That was not pretty. It was not a good night — to be kind. The way Pitt was being blown out in the second half, losing 68-53 was disturbingly cosmetic.
It was a bad effort from Pitt. They were a step slow a lot of the game and way too many jump shots on offense. No patience or effort to work the ball inside. Nothing sums it up like Gilbert Brown’s night. 3 points, going only 1-3 at the FT line and 1-7 shooting. Most problematic, he took (and missed) 5 3s. He wasn’t trying to penetrate and attack the rim. He and Jermaine Dixon spent most of the night taking jumpers.
Pitt did not attack the basket. They did not work it inside. Consequently they did not get fouled and did not get free throw attempts. Pitt went 4-18 on 3s. Gibbs made 3(-6) and Wanamaker had 1(-1).
Fatigue and a letdown probably played a role. Not an excuse, but Pitt came off two games that were very significant and emotional. At Marquette on Thursday where they had never succeeded. Then beating #5 Villanova on Sunday on CBS.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame played last Wednesday and had plenty of time to prepare and rest. They were at home. To say nothing of how much they needed this game to have any hope of making the NCAA. They played like it.
They were hitting their 3s. It made it that much harder to defend when Pitt had to keep extending the defense and Notre Dame was effectively moving the ball and penetrating. I mean, Carleton Scott has gone 6-29 on 3s all season goes 2-3 tonight from outside. That just added to the misery.
You just hope that this game serves more as a lesson and reminder for the team.
Fatigue and an emotional letdown was predictable. In addition to the two big games Chas mentioned, there was the classic 3 OT WVU game and two must-win games. (I count RMU because we had to turn it up in the second half after they came out fired up much like ND did.) That 5 game stretch would drain any team.
ND did hit some off-balance, wild shots, but for the most part they were getting open looks. Pitt’s “effort” on D was part of that but ND was moving the rock around the floor very well also. None other than former ND big man LaPhonso Ellis pointed out how well his boys moved the ball without Harangody on the floor. Almost wish the ball hog had played. It might have slowed the game down to a pace more suitable to our style.
Anyway, they need to learn from it and forget it. It was a perfect storm game like Dan 72 said in the earlier post. Win 5 straight in the NCAA tourney and you’re in the final. They’ve done that twice in the toughest conference in the country already, so they know the effort it takes. That’s how they have to approach it.
I do agree that this game was hopefully just an abberation unless it provides an effective model of how to stymy Pitt’s offense.
Oh well, it happens. Notre Dame beat Louisville by 33 at home last season. Sometimes Brey’s lame strategy of bombing threes works. Last night was one of those nights. I still can’t believe he still hasn’t been fired. Great, he beat Pitt, but he isn’t making the tournament for the second straight year.
It’s probably exactly how Brey keeps his job, but it will never win him a BE championship. Jamie’s strategy already has for us, so I’ll take it any day, as I’m sure you will too.
I also disagree with the announcers’ assessment that ND played great defense by packing it in and forcing Pitt to shoot 20 foot jumpers. ND has size, but they are not that athletic, and lanes were available for getting inside. Pitt needed to work harder on moving the ball to create/take advantage, but as with the defense, the effort just was not there. Pitt settled for 3 point shots when they didn’t have to, which is exactly what ND wanted them to do.
Live and learn – take it out on St. Johns!
Unfortunately, the results on the court dispute your argument of ND having a superior team. They did beat Pitt head-to-head, but they also have done nothing else of consequence all season. The losses to Loyola-Marymount and Northwestern at home are evidence that ND is not a superior team by any stretch of the imagination.
ND played well, more specifically they shot well, last night and won a game. Concluding that they ND is a better overall team is presumptious and, in my opinion, in correct. Great win for ND, but the tournament is a fantasy. Pitt, on the other hand, will be dancing in March with an at large bid proving that they are one of the 34 best teams in the country.
I would take Abromitis over anyone on Pitts team except probably G.Brown because I know of his potential.
The Guard Jackson is a better PLAYMAKER then Gibbs ever will be.
Also height is the difference between Pitt and every other team start a 6’2″ 6’3″, 6’4″ and 6’5″
none of Pitt starters would be starting on any of the top 10 teams in the country, hail the big east for that matter.
Dixon needs to get off his high horse and quit recruiting these projects. We will never win a National Championship with these caliber players and Dixon knows it thats why he was so distraught over last year’s lost to NOVA…
Jackson is a 5-11 point guard. And a senior to boot. Really, Jeremy, your hyperbolic rants coupled with the insane critique that McGhee has not improved at all really does nothing to take your comments seriously.
Oh, and Jeremy or Jason, please stick to one name.
Last night, as Omar pointed out, they got behind due to poor D – where it all starts for this team – did not run their sets, and settled for jump shooting because ND packed in their D, i.e. “suckered into playing a perimeter game.”
McGhee has his role on this team, and it’s not to be D Blair so get over it. You already lost the argument that he’s not improved, and I’m betting that he’ll be even better next year. Will he be the best big man Pitt every had? Heck no. But that’s not what Jamie’s asking of him either.
ND has an 81 RPI (after last night’s win) vs. Pitt’s 9. Let’s be real here — ND is an NIT bound team that played well and caught Pitt on a bad night. Georgetown WILL smoke them Sat.
We’re just gonna focus on St. Johns Sat. ND can watch the mid majors and down and pray for the selection committee to shine on them while we watch our seeding.
And a front court of McGhee and a more experienced Soph Taylor will be scarey next year. Hopefully we get to avenge last night in BET and don’t have to wait til next year.
I’ve watch about 95% of there games also…I understand about running sets but like I said they only have to players that can really penetrate the lane Wannamaker and Brown and when they choose not to do so then it’s going to be rough for them to score.
Nobody in the big east is a afraid of McGhee the guy is the worst big man in the big east. So passing him the ball will accomplish nothing. Robinson is a joke, if he was anygood you would think Jay wright would’ve recruited him being he was right there in his backyard just to think he has 2 more years…
yea poor d was a cause but that’s Dixon’s unwillingness to switch things up…no real committment to zone defense…when the team gives up so much to other team in height and quickness change up sometimes…Abromitis is 6’8″ being watch by 6’3″ Dixon mismatch, you think?
I’ve been following Pitt since the early 90’s when I grew up in oakland I ballboyed for the team when jason matthews and Shawn Miller was playing…this means nothing but I just want to show that Im no fair-weathered fan.
yeah Abromitis may have been a project but the guy is a better play then Pitt currently has on it’s roster.
Ok what does the class of a player has to do with his ability to play. Yeah Jackson is a senior so what. Mcghee is a 3 year jr… so if that’s your argument why do he still suck…I understand the guy was so bad any little incriment of success and every gets riled up. This kid grew up in Indiana and never once got recriuted by Indiana or Notre Dame, damn Butler or Evansville did not go after him yet he finds his way to Pitt which at the time is one of the better programs, just admit a wassted scholarship.
Everything went in for them, nothing went in for us, we got frustrated, we got sloppy, and it was just their night.
Guarantee it won’t happen again if we get them in MSG next month. In fact, I’d like to see them or USF because just to avenge a couple of losses that should’ve NEVER happened.
You have hit your head. Abromitis over everyone but Gilbert Brown! Are you serious? Talk about one-trick pony. I would like to see him try and play the type of defense Pitt plays. Jermaine Dixon would start on most teams in the country. That is a fact. He is an ELITE defender. McGhee would be a starter for most teams in the conference as well. Considering Pitt beat most of the top teams in the big east, what does that say for their starters? Pitt probably won’t win the national championship this year. However, they have everyone, save for Jermaine, coming back and 3 top-100 recruits. JJ Moore and Cameron Wright will end up in the top-75. Adding these 3 to a seasoned and veteran team might lead us to the final 4 next year.
Robinson got interest from Kentucky, Syracuse, Connecticut and Tennessee among others. He got OFFERS from Pitt, Miami and Villanova. He was the #12 rated SF in his class.
McGhee got interest from Purdue and OFFERS from 7 schools including Pitt, Wisconsin, Oklahoma St. and Indiana.
I agree you’re a fan or you wouldn’t be so fired up, but please get your facts straight before posting them.
which makes it even more laughable…
Imagine what seat at the end of the bench would Robinson/Mcghee occupy at the end of the bench on any of those squads. And yet they are starters for your Pitt Panthers.
You said they were so bad they weren’t even recruited by teams in their own back yards. Facts proved otherwise and your new argument is that they’d be sitting on the bench. Actually, Pitt has a better record and RPI than most of those teams, so I doubt you’re correct there either. But I’m sure you’ll find some other non-factual argument to pose and frankly, I have better things to do with my time than continue it.
Hail to PITT! Hail to Jamie Dixon!
I believe some perspective is in order. We win a few good games in a row, and then we’re talking about a possible 1 or 2 seed and we have John Wooden II. We have a bad game, then all of a sudden, our coach is overrated nd our players never really were any good.
Truth is it is somewhere in between. We have a very good coach and pretty good players .. but a few who wouldn’t start for Top 20 teams.
the bottom line is results … and we have gotten more than most in the last 9 years.
I do have to say one thing to Jeremy, however …. ‘McGhee hasn’t improved’ … easily the most ridiculous statement I read on this blog, and that includes all the back and forth about our QB this last fall.
This team has really surprised me this year and I especially agree about McGhee and his defense. He’s stayed out of foul trouble really nicely and has become a solid rebounder and contributor and a presence inside.
I disagree, however, about this team getting much better next year. Just don’t see how that would happen:
* You lose your only real quality perimeter defender
*Wanamaker, Brown have been here forever and are solid players, but their upside’s been reached. Feel the same about Gibbs. He’s a nice shooter, unsuited to play PG and is never going to develop the penetration part of a guard’s game.
*Robinson is Robinson — a 6’5″ guy trying to play inside in the BE
*Doubt McGhee’s offensive development will ever catch up. I’m happy with him defending and rebounding.
*The freshmen won’t contribute much, because 1)Dixon doesn’t like to play them and 2) The recruits Pitt gets generally aren’t ready to step in and play……offensively or defensively. We heard for a year how Woodall played at St Anthony’s so he’d be ready to help out at PG right away and Taylor was going to start Day 1 in the BE. Neither of those things turned out to be even close to true.
The only wild card I see for next year is Taylor. Maybe they get him in the weight room and he learns to play position defense and becomes a big contributor next year. If that doesn’t happen, I see Pitt doing what they’re doing this year……….having a really solid season, making the tournament and keeping the solid program momentum going. I’ll take it.
wbb: There’s nothing wrong with a good debate when it’s based on fact and logic rather than some apparent personal grudge against a coach or program. You may recall that there was a guy who surfaced after every football loss to spew against Wanny. That too seemed very personal. Goes with the territory, I guess.
But, you have to give credit where it is due, and ND was obviously the much prepared team. And what I saw last night, especially in he 2nd hald, where ND players were openly inviting Pitt players to shoot by playing a few steps off .. consequently, this prevented a lot of dribble drive penetration on our part. It was a darn good defesneive strategy that worked famously.
This is a Jamie Dixon team. Players will improve and make major strides. There will be surprises. It happens every year. Did anyone peg McGhee, or Gray as guys that would improve vastly in the time they did. No, we all but gave up on them. I just think history has proven that with Dixon individuals step up and improve. I’m sold that this team will improve next year.
For most younger players it’s largely the defensive demands of Dixon’s system that keep them on the bench. It’s easy to forgot what a terrible defender Sam Young was his first two seasons at Pitt, even when he showed flashes as a scorer.
Anything Epps may provide would just be icing on the cake.
But really, people need to stop going crazy about a road loss in college basketball. It’s like what I said after the loss at South Florida, winning on the road is tough in college basketball. It’s hard to win on the road when you are playing against a desperate Notre Dame team after you just had a very emotional win against Nova (a top 5 team in the entire country). It’s even harder when Notre Dame has an entire week off while you just played on Sunday.
And I don’t see how Pitt won’t be improved next year.
1. You have Moore and Epps coming in who are by all accounts legit.
2. Gil Brown will actually get to do weight training and practice with the team.
3. Gibbs will be better as there will be less for him to do as he will able to move to the 2 guard spot with Woodall and Epps playing the point.
4. Taylor will be much improved with an entire year of offseason conditioning (he is already showing signs here and there).
5. Patterson will be ready to contribute right away off of the bench (I really would have prefered him to be playing now than the redshirt, could use his length and his shooting).
you make some good points. i just disagree on certain points. i think woodall will be leaps and bounds better by next season. he is, in fact, the wild card. his play the past few weeks has been the biggest diffenece in the team. without him we don’t beat wvu and the games against mu and nova are much different.
taylor has to get better next season. he has the raw talent and seems to be working harder the past several weeks. i expect him to be a solid contributor off the bench.
those close to the team have had great things to say about talib zanna. they say this kid is going to be an immediate contributor at the 4. that will allow wanny to slide to the 2 and brown to play the 3. robinson is still a young guy, so he will get better. his jump-shot, if that’s what you want to call it, is atrocious but less atrocious than his freshman year.
watch some clips of jj moore. this kid can play. i think he comes in and contributes next season. i don’t know how much, but he is a difference maker. epps and wright may not be early in the season, but moore looks to be a real stud. very polished and athletic game.
this team with additional experience is going to be really good. if they stay committed to defense, then they will be elite. that is where this team can really excel. every player is athletic and will understand the rotations. the freshman can watch and learn from experienced players. there is no substitute for that aspect.
losing dixon will really hurt, but the replacements are capable. woodall can be a shut-down defender at the 1. wanny is capable at the 2, brown will be really good at the 3, robinson/zanna etc. have the athleticism at 4, and we know what McGhee brings at the 5. That is an elite defensive team and that is what has me excited for next season. how are teams going to score against us?
Omar: I’m as impressed with Moore’s athleticism as you, but most of his highlights are against either very poor D or none at all. I’m not putting too high an expectation on him. Epps is the key guy for me. If he can assume Woodall’s role this year, we have two solid guys at each spot and a ton of flexibility across the board. Wow!
Dixon could have a deep rotation, which is a good problem to have.
1. Woodall with Epps playing a lot
2. Gibbs
3. Wannamaker
4. Taylor
5. McGhee
I’d still bring Brown off of the bench.
It will be a pretty deep team with Brown, Robinson, Epps, Patterson, Moore and Richardson all off the bench. Some schools would love to have that bench be their starters. That’s a total of 11 guys who should be able to contribute.
I doubt Zanna plays at all next year (still a project) and Richardson is a strong body without upside.
I did forget Patterson, but can’t see how he’ll have much impact next year on a team loaded with wings.
I do agree that Woodall is a bit of a wild card, too. If he provides improved PG play (Gibbs stinks at it), then the team could be better offensively with more penetration and dishes for hoops.
I’m a skeptic on the freshmen contributing at all, but hope I’m wrong.
Two years from now, there should be some serious upside……..
Agree with you on most of your points – Zanna, freshmen contribuiting right away and Woodall being the wild card at PG. Gibbs does a decent at “managing” the offense but his game, and therefore the offense in general, suffers with him at the point. He needs to be at the 2.
Disagree on the D being equal to or better than this year for a couple of reasons: Woodall will get better on D. He has the quicks and the guts, so all he needs is more experience which he’s getting. Gibbs’ D will improve because he’ll work at it. He’s this team’s Sam Young in that respect.
As far as a stopper, let me offer a name that will make some or many laugh – Robinson. He’s a tweener at 6’5″ and strong, so he can guard the 2, 3 or 4 on most other teams. When I watch the guy play, I see the same quick hands and feet, superior hand/eye coordination and instensity as Dixon. The kid wants to contribute, so I think he’ll do anything Jamie asks of him. Of course, he’ll need to improve some on O, so he’s not a liablility on the other end like he often is now. But Dixon can be that too with his suspect outside shooting and trying to play too much among the trees. At least Nas is used to being a Bonzai among the Redwoods, so there may be not much difference with the latter.
The big problem next year will be finding the right rotation. Who starts and where, who subs for who, etc., so you get the right matchups at the right times? Glad I’m not Jamie in that regard. Too many options for my pea-brain.
