Why is this game being played so damn late?

Magnificent that we expect great defense as a matter of course.

Happy to see Young get a lot of minutes. His shots haven’t gone down, but he looks good.

We seem to be going into prolonged offensive funks recently. Had a 20-point lead in the first half. Down to 10 now. Hopefully we can maintain focus and put this one away. BTW — We were 27-point favorites in this game.

They finally seem to be waking up. Three good trips in a row. Ramon starts to feel it and they will win by 30. Was it me, or did Gray seem like he came up gimpy at one point?

I heard before the game that Gray is sick and that he was questionable to even play tonight. It came from a pretty valid source.

Radio guys said Gray had flu-like symptoms.
Not really playing like the number two team in the nation right now. But a win is a win, I guess…

well they’re lucky he played because the game would have come down to the wire without him. don’t get fooled by early season rankings everybody…….this is the same type Pitt team without the offensive firepower to do any damage come March. yes, they’re a little better with Cook in the line-up and Gray is definitely more agile this year, but the rest of the supporting cast is average (though Kendall is a strong role player). to win close conference and tournament games with a team like this requires superior game coaching and line-up decisions and nobody is accusing jamie dixon of being a strong strategist.

I’ll take it. Next game against Buffalo is a must win because we start our tough stretch afterward. Wisconsin-OKst-Dayton, back to back to back is rough. We will find out who we are in time for the holidays.

The negativity on this board sucks! Pitt is one of the top teams in the country period.

Omar, you are correct. Kansas lost to ORU, Marquette lost to NDSU, and a lot of high ranked teams are falling to shitty mid-majors. It is early in the season and we are still unblemished. Yes, we will find out who we after the next 5 games, but right now, we are the number 2 team in the nation and deservingly so.

gb: head of the overreaction committee.

Seriously if youve watched any other college basketball this year, you know that even the other “top 10” teams look even worse than we do. including tonight
This is the new ‘mid-major’ era of college basketball

I don’t think people are being negative. Rather, I believe they’re honestly evaluating the performance of the team. If you saw/listened to the game tonight you can’t possibly think that it was a stellar performance by Pitt.
The Panthers let a lesser team stay in the game once again by committing a slew of turnovers in the second half and rushing things on the offensive end of the floor.
I, and I imagine most Pitt fans, think this a special team and have high expectations. If we play like we did for the final 30 minutes tonight we’ll make another early exit from the NCAA tournament come March.
The fact that we won by double digits on an off night is a testament to the disparity of skill between Pitt and Duquesne. Kudos to the Panthers for the win but we better start playing with more consistency with the meat of the schedule coming up.

Quote from Gray after tonight’s game that illustrates my point above:

“We came out energized and we seized the lead, and we came out the way we wanted to come out,” Gray said. “But we weren’t able to stay as sharp once we got up by 20, and we need to work on that.”

Well, clearly we sucked. As I said before, we’ll wind up barely limping into the field of 64 and lose in the first round.

I was lucky enough to get the game on the Mid Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) in the DC area. They seem to televise a lot of the Pitt games, its great. The Panthers started out strong but you could tell the effort just wasnt there in the second half. They seemed to feel like all they had to do was show up and the game was over. Sloppy play all second half with lots of turnovers. Late in the second half Duq was within 10 points, a position that they shouldnt be in against a number 2 team. Maybe they are just bored with games they dont feel challenged. Hopefully they continue to improve.

The game was on MASN? Dammit, I missed it…just like I’ll miss the Steelers game tonight.

It was nice to see Sam Young get a few more minutes.

While this is definitely a tangent, last night was a good one for the Big East. WVU beat NC State and Nova won big at Oklahoma.

I agree it’s an interesting time for college hoops. There is more parity because players stay 4 yrs at the smaller schools and develop some fundamentals and many of your hoops powers are playing freshmen and sophomores who have been told they were superstars since they were 12 and must be nightmares to coach. Forget all that for a minute…..Pitt still has trouble putting the ball in the hoop. As tough as Gray is this year, it’s largely a guard’s game in crunch time and you notice that Howland finally advanced in the tournament playing this style because he had NBA players (Farmar and Afflalo) anchoring his backcourt.

For the obvious reason–our big guys being drawn to the perimeter–why not zone defense at least once in a while?

The one common thread that has run through this stretch of less-than-stellar performances is going away from Gray inside. All of a sudden it’s just settling for jumpers. When Gray is in the game, the offense should work through him — particularly when the the other team’s tallest player is 2-3 inches shorter. Early in the game, they were going inside and Gray was making good pass/shoot decisions when he got double-teamed.

Once they get a lead, it’s like they forget he’s on the floor. Once they start going back inside, bam, the game turns back around. Against better teams, they can’t wait until the other team has come back (or established a big lead of their own) to start doing that, though.

I, too, just once, would like to see a brief change from man to man, just to make the opponent, even for just one or two possessions, have to actually think about reacting to a different defense. In the middle of a run, just disrupting the opponent’s rhythm for one or two possessions is enough to stem it.

I disagree with gb that this is a mediocre team. I do think, however, that the lack of tough opponents early in the schedule really hurts them. In the back of the players’ minds, they know they are playing subpar teams and it always causes them to ease up once they get a big lead (and, thus, stop doing what got them that lead in the first place).

But there were many good things to take away from the game, particularly Biggs’ continued development and Young finally getting some minutes.

Ramon needs to get his mojo back, because we need his outside threat to open up the inside. We also need Young, Cook, and Graves to be more aggressive going to the hoop instead of settling for jumpers.

The Wisconsin and Ok St. games will be very telling whether this team is ready to excel come March.

just to clarify…..I never said this was a mediocre team. On the contrary, I think they’re a Top 15 team. I just cautioned not too expect a lot different from past years, because there has not been a major overhaul in perimeter talent.

Ramon, Fields, Cook, Graves and Benjamin are all better than the perimeter talent we have had in past years. The fact remains that we are the 7th most efficient offensive team in the country (according to kenpom.com), therefore putting the ball in the basket is hardly our biggest problem. When we need a score we get it, period. Whether it is a three, a layup, or a short jumper, we put the ball in the hoop better than any team Pitt has had over the past 5 years. Obviously it is going to seem like we can’t shoot, or have difficulty scoring, when are best three point shooter goes 1-6. A bad game does not mean that Ramon can’t hit a three anymore. Look at the scores of the games where Pitt shot to their capabilities (FSU and Western Michigan). The problem with this team, and this is nitpicking, is defensive rebounding from the 2 position and 3 position. Other than Gray, Fields and Kendall our defensive rebounding is not where it needs to be. Secondly, the offense does not run nearly as well without Fields on the floor. Ramon should only be playing the point for a maximum 5 minutes per game.

Sounds like kenpom.com needs to evaluate his evaluation criteria. Not buying your generalization about Pitt’s perimeter players. Agree with your point about Fields being on the floor. He’s developing nicely. Ramon has been forced into playing the point for years now and he’s never excelled at it. He’s a great shooter and a tough defender, but he’s not a penetrator or a scorer when the shot clock winds down. Graves stinks and while I like Benjamin’s energy, I’m not sure he’s steady enough to play major minutes. Cook is a nice addition. Bottom line is, it’s only a decent group and you need more than that in March. If you think defensive rebounding is Pitt’s problem, well, enough said.

Defensive rebounding is a problem for Pitt when Gray is not on the floor. This was the case last year as well. None of Pitt’s perimeter players are Dwayne Wade, but they are above average. Your comment regarding Antonio Graves is ridiculous. He is a fine role player and a good three point shooter. Cook has the potential to be a star and Fields is one of the better points in the Big East. Combine these players with Ramon’s ability to hit the three and you have a very good backcourt. A decent group is good enough to get to the final 4 when you have a 7 footer in the middle. Kendall is a quality power forward. Biggs and Young are talents on the front line that can score a variety of ways. A basketball team is more than the sum of it’s parts. When Pitt shares the ball they have one of the best offenses in the country. The difference this year is you have Cook, a player that can score on his own if the offense breaks down.

By the way, you don’t have to get personal if you don’t agree. I am confident that I know what I am talking about.

As far as perimiter players as a whole this is the best I have seen since Mathews/Miller/ect.
Agree that Ramon does not play great at the 1 but he is an excellent shooter and CAN drive to the iron from the 2 spot. Graves only stinks when he forgets his limitations, his shot and quickness has been great this year. Benjamin has the skill to play major minutes as long as it is not at the 3. Agree about Fields needing to be at the point but when he tries to create out of necessity he comes up lacking for the most part. In those instances he needs to take it to the hole and draw the foul.

Defensive rebounding is a problem. The other teams have been getting too many ORs. Young was a monster on the boards last year and if he ever gets comfortable at the 3 he no doubt will excel again.

Cook needs to work on his rebounding and D. He also needs to create more off the dribble because he can. Biggs needs to play more because he can score. Kendall needs to take more shots to force the D to come to him.

Agree about running the O through Gray and the need to go inside.

This team is the best Pitt team I have ever seen, but as was said, the next 5 games will help determine if I am right or not.

On a completely unrelated subject…the irony of one ACC team (NC ST) raiding another (BC) for a new head coach is sweet beyond belief!!! Bet the leagues winter meetings will be a little extra chilly this year! It’s also a major black eye for BC…even their own coach see’s them as a second rate program in the ACC.

Oh, one other tidbit…O’brien is the whiny baby who cried that he would never schedule another BE team after the way his little team was treated in their final BE season…Well, I believe that NC ST is on one of our future schedules in FB…Can’t wait to hear the booing when that whiny baby comes out of the tunnel at Heinz field!

By the way, you started the personal stuff, Omar. “The negativity on this board sucks”, I think it was. Nobody’s being negative for the sake of being negative; it’s just honest, opinionated criticism and dialogue……engaging in which is half the fun of being a sports fan. And I think it’s a fair point that’s being made about Pitt’s rebounding when Gray is out of the game. Biggs is undersized to try and back up Gray or Kendall, and that’s when they do need to get rebounding production out of their 2 and 3 men. That’s one (of many) reasons I like it when Benjamin plays for Graves. He rebounds like a demon for a guy they generously list at 6’2″.

GB, why don’t you take your negative, whiny, nit-picking “analysis” to the uconn hoops board?! shut up and enjoy a top 5 program!

I apologize if I was personal. Regarding the basketball team, I think they are a legitimate top-5 team. Every team in college basketball has flaws, Pitt included. My feeling is that the depth and team play of Pitt easily overcomes whatever flaws we have. The offense this year runs very smoothly most of the game. Of course there are instances where it may bog down, but if Pitt plays its best for 40 minutes they can beat any other team in the country. If we play average or slightly above average I think we will still beat all but 4 or 5 teams because of our intensity on the defensive end of the floor.

In my opinion, Graves is a better passer than Benjamin and is also a better defender. I think both should play, but right now Graves brings a little more to the table. Hopefully Benjamin will improve as the season progresses and become more of contributor. He is a very talented offensive player and his athleticism can really help us this year. If he cuts down on the turnovers, then I think he will get more minutes.

shawn are u serious u obviously know nothing about basketball if you think pitt sucks… i mean duke had trouble with holy cross and that dosent mean they suck so please think about what your typing before u submit this stuff

Sarcasm is a marvelous thing Max. I’m fairly certain Shawn was not serious, I think he was poking a bit of fun at the others on here who think the sky is falling whenever Pitt doesn’t beat every opponent by 30.

I understand the negativity. It is a defense mechanism most of us have developed over the years by watching Pitt football.

We should allow negativity, but only towards the football team at this point. Until the basketball team does something wrong (i.e. lose) I think we should all be able to enjoy the run without the doubters.

Rich Rodriguez takes the loot. Hes off to Bama. Thats what espn radio was reporting this morning.

Rodriguez is nuts. Bama is a place where coaches go to die. It’s become like those locations in every town where a business opens up and closes every year or so. By Rich, don’t the let door hit ya’…

S.I. has named PITT’s Blades as an all-American MLB for the 2006 season.

I am a true believer that you are nevr happy unless you reach your ultimate goal. That is exactly how I feel Pittsburgh Fans are, myself included to an extent. I want to see a National championship team. I do not want another year of going to the sweet 16 and losing or even worse the second round. I look at this year and say that If we can make it to the elite 8 and lose to a superior team I will be ok with that. I want the final 4 or better if we are playing teams we “should beat”. If we play Florida in the elite 8 and go down by 7 I cant be mad at that. upset maybe. The great thing about college basketball, is that 1 loss does not end your season. I think to many people fail to realize that and put so much emotion into each game. Of course games are going to help your seed in the tourny, but with the parity in college basketball your going to have to beat the teams no matterv when it is. The upcoming games are a big deal and should be treated as such, but if they happen to lose, we should not write them of as a good team or even the one of the top. If we all do this then it should be thought by everyone that Whichita St. and Butler are in the top 5 teams. Somehoe I9 dont see that happening. 1 games doesnt end the season, and a win is a win. Accept it and be happy we have something to talk about because the last thing i want to hear about for the next 3 months is who people think the steelers will draft.

Nice post.

The 2006-07 Pitt men’s basketball team is the best ever assembled at the collegiate level and is without a flaw. They will go undefeated and shoot 100 percent from the field for the remainder of the season. The Panthers are unlikely to allow an opponent to ever grab an offensive rebound, due in part to the fact that they will block every shot attempted by their opponents. Jamie Dixon will go 12 deep and each of those players will average 40 minutes per game.
Teams will be so frightened of playing the Panthers that Pitt will win the national title via six consecutive forfeits in the NCAA tournament.
Dixon will be named a Nobel laureate for his contributions to society and every member of the Pitt team, including the manager, will be a lottery pick in the 2007 NBA draft.
This is indisputable fact and if you question its validity you will exhibit a level of negativity not fit for a true Pitt fan.

I got a kick out of that. They are perfect. You just left out the part about them curing cancer after practice…..by the way, did anyone notice that Sam Young didn’t have his jersey on underneath his warm-ups when he first came out the other night? He had to run back in the locker room to get it on. Classic.

Amen Dave…

Dave, please tell us how the PITT football team will do in 2007.

Personally, I think that after winning the National Championship – when we can rightly reclaim our God given right to be an “Elite” program, the team will go to Iraq on a USO goodwill mission, and straighten that whole messy Civil War thing out. Once that is done, the kids will return to Campus en mass to fill out 95 Rhodes Scholarship applications (excepting the fifth year seniors that opt for the Seminary instead). Paul Rhoads will quit the Defensive Coordinator position to become the University’s Dean of Men – since the kids seem to have liked him SO MUCH over the years. And, DW will travel to Happy Valley to convince Joe Pa that, even if only for the sake of reviving college football’s dwindling traditions, PITT and PSU should start playing again in 2008, with a two home – one away rotation favoring the Panthers (because, after all, we could always choose to play Robert Morris instead as there are so many PITT fans in the WPA area that deserve to see their alma mater play).

You forgot to mention that the team will disprove Einstiens theory of relativity by bending the space time continuum and traveling back in time to win every football game ever played and then kill Hitler in 1936. They will be the greatest football team ever because they never lost a game and have single handedly won WWII before it even started.