defensive end. It’s easy to put a lot of it on the backcourt that doesn’t prevent the penetration that allows a lot of kick-outs for open looks or drives all the way to the rim. Or on the lack of size up front.
But the players have been playing lip service to being better on defense since before the start of the season without actually doing it. Acknowledging after games that they need to be better, but not following through on the words.
With Pitt’s loss to Hawai’i on Friday, Chaminade should be feeling like they have more than a puncher’s chance. Their fans should be ready for this. We will see if Pitt has learned anything since Friday.
Poor outside shooting and it’s going to be a long
Season.
Now we are cooking! We need to RUN! We are damn good in the open floor.
Should have been tossed.
Hopefully Cam will be back by Indiana.
Mike Young is a beast.
cause we’re ‘Pittsburgh’ tonite.
Pitt won in 1986 in a first class arena in Honolulu.
Yeah we didn’t suffer another embarrassment.
Pitt wins #3
The Silverswords shot 42 % from 3 and 51% overall.
Pitt was just too physically big for them. Sort of like Pitt vs. Delaware in football.
for the next game against BYU or SDSU…will we be Pitt or Pittsburgh (according to game announcers).
(what do they hold a meeting to determine this or just get a memo from ESPN)
Since he went to Cuse. Zip, zilch, nada tonite.
Both by him and the color announcer.
Today they were Robinson, Newkirk, Cam Johnson, Young and Randall.
Johnson may turn out to be the biggest surprise of all. He must be a quick learner on defense, or he’d be sitting on the bench next to Jeter. And he is good at hitting threes — 3 for 5 tonight.
Young is by far the best player on this team. There isn’t a second best at this point. What is the issue with his thumb? He had it wrapped in the first half and struggled with his jumper, he even bricked a free throw. Once he took it off, he shot well.
Tonight will tell us a lot. SDSU reminds me of some past Pitt teams. They are tough defensively, good on the boards and while limited offensively, they score enough to win. They are older and tougher than Pitt is now. Uchebo and Randall will need to play well. Johnson and Newkirk will both need to play well on the offensive end for Pitt to stay in the game.
But even skeptics would have to admit there’s pressure or prodding coming from somewhere.
I’ve always said Pederson has to take responsibility for the attendance at Heinz Field. It’s been lousy this season.
So…as much as we bleed blue and gold…the most powerful message to sent to Cornhole is to stay away from his rented stadium until the program begins to head in the right direction.
Three years of barely breaking even is not progress, despite how Pederson spins it.
I like Cam J. and Luther and both will contribute to this program, but the fact that they are playing now is a bad sign.
Hoping Pitt hangs tonight, but I’m preparing myself for a rough outing.
