Here’s a shocker. The national theme of Pitt’s loss is that the team is struggling without Levance Fields. Now, before you just scream, “duh!” Keep in mind that going into the season, the national writers presumed Pitt would be a top-25 team, but wasn’t exactly sure how. To a large degree that applies to the national audience — or at least the presumption. So, there is a belief or need to explain now how much that hurts Pitt and to explain the loss.
Mike Cook is gone for the year. LeVance Fields is out 8-11 weeks. Jamie Dixon is down to seven scholarship players, and while he’ll undoubtedly keep Pitt battling, can he really keep this injury-riddled team competitive in the Big East? It missed a golden opportunity in Sunday’s 64-63 loss to Villanova. Maybe it was fatigue (six Pitt players went at least 23 minutes) or the fact that they’re down to three guards (one of which, Ronald Ramon, [above] is battling injuries) but the Panthers were done in by 22 turnovers, including one with 10 seconds to go. Big East play is not the place to find a team’s identity but Dixon has to discover new-look Pitt’s in a hurry.
Yes, factual error in number of scholarship players, but it effectively is 7 until Dixon plays Diggs or McGhee.
And this bit.
Sunday offered a glimpse of how badly Pittsburgh is going to miss Levance Fields. The Panthers needed a game-winning play in the final seconds, and in normal circumstances the ball would’ve been in Fields’ hands. But because the junior point guard is out with an injured foot the ball was in Ronald Ramon’s hands, and his hands turned it over for the fifth time and allowed Villanova to escape with a 64-63 victory.
Former Philly area sportswriter, now with ESPN.com did a whole article on Pitt trying to adjust.
So, understandably, when the question was posed, Young paused for a considerable time before answering truthfully.
“I don’t know,” the Pitt forward said. “I’m trying to figure that out right now. I’m sure the coaches and the rest of my team are trying, too. We’re trying to see how it will work. There’s a lot of stuff going on, and we’re trying to figure it out. In the process, we’re trying to win games.”
…
Afterward, it would have been easy for Dixon to throw up his hands and say, “What can you do?” No doubt, most hoops aficionados across the country are doing just that.
But Dixon isn’t one of them.
“There’s no excuse for this. We should have won,” Dixon said. “We had it. We played well enough to win.”
No, you won’t find the Panthers crying in their soup. They shed tears after Cook went down, got through the shock after Fields hobbled off, but quickly have realized January is not the time for the group pity party. Young admitted his team is a little lost in the game plan department, but he quickly followed up by insisting that his team will find its way.
The Panthers (12-2, 0-1 Big East) even have a morbid sense of humor about the whole thing. On the pregame press release, underneath the roster, associate media relations director Greg Hotchkiss prints the team’s disabled list.
The article also says that Ramon is “playing with one dislocated shoulder and likely a torn rotator cuff in the other.” You know, I see teams playing with 4 guards. Wonder if Pitt will end up playing with 4 forwards at some point?
Coach Dixon appears to really be pushing the point publicly that regardless of the injuries, there are no excuses. I imagine that is as much for the players. To let them know the coaches and players are still accountable, and that the season isn’t over just because bad things have happened. Something the players are also saying publicly.
“Levance … I’d love to have him on the team, but he’s not here right now,” Blair said. “We have to play with who we got. We just have to keep our heads. We have to have trust in everyone..
“We can’t get Levance back. We can’t get Cook back.
Someone has to step up. We just have to play through it and not think about it.”
Villanova got huge contributions from a freshman and reshirt freshman in Malcolm Grant and Antonio Pena. Grant who already this season showed tremendous accuracy and range on his three-point shooting put it on display against Pitt. Pena, provided a much needed extra body inside for rebounding and put backs with Drummond out.
Villanova Coach Jay Wright, did acknowledge that his team won in large part because of who Pitt didn’t have.
“Let’s not make any mistakes about it,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “This is a game where Levance Fields steps up big-time.”
But he’s not available right now.
Most important part of that whole story right there. A chance to knock off a top-25 conference foe on the road in a tough building. The selection committee looks for that type of win and we let it literally slip away.
Kudos to Ramon if he is as banged up as is suggested and continues to tough it out, but I’m really surprised that players at this level would have such a difficult time handling the ball.
I mean really… it’s a fundamental part of the game and only one (Levance) scholarship player can do it? Christ — we’re probably the only small-ball team in history that struggles with the 10-second rule. By the time we get into our offense there’s about seven seconds left on the shot clock.
We can’t even get it up-court much less make an entry pass. That was a truly stunning revelation to me. Look for opponents to press us every game out until we prove we can beat them up the floor for easy baskets (don’t hold your breath).
I’ll be at the USF game Wednesday. Look for me on ESPN2 pulling out what’s left of my hair.
Most of the turnovers yesterday had nothing to do with the full-court press. Pitt was getting caught in half-court traps. If teams continue to do that, then they will get burned. Benjamin, Brown and Ramon can all hit the three and Young or Blair will start finding them.
Those half-court traps were a result of the press. Villanova didn’t allow us to get to the middle of the floor — where you need to attack the press. We were forced to go foul line extended and the traps ensued.
I don’t know if the fact that we had only one legitimate ball-handler on our roster to start the year is more an indictment of this generation of players or Dixon’s recruiting. Whatever the cause — it’s our Achilles heel and it’s being exposed. Without Fields we have very little direction on offense. Young even articulates that in the story quoted by Chas above.
I’m still hopeful. I wouldn’t be driving across the state to see them Wednesday night if didn’t think we were worth watching.
One other thought: in addition to trying to slow the tempo down, with our depleted ranks, we may want to play zone more often to give our guys some rest, and hopefully keep us out of foul trouble. If not, w e may have no choice but to play some of the guys riding the bench to keep our starters fresh down the stretch.