My demon-spawned daughter decided to wake-up with the wife and I this morning, and she hasn’t napped, nor wanted me out of her sight much. I hate the Teletubbies.
Lots of questions now for Pitt. Losing the way they did to who they did, will do that. It’s reflected in the weekly Q&A with the Pitt beat reporter for the P-G.
Q: After watching Pitt the past two games, I have a hard time envisioning this team making the NCAA tournament. What do you think?
FITTIPALDO: There are 15 Big East games to go, so it’s too early to write the Panthers off. I do think there should be some genuine concern out there among Pitt fans, though. This team can’t stop anyone. Georgetown came into the game shooting 38 percent from 3-point range. The Hoyas shot 52.2 percent (11 for 21) against Pitt. They have some good shooters, but it was like practicing against air for them. There were no Pitt players in sight on some of them. Pitt’s offense has been inconsistent as well. Carl Krauser has a tendency to look for his own shot too much. He needs to look for Chris Taft and Chevon Troutman more. The inside-outside game got the Panthers back into it against Georgetown. Taft and Aaron Gray accounted for 16 of the first 19 points for Pitt to open the second half. That opened up the outside and Krauser, Graves and Ramon made three 3-pointers in less than four minutes at which time Pitt took the lead. The most concerning thing about this team is its inability to finish off games. Despite the poor play against Bucknell and Georgetown, the Panthers had the lead with less than two minutes remaining in both games and failed to win. That’s the sign of a team that doesn’t know how to win. With three returning starters, there’s no excuse for that.
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Q: I think Dave Odom just used what will be my favorite basketball catch phrase for 2005 when he said, “Troutman just big boyed us in the second half.” What does big boyed mean in basketball terms? I think you should use this term every chance you get when covering Pitt basketball. Keep up the excellent work.
FITTIPALDO: Odom sure does fill up a reporter’s notebook fast. I will do my best work “big boyed” in as the season goes along, although PG editors might have other ideas.
I’m not prepared to panic until I see what happens tomorrow. Shake-ups have to be coming though, if the team keeps playing the way it has.
I also have a hard time attributing much of Pitt’s struggles to some injuries. With the exception of Graves, the injuries have been to bench players that weren’t seeing that much action. Especially when DeGroat — one of the players cited as being hurt — is pleading for more playing time. Sounds, disturbingly, like a weak excuse from Coach Dixon. And if injuries are really a factor at the forward/3rd guard position, then why hasn’t McCarroll gotten more time and when was the last time anyone even saw Levon Kendall get off the bench?
Now, even the players are thinking a road game might be best right now. The mystique is definitely missing from the Pete right now.
Game notes for both teams are now out. Pitt & Rutgers (PDF). Rutgers has 2 good wins against Charlotte and Kansas State (who may or may not be fraudulent). Bad losses to Air Force, Princeton and Penn State. This will be Rutgers Big East opener. Rutgers still leads the all-time series 22-18 despite Pitt having won the last 6 times they have played.
Some think Pitt has to become more physical. I’m not so sure. Especially when it all but seems to be an advocacy for thug ball. Pitt is out rebounding teams and getting after things. The difference between this year and the last couple is not the inside muscling. It is that the perimeter is much softer. Teams are willing to stay outside more, and take mid-range jumpers when they come off a screen or just get around the defender. It forces the guys inside to step out more, but doesn’t allow them to get in position to block or even hammer the guy in the lane. That’s part of why then can drive.
Taft is still considered the 2nd best Sophomore talent (behind Wake’s Chris Paul) being eyed by the NBA, despite his play to date:
The facts: 6-10, 230 pounds; 13.5 ppg, 7 rpg on 54 percent shooting
The skinny: Taft has the rare combination of size, athleticism, strength and power that NBA scouts covet in a good power forward. And unlike many players who possess those abilities, Taft prefers to score with his back to the basket. His footwork is sound, he’s patient in the paint and always working for a good shot.
Taft, too, has enjoyed his share of hype this summer. And he has struggled a bit to live up to it. Despite his superior strength and athleticism, he’s been just an average rebounder and shot blocker this season.
Several NBA scouts told Insider recently that they were unimpressed with Taft this season.
“I think he has a bad case of NBA-itis,” one NBA scout said. “He just looks like he’s going through the motions. Last year he had something to prove. This year, he seems like he’s just trying not to get hurt.”
Another scout said that he’s concerned that Taft has put on some bad weight, which might be hurting his athleticism and explosiveness. Despite the hand wringing, everyone still concedes that the chances of Taft falling out of the top five if he declares are slim. There’s a dearth of athletic big men in college basketball at the moment. When one comes along, very few teams are willing to pass that up.
You can’t teach size. I have to believe he will be asserting himself early in this game. The issue is motivation. It happened in the second half against Georgetown. He just has to want it earlier.
