“Prime numbers, Virgo and the Calendar Girl… I can say it now… I had my doubts.” — Kevin Kline (2:30 mark) as Det. Nick Starkey in The January Man.
That’s how I’m feeling. Wins at Syracuse, at Cinci and at UConn. Come on. In eleven previous tries Pitt has never won three straight conference road games. Heck only once in the past 5 years has it happened in the Big East, period.
Add in UConn coming off blowing a big lead at Georgetown and knowing they would have to play the half-court. Pitt having won the last two and … and.. just everything. I admit, I didn’t think Pitt could get this game. It just seemed like the kind of game UConn had to and would get.
Happily, I am dead wrong. A 67-57 win. A win where Pitt only shot 4-12 on 3s. Jermaine Dixon was a horrid 3-14 shooting. Ashton Gibbs missed the front-end of a 1-and-1 in the final minute of a tight game.
Instead, Brad Wanamaker went for 19 points — including 9-10 at the FT line because his driving and penetration had the Huskies beat. Gibbs, despite being well defended all game still hit 3-5 on 3s and scored 19 points as well. Gilbert Brown takes his moments and makes teams pay. Gary McGhee finished his shots and even sank both FTs.
The story, though, was the defense. McGhee, especially, deserves praise. He held his ground so well. He played straight-up on defense. Keeping Edwards, Oriakhi and Majok in check.
Robinson in the first half and Dyson in the second were both looking like they would kill Pitt. Yet, Pitt was able to use their supposed disadvantage in size to their own advantage. Forcing Robinson and the other big men outside to defend Gilbert Brown.
Unlike the first two road games, Pitt came out with some energy and hitting shots. It was UConn that looked sluggish and the fans in Hartford seemed very muted. The Husky fans really didn’t get into the game until roughly midway through the second half. When UConn had finally spent more than a couple minutes playing defense and taken their first lead. I’m not saying UConn fans are frontrunners, but they sure seemed like a spoiled bunch that sat on their hands until the UConn team got their very brief lead.
I loved having John Saunders and Fran Fraschilla do the game. Saunders is a solid play-by-play guy and Fraschilla brings some good knowledge. He is the first analyst to make the point about how the U-19 game worked for Pitt because Kemba Walker backed out — granted he went with the positive aspect with Gibbs learning and getting confident — but this game really drove home to me that Walker cost himself by passing on being able to learn to play half-court.
Two Fraschilla quotes on Pitt: “They don’t just run plays, they execute them.”
“There is a legacy of success built under Jamie Dixon.”
The latter really struck me because there was no qualifier of Howland and Dixon or even “started by Ben Howland.” This is Coach Dixon’s program. He has done more than maintain from Howland. He has exceeded and made this era of Pitt basketball his.
It may seem like a small thing, but it is significant to me. It says that nationally, there is an acknowledgment that Pitt is past rebuilding/resurrection. They are a program under Dixon.
Pitt is now 4-0 in the Big East and 14-2 overall. 15 games (14 BE plus Robert Morris) remaining in the season, with 9 of those games coming at home. Barring a catostrophe and a slew of injuries, the expectations for Pitt is now looking to win at least 21-23 games and go at least 11-7 in the Big East.
From where the expectations were — even at the start of conference play — just is astounding.
The execution was solid and the fitness is there. They still haven’t put everything together and that is scary. I can see the other Big East teams sighing right now because we never left. 4-0, 3-0 on the road? Unreal and delicious, just like a 10 cheese meat lovers pizza.
It seems like we the fans almost want to marginalize the players on this team sometimes. At first we didn’t have the talent. Now we’re all saying that we just have Gibbs.
Not true. We have talent at various places on the court. They learned to play together in the early goings, now we have Dixon and Brown back and they team is starting to take off.
This is a talented, yet still a little bit of a green, squad.
I have the DePaul, Cinci and UConn game on my DVR still. This team is winning on grit and chewing on lead filled ammo. They are special because of this reason. Any coach in the country would give a finger away to have 2 or three kids like this. But, my point is, what if Gibbs only scores 5 points against Cinci? Or if he can’t spark this team with a clutch 3 pointer when the other team is poised to run over us? They are feeding off him like we did off a Young three pointer or slam a year ago.
I love this team. They are a bunch of heart breakers and life takers. They are a bunch of role players that have stolen the spotlight and are starting to shed that label. Still, they have proven to be inconsistent and that is what is going to hurt them. They have always been inconsistent. When they put everything together then this team can beat anyone. They are starting to do that now. Do you think Texas wants to play us now?
We are driving in the lane through superstars in their living rooms. That has to continue. If this doesn’t happen against a G’Town or a Louisville then we will have to depend on someone like Gibbs to run his curls and shoot the three. God knows we can’t go inside to McGhee on a regular basis and Taylor is not ready yet, though my heart says that both can become more than dependable this season. If Gibbs can’t deliver here then our next option is Brown, in my opinion.
This team is going to be great. They have a good mix in every position. They have backed each other up like no Pitt team I have seen. When Brown and Dixon become consistent offensively and Wannamaker stops his love affair with turning the ball over, we win another Big East Championship. This team can be that good.
“Nas brings all the intangibles, he’ll scrap every minute of the game that he’s in there. He boxes out. He rebounds. He makes tough plays. When he checked into the game we said, ‘Make something happen.’ And he went out there and made a play. He makes that play every day in practice. He’s great around the basket, and he made a big-time play for us.”
Read more: link to post-gazette.com
We are so lucky to have two coaches that are loyal, respected by their players, and run clean programs. Looking around at all these a-hole college football coaches out there gives new appreciation for a guy like DW. Guys like Brian Kelly and Lane Kiffin – no thanks. Its funny how their “dream job” is always their next job and the one that pays more. Cant wait to see what their next dream jobs are?
i just wish we had one more big man, or taylor was half as good right now as i hoped he’d be…hopefully he can learn this season and take some strong play into tourney time……
While I am enjoying the success as much as everyone else, we need to realize that even coming home to the Pete, it is going to be a grind on Saturday. Note that Louisville is the only team to win at the Pete twice despite not playing here before 07, and will challenge us defensively much more than Cuse or UConn. Levance had his probelms against their full court pressure, and I believe it is more than cincidence why we seem to play better vs Cuse and UConn than Lousiville.
I’m not implying at all that this Pitt team is a fraud, just that the BE is a grind for after what appears to be real tough matchup on Saturday, the have to turn around and play a ranked team on Monday.
Despite all of this, I assure you I am enjoying these wins and am optimistic.
It is a testament to the coaching staff but just as importantly the players. JD is truly a great coach but these so-called “un-elite,” “un-athletic,” “low-starred” players have become adept at executing the game plan and plays.
Who was the better team these last three games. Was it the Cuse, Bearcats, Huskies or Pitt? The answer is self-evident.
As for expectations, who knows? Coming into the season everyone knew the team was young, two of their most experienced players would not play right away and as for their results only time would tell. It was not even known if this team could get a NIT bid. Do you think they are playing for an NIT bid?
Good enough for me and my Gary McGhee
Speaking of football, I just read notes from Wanny’s press conference, but I’m sure Chas will talk about that at the appropriate time.
I think we are going to see both McGhee and Taylor have their moments in future games. Matchups and the hot hand will dictate playing time, and each will have games where they get the upper hand.
McGhee can be a perfectly serviceable role player as he showed last night. He’s improved year to year, but I’ve been frustrated with his game because he can be an important role player if he just consistently defends well and rebounds. He did both very well last night. Unlike Aaron Gray, he doesn’t have soft hands or great ball skills, but he knew where he needed to be, stayed out of foul trouble, and played very effectively.
Props where props are due
But, more importantly, his hard work is paying off due to the mature guidance of a gifted coach.
You can’t teach hustle, Gary always had that. You can’t teach size, Gary always had that. He simply needed guidance on positioning and court awareness to be an effective player. Props to Jamie for this reclamation project.
Nicknames for Gary? My vote: Big Thunda!
