The change in the Athletic Department and the football coaching search has all the oxygen. Pitt basketball has won three straight. They may not be rolling, but they are improving. Yet, I haven’t even had a chance to recap a single game.
Today it is a 4pm game that gets wide RSN distribution and ESPN3.com. Root, NESN, YES, multiple FoxSports directionals and states (hey, FS Wisconsin is on the list). You should be able to catch this game if you want to. God knows you should be doing everything you can to avoid going to a store this weekend.
Oakland has been on quite the road show this year. Chances to be destroyed by Arizona, Michigan State and Iowa State. Life of a low mid-major. Sell yourself for games, hoping that you can make them regret it. So far, no regrets.
As noted, Pitt is 3-0 in the last three games. They haven’t been the best games, but they are wins and Cam Wright is finding his legs and form. No surprise, the defense has been significantly improving. Coach Dixon, your thoughts?
“We’re 3-0 with Cameron back, and that’s how we look at things,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “There’s a lot of days to look forward here. A lot of days to get better.”
That is one of the goals with this game. Get better each game. A little more improvement.
Jamel Artis has been a lot better since he got moved back to the 4-spot. Given his size, you know he wanted to be at the 3, but he just could not play defense out there. He gets more minutes, has a bit less pressure and his offensive game flows a lot more as a 4 that can stretch defenses. And much the way swifter wing players could abuse him when he had to defend the 3, he can do the same to defenders at the 4.
Defensive basketball doesn’t just suddenly click like offense can at times.
Thiose of you who complain about the schedule should know
there aren’t many cupcakes. All of the teams play hard and have good players. Also Pitt is a young which will get better
as the season progresses. That said this is not one of JD’s
better teams. Losing Durand hurt big time. Lack of depth
at center is a huge problem. The kids play hard as usual
and always fun to watch. All of you negative types stay about
and don’t watch.
Wish all of you negative on campus stadium, hate Dixon,
complain about everything types would find another
school to follow. Pederson has been fired now find something
else to be negative about. Can’t stand people who obvious
know litte about FB or BB bitching constantly.
Under dixon pitt has had the following final rankings:
In the top 10…4 times
Between 11 and 20….4 times
21 or higher…3 times
And people suggest that is mediocre? If football had only done the same…
Top 10: twice
11-20 6 times
21 or higher, 4 times
Fire boeheim, he SUCKS!!!!!!
I’m not sure where this sense of entitlement about Pitt basketball has come from. Pitt is not Kentucky, Duke, or North Carolina and they never will be. Jamie recruits kids that have upside and want to get better. The effort is there every night and they play until the final horn sounds. I for one don’t get tired of watching them pull games out at the end — it builds character and confidence.
OK, feeling much better this am, we are ranked higher that PSU in BB.
Big Dixon fan but if hoops falls below PSU program, I will be distraught and inconsolable….and my kids won’t like that.
Wait for it…
Wait for it….
ARENA FOOTBALL !!
Attacking individuals as know-nothings means your arguments are fallacious.
Young is clearly an athlete with game out to the arc. He was a top 100 player and consensus four star in high school. Artis also demonstrates serious athletic skill and looks like the next glue guy (patterson/wanamaker). Newkirk is a serious athlete but for some reason struggles with decision making and defense.
Robinson is not a great athlete but has shown growth. He was a consensus four star out of HS and played on two FIBA championship teams.
Adams and Birch were top 25 players when they enrolled and consensus 5 star players. Adams started for OKC the other night.
Dixon is getting better players. I think he needs to adjust his style and let them press and trap more. I’ve seen them do it three times this year and they do it well.
Dixon is paying for the recruiting class that brought Cam Wright. Other than Cam, that class has been a bust (sorry DJ).
It’s not worth the time arguing because they are clueless.
Its called college basketball. Upsets. Up and down years. That is the nature of the sport. If u dont like it, dont be a fan.
Dixon supporters have facts on their side. If i told u a team…bball or fball..ended up in the top 20 8 of the past 11 years, well, i’d personally feel pretty lucky to be a fan of such a team. I actually feel bad for people who don’t…must be real pessimists in your everyday life.
Make no mistake if i had to guess, we are an nit team this year. With only one real senior and one real junior, i am ok with that. I love pitt thick and thin. Bball is up and down but like a good stock u dont dump it on a downturn, you have a little faith. They are thin now but i am still a proud supporter of this program and this coach. Dixon should learn to let his team run more, press more…he needs to do better in the tourney…he is far from gods gift to coaching. I get that. But in comparison to all d1 coaches he is pretty damn good. Too good to remotely even consider wanting to roll the dice and let him go.
Now if we are not top 15 in 2 years i will be sorely disappointed.
I willsay again, dixon haters have terrible memories….from evans to howland….WE SUCKED and it sucked being a pitt fan too. It sucked watching pitt suck for 10 long years.
If Uchebo, Randall or Haughton were up to the standard of any other player on the team we would be pretty good right now.
You can’t blame anyone else but Dixon for this.
I like dixon. 3 years in a row not in final top 25, heading for what looks to be a 4th.
After 8 years 03′-10′ of being in the top 5, top10, top 20. Even #1 several times.
Facts, that’s all, just facts. They cannot be disputed.
I hope he turns it around and we become a national “power” again.
It has been further damaged by the loss of DJ, their best potential scorer and team leader and the injury of Cam Wright their potential glue guy.
They have not played together long enough to get the synchronicity that Patterson and Zanna developed over five years. These guys have to think before they pass so offense looks disjointed.
There is a lot of individual talent on the team but they are not playing like a team.
I think TT is right that they will get better, but I don’t think it will be a straight line.
The lack of a real big man hurts them the most and will be the hardest to overcome.
They will have to win a lot of games with defensive effort, because there are no prolific scorers on the team.
I said before the year began that what we will miss most of Patterson and Zanna is their rebounding. I haven’t changed my mind.
The biggest disappointment is Jeter, how can he be so lost on defense?