Let’s see, last week Pitt made it into the ESPN.com Power 16 at #11.
Don’t discount Pitt’s win last night at Duquesne. The Dukes are more than competitive for the first time in years and the Panthers were pushed to the limit. I’m looking forward to seeing Pitt against the real “Duke” on Dec. 20 in NYC.
In the individual rankings, Pitt was ranked as high as #8 and unranked in a couple other ballots.
Sam Young got a puff piece from Jeff Goodman at FoxSports.com.
“The kid just works so hard,” Panthers coach Jamie Dixon said. “He’s earned everything he’s gotten.
“I have never seen a guy be so determined to be good a player,” added Pittsburgh assistant and former Panthers player Orlando Antigua. “We had to tell him to stop working out and let his body rest this past year. We are now seeing the results of his sweat equity.”
Pitt is still feeling pretty good about winning in Washington.
When officials finally waved off Justin Dentmon’s basket at the buzzer and their 75-74 victory at Washington became official Saturday, the Panthers knew this much:
It was one to celebrate.
“You would have thought we won a championship or something,” Pitt junior point guard Levance Fields said. “It was important because it’s a big win for us just because it’s early in the season, it’s a road win against a great opponent and a great conference this year. Everybody was excited.
“It was a great experience for us.”
Not only did Pitt (9-0) snap Washington’s 31-game winning streak against non-conference opponents at Bank of America Arena, but the Panthers showed signs of maturity in overcoming a halftime deficit by adjusting their play.
Apparently Coach Dixon was rather blunt to the team in halftime, in addition to the adjustments.
After watching his team play its worst half of basketball this season, Pitt coach Jamie Dixon wanted to let his team know that their performance was not acceptable.
The half was uncharacteristic of a Pitt team. The Panthers gave up 37 points and allowed Washington’s top 3-point shooter, Ryan Appleby, to get free for four 3-pointers. The Huskies made six as a team. In addition, the normally efficient offense was stagnant as the Panthers missed seven of their first 25 shots from the field.
“He came in with all the fire he had,” freshman center DeJuan Blair said.
Rarely does a coach raising his voice solve a team’s problems, but the tongue-lashing, coupled with some keen second-half adjustments, led to a fantastic final 20 minutes in which the Panthers not only stormed back for a 75-74 victory, but firmly put in place an important building block in the development of the team.
I read that and thought a little of Bull Durham where Crash Davis reminds the manager that they are children, and they need to be scared.
Pitt would have been in a bigger hole, that they might not have gotten out of, if Levance Fields hadn’t been hot in the first half. He kept Pitt in it until things got going for the team in the second half.
