I have to be honest. The comments from the previous post summed things up. Looking at the overall box score, what jumps out at me with the Pitt stats are the lack of assists. Under 50% of the baskets came with an assist. Pitt usually has around 70% A/FG. Part of that had to do with Pitt not being able to play Fields as much because of early foul issues, but in general Pitt was struggling with making some of the extra passes.
If someone can find Kendall’s confidence on offense, please return it to the Peterson Event Center post-haste. He had it and some offensive game 2 years ago, but now he just is missing it. It’s a good thing he does all of those other little things. It’s the only thing keeping him in the line-up (well that and Young’s knee).
Tyrell Biggs making that first jumper turned out to be a big negative. Instead of trying to take it inside, he kept pulling up the rest of the game.
I have no doubt now, that this is Aaron Gray’s team and as he goes, they go. He was sick but trying to play through it, and a step slow. So was the entire team.
Brian Butch, just came out of nowhere for this game.
Enter senior forward Alando Tucker – the Badgers’ truth machine – to set the record straight.
“I’m going to give you the real answer, not the modest one,” Tucker said while seated next to Butch at the postgame news conference. “It is.
“For us to see him doing some of the things he was doing in the first half, that’s big for him because. … a couple practices ago, he had been struggling on confidence and I kept telling him, ‘Brian, play your game.’ Me and him kept talking about it and he came out (today) and this is big for his confidence. But it was definitely one of the biggest games (I’ve ever seen) Brian play.”
Damn.
And he’s right. Kendall is quickly becoming a nonfactor on offense. With Young’s limited time, that has to change.
I still think this is a great team. But they have not looked like an elite team since FSU. Hopefully this loss will be the key to turning that around.
Or is this just wishful thinking?
People act like Wisconsin just completely embarrassed us, but they needed a 20 point half from Brian Butch to win the game and a career performance from Tucker to boot. We had them right where we wanted them with a few minutes left in the first half, then Butch hit two threes and they got a bogus call with 1 second left for a few extra points. Not too many teams, if any, are coming back from a 10 point halftime deficit in the Kohl Center.
They’ve lost ONE game. On the road. To the #7 (soon to be higher) team in the nation. On one of the hardest courts in the nation. With two of their players having the games of their lives.
Honestly, we’re questioning this teams ability to win, now?
Sheesh.
link to scoreboards.aol.com
Joel has posted all the details at Rocky Top Talk, including a full list of the awards and their discriptions….
We’ll see. I still think this is a final four team, if the defense comes around and they get more consistent offensive production from a few guys.
As for a final four team only time will tell. They way they are playing now begs to differ. Also, I agree about the O production. Players need to step up because depending on Gray/Cook to do it every nite is not going to cut it.
I cannot understand why Kendall, Biggs, Young, & Cook don’t take it to the hole (He** Ramon who some consider slow consistently fakes a shot and moves inside). And why Kendall don’t look for his shot. He had a wide open look from the top of the key for a 3 against UW but did not want to take it. He is going to have to step up his O production if this team is going to make a serious run.
