Coming into last night’s game I expected a few scenarios. I thought Georgetown would come out desperate and energized. Knowing that their season was hanging in a precarious balance. They couldn’t afford a second straight home loss and start the season 1-4 in the Big East. They would be playing a lot better and with purpose against Pitt.
My expectations were honestly that Georgetown might overwhelm Pitt right away and put Pitt in the uncomfortable and unfamiliar role of having to come from behind for most of the game. Or that it would be a back-and-forth tight game throughout with it coming down to the final minute or two to decide it. I never expected to see Pitt just take it to Georgetown like that and see the Hoyas fold.
They sagged. They were like a car with a leaky fuel pump. The energy drained out of them and their fans. Dispirited was the word I kept coming back to with that Georgetown team.
Rob Dauster at Ballin’ Is a Habit, was at the game and couldn’t believe what he saw with this Georgetown team either, but wonders if it is because this Hoya team has never learned to win. Not sure I buy it, because that sort of idea that a team self-reinforces an expectation of losing because of past failures experienced suggests perpetually staying down.
The guys at Casual Hoya are really down on their team, and are just at a loss to explain it. How do the wheels fall off a team that looked so good earlier in the season. Staged a big comeback and OT win in a hostile arena against Mizzou. Now they are a mess.
I watched the Hoyas get pounded by ND in South Bend and decided not to read much into it. ND, to me, is one of the most schizo teams in the Big East when it comes to home vs. road. Practically unbeatable at home, but in Big East road games they are 5-15 from 2008-09 to date. And with what they did to Pitt in the Joyce Center last year, I figured it was just one of those games. No. Instead, that game is now pinpointed as the time when the wheels fell off Georgetown in 2011.
Mike Wise at the Washington Post thinks that the Hoyas’ problems stem from the fact that the Big East teams are better prepared to defend against Georgetown’s offense unlike teams from outside the conference.
No other team in the Big East plays the hybrid of the Princeton offense run by Georgetown, which means they all prepare extra hard for it.
So, when a senior-laden team like Pittsburgh prepares for the Hoyas, Jamie Dixon looks at his players and essentially says: “You remember the guy who beat you six times on a back cut your sophomore year? He’s still there and they’re still running the same thing.”
Dixon, the Panthers’ coach, admitted as much afterward Wednesday night, saying he was “impressed with how quick our guys pick up their stuff.
“I tell you, from Monday our first day they really jumped into what they were doing, understood and picked it up.”
John Thompson III disagreed with that theory and so do I. The Big East has more than a few quirky styles. Whether it is Pitino’s pressing, Cuse’s zone, Pitt’s motion, Providence pushing pace, etc. The size of the Big East has too many disparate styles for teams to do extra preparation for any one team.
Now I’m not saying Pitt wasn’t prepared for what Georgetown does, but Georgetown made it easy by not actually running their offense as patiently as the style demands.
“If they had a meticulous film session, God bless them, it showed out on the court,” he snapped. “That being said, we have options A, B, C, D and counters to everything and different reads. If, on this particular set they look for this, we always have something else to go to. We have to do a better job of getting to our second, third, fourth option.”
For most of the night, the Hoyas chose option No. 1: shoot. And, in what has become an all too common refrain in recent games, neither the ball nor the rim cooperated.
Like Pitt’s offense, if all you do is pull up for shots or drive the lane without working for the best shot, you are going to struggle.
Now, if you think I am putting this Pitt win all on how badly the Hoyas played, you are wrong. I was impressed by Pitt. After struggling to handle Providence on the road, Pitt came out and dominated Georgetown and made sure the Hoyas had little hope.
With all that said, the result of the night goes to Pittsburgh, which delivered a 15-point thumping of Georgetown that may say as much about the Panthers’ dominance as it does about the Hoyas’ problems…
As for the Panthers, after they lost badly in downtown Pittsburgh to Tennessee, doubters wondered if their ranking and Big East expectations (they were picked to win the league) were overblown.
Yeah, that would be a “no.” Pitt has won six in a row, dispatching Connecticut (by 15), Marquette (by 8) and Georgetown in the process.
Pitt struggled with frontcourt foul trouble in the first half, and Gil Brown had his first off-night shooing in a while, but it paid off as the Hoyas stayed out of the lane a lot more in the second half. Less willing to drive as hard, and their cuts not as crisp.
The only downside to the game was a 5-7 minute scoring drought that saw Pitt’s 22 point lead shrink down to 11. Even then Coach Dixon downplayed it.
“We probably could have gone inside more,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “But the outside shots we were getting were good looks.”
Dixon did not have a problem with the second-half execution. He said the Panthers ran the offense well and got quality shots. The shots simply were not falling in the second half like they were in the first half.
“I thought we played well during that stretch, but we just didn’t make shots,” he said. “It’s hard to play perfect for 40 minutes.”
The players, however, weren’t satisfied.
“We’re happy with the win,” senior guard Brad Wanamaker said. “We hit a dry spell in the second half. That’s something good teams can’t do it they want to advance far in the NCAA tournament.”
And of course the it’s only one game/we’re on a mission mantra.
“It’s definitely a good thing, but our mission is not over yet,” said Gibbs, scored a game-high 22 points, including five 3-pointers. “We still have a long way to go. We have a lot of games to play. We can’t step back right now.”
Finally, if you watched the telecast you watched Bob Knight go slobberfest over Syracuse Pitt — when he could keep the name right. It was almost embarrassing. Almost.
Great shooting and solid defense from Gibbs and Wannamaker.
That was the best defensive game Pitt has played in a long while. Very nice to see.
Pitt needs more from the bench. Taylor and Zanna both played poorly yesterday. Pitt was much better with McGhee on the floor. McGhee is really playing like a monster underneath right now. Great to see him step up his game after a lackluster finish to the previous season.
Woodall played okay. Not spectacular, but solid. He needs to be consistent.
This is a very good Pitt team. Relies a bit too much on the jumper, but is almost impossible to beat when they are going down. I would like to see a bit more offense at the rim. Gibbs is a great weapon when the shots are falling. However, the defense tightens up in March. We need to get more easy buckets at the rim.
Pitt has been so good for so long, that even a die-hard hoops fan like me is simply waiting for March. Brad Wannamaker even mentioned the second half drought when he said something like good teams can’t let the opponent back in the game or they will get beat in the NCAA tournament. I really like that these kids are preparing and thinking about March.
I understand why Woodall underwhelms people when they watch him, but he’s so underrated, even by Panther fans. I have complete trust in him and he will be the biggest piece in creating a seamless transition from this season to next when Pitt loses Wanamaker.
As for last night, the most telling team statistic of the night was 3. Pitt had only 3 turnovers all night. I don’t expect them to have only 3 turnovers every game going forward, but if they can operate with that type of efficiency frequently, we will see more games like last night’s in the future.
I am a huge Woodall fan. He is a very effective player and some games I wish he would play more. Woodall is Pitt’s only true point guard and really tries to get his teammates the ball in the right place. I love his game, but he needs to be more consistent from game to game and half to half. He is still in his second year of playing time, so I think it will come.
In his role on this particular team, though, I think he’s most effective because he gives the offense a completely different look than it does with the starting five on the floor. With the starters, Gibbs handles it more, and the offense tends to run through Wanamaker and Brown, and Gibbs’ shots come off kickouts and rebounds. When Woodall comes in, Gibbs, who’s also gotten better as a point guard, is able to move to the wing and run off screens looking for his own shot. In turn this opens the middle of the floor for Brad and Gil, and the high post for the big guys to pass to each other, which they’ve done a fantastic job of.
I may be wrong with my understanding, but I know there are others around with more basketball smarts than I…
Glad were not them.
I think the reason many, including myself, have a clouded view of Woodall is simply because he takes some terrible shots. However, Woodall is a good solid player and could be pitts next great point guard. Only time will tell. Because he is a true point guard it makes sense his development has been considered slow by some. Bottom line, however, is true point guards take some time to develop due to the complexity of the position.
As for the rest of the team I am incredibly impressed. Especially with Wannamaker. That guy can ball. Where the hell did his mid range game come from? His development is astounding and is just a credit to him and Dixon’s ability to develop talent to its full potential. Personally I feel that this is Pitt’s best team yet as far as NCAA tournament potential. Guard play is everything in the tournament and We have 3 really, really good ones, and a few more who can come off the bench and give quality minutes.
If this team is going to win the BE and make a final four run, HE HAS TO PLAY and play well. They only way he is going to be ready for March is if he gets more time in January and February. If you want to win games in January, continue to give Robinson the bulk of the PT, if you want to win in March and maybe play in April, GIVE ZANNA MORE PT.
And you guys must have watched a different game last night when it comes to Woodall. Aside from the three pointer he hit in Providence (and the free throws) Woodall has really struggled the last three games. I have last nights game on TiVO and will watch it again, but I came away thinking Travon has to step it up.
Anyone else notice that sometimes on the road and when he’s had a hot first half Gibbs doesn’t transition well to the new basket?
Nasir Robinson will be perfect in the high post against Syracuse’s zone. He can pass and can attach the zone off the dribble. That will be key, because the zone will extend because of Gibbs shot.
Although I already man-crushed on Robinson above with the things he does well (as Justinian pointed out too) i forgot to say he has been getting out on the fast breaks too showing we aren’t just a half court team anymore!
The offense just seems to run better in my mind when Woodall is playing the point.
I think Pitt’s way better when he’s on the floor, but that’s only true because of the limitations of the other ballhandlers. Gibbs is playing out of position and we can’t expect Wanamaker to do everything. Woodall is the only speed Pitt has in the backcourt and there’s no way they’re going to beat teams like Nova without him.
I think he’s got to play more, especially against quick teams (L-ville, Nova). Then we’ll have a better idea about whether he’s the PG of the future. I hope he’s not — not because I don’t want to see him get better, but instead because his ceiling isn’t that high. Pitt needs better talent at the position……….bottom line.
Knight asked his compatriot last night how our effort during this game differed from the TENN game. Answer: Pitt’s physicality was absent back then.
I agree wholeheartedly: Pitt was playing not to lose. The key indicator in my mind: fouls charged on Pitt. In the 1st half of the TENN game we were charged with only FIVE fouls. Last night, TWELVE!
This means to me that the starters have learned that the bench can do the job too and are therefore now going 100% from beginning to end. They’re not afraid to take a foul. This has the added benefit of disrupting the other team’s offense.
Contrast to previous teams. This is a big departure from the past when we typically went 7 or at most 8 deep.
And, Hail to Pitt!
Sidenote: Pederson was there. All rumors that he’ll be fired went out the window last night.
What a three day stretch: Steelers and Pitt. I’m looking for a 3 game sweep.
The best examples right now are McGhee and Wannamker, and I expect Taylor and Woodall to be that much better and more polished next year when they g from role players to starters.
The same the year after for Zanna
