In the best case scenario, Pitt was looking at a perfect 10-0 record to start basketball season. Worst case, 8-2. At 9-1, Pitt’s record is about what was reasonably expected. The way it ended up that way, naturally wasn’t quite as assumed.

Pitt pounded North Florida on Saturday night. Again, that was expected. There were some struggles in the first half with regards to rebounding and defense, but Pitt was just too big and too good for the Ospreys to hang for very long. Even when they were drilling 3s. Offensively, Pitt had one of its best nights. Good shot selection. Aggressive in the paint. Completely blowing North Florida off the court in the second half for the 89-47 win.

It’s been a weak schedule, and it will not be any stronger in the final three non-cons after the kids finish finals week. Surprisingly, Pitt’s RPI isn’t as bad as I assumed. It’s hanging at 59, though strength of schedule is a bad 223d. It will get worse.Oakland and Howard are both sub-200 RPI teams and Bethune-Cookman and Kennesaw State are down in the 300s.

Coach Jamie Dixon has usually been a much savvier scheduler than this. At least to play the numbers. And we all know about the lost game with an SEC team. That still doesn’t explain such horrid scheduling overall. He’s generally done well at avoiding any teams that have RPIs in the 300s — much less the 200s. There’s going to be a lot of pressure on Pitt in the Big East schedule. Even if Pitt finishes in the top-5 of the Big East, this non-con slate will drag them down a notch or too for NCAA Tournament seeding.

And I hate doing any NCAA Tournament projections, much less seedings when it is December. But the non-con scheduling this year is just that bad that it will be a source of angst.

So, time to run down the players and their overall performance in the first 6 weeks or so.

Travon Woodall: Remaining the most versatile guard for Pitt. Playing point or shooting guard. Leads the team in assists, steals and points per game. Shooting nearly 40% on 3s. He is shooting even better inside the arc at over 62% (32-51). His effective field goal percentage (eFG) is 60.4%. He was a project when he was recruited. That project appeared to be blooming last year, until he got hurt. He is even better this year.

His one big glaring weakness is 3-point defense. He keeps his hands down when guarding on the perimeter. The reason, may be to maintain position in front of guards to take away penetration and drives. Given his height, though, it allows bigger guards to shoot right over him from outside.

James Robinson: There is a truism in college basketball that guards have an easier time making an immediate impact than big men as freshmen. James Robinson is proving that point. He is a natural point guard, with a tremendous mix of talent, smarts and fearlessness. Only 10 games in, and he already has the complete trust of his teammates, coaches and even alumni. No where was that demonstrated more than in the loss to Michigan.

“Just look at him,” [Levance] Fields said, unable to contain his smile. “He’s already special. And he’s only starting.”

Fields worked with Robinson this summer. Knight works with him every day. They agree that the line of great Pitt point guards — it started with Knight and continued with Carl Krauser and Fields — is in wonderful hands with Robinson, whose impact has been stronger so far than that of fellow freshman Steven Adams.

“I have spent a lot of time with him on and off the floor,” Knight said. “I see really great things in him.”

Robinson is averaging 7.2 points and 2.8 assists through five games, but statistics reveal only a small part of his value.

Like Fields, Robinson seems blessed with the innate ability to perform late in games. He was the player most responsible for Pitt’s dramatic comeback against Oakland last week, hitting two free throws in the final seconds to force overtime.

Robinson almost produced more late-game theatrics against Michigan, scoring on three consecutive drives in the final minute.

“And that’s something you can’t coach,” Fields said. “He’s got it. He’s always had it. He played at a big-time high school program, and he had it then. He will always want the ball, and no stage will ever be too big for him.

“He probably turned it on a little too late against Michigan, but next time, he’ll learn. He’s a sponge.”

Those scores versus Michigan at the end weren’t simply impressive because they were clutch. They were exactly the right play. Pitt didn’t have enough time to dish and set up shots. They needed the guy bringing the ball up-court to score quickly. He recognized the Wolverines were backing off to avoid the fouls and he attacked the basket for surprisingly easy baskets. But for two really bad calls by the officials on the other end — the anticipatory whistle on the steal rather than a foul, and missing the obvious stepping out-of-bounds — and James Robinson would be in the leading candidate in the Big East for Freshman of the Year. As it stands, he’s in the discussion.

After starting out the season 1-9 on 3s in the first six games, he has noticeably improved to hit 5-8. He obviously doesn’t take a lot of shots, but he is taking — and making enough to keep the defense from crowding too close. Giving him room to shoot, drive or pass.

His defense is a little spotty at times as expected from a freshman, but like every other part of his game: it is improving.

John Johnson: N/A. Transferred to Penn State. Attempts to sour chemistry on team, failed.

Cameron Wright: Outside of Isiah Epps, Cam Wright was probably the player most Pitt fans hoped would transfer after last season. Despite being a redshirt freshman, he looked worse than a freshman version of Brad Wanamaker or Nasir Robinson on offense. He was supposed to be an ace defender, but he did not come close to matching the hype.

This season could not have started with worse news for Wright. Losing his father to cancer on opening night. He wanted to play to honor his dad, and showed that huge strides have been made in his game. His offensive game is still awkward and almost frightening in appearance, but it is significantly better.

Wright shot just 35 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from 3-point range last season. He is shooting 46 percent this season and has made 3 of 4 from 3-point range.

“I definitely grew offensively, but I guess you kind of gain confidence from defense,” he said. “You play so hard with your teammates for 35 seconds, or maybe longer if they get an offensive rebound, and once you get back on the offensive end you have to connect. I’ve definitely gained more confidence in my game. I put a lot of time and effort into my game throughout the summer and the course of the season. Every basketball player has to have that sense of confidence. In the flow of the game, if I have the opportunity to shoot, I’ll take the shot.”

Wright looks a lot more comfortable out on the court on both ends. Unbelievably, he’s picked his shots (most of the time) very well. How else could he be 3-4 on 3s and 17-35 overall to this point? His defense actually looks like what was expected when he signed. He’s shut down Lehigh’s best player and he’s comfortable with the 10-15 minutes he will get each game.

He’s looking like yet another quality cog piece for Pitt.  Someone who helps the team.

Trey Zeigler: It’s hindsight now, but even before the DUI episode — that cost him two games — I was starting to think that the best thing for Zeigler (and Pitt) would have been for him to not have gotten a waiver to play right away. If he would have had a chance just to practice and learn more. To not try and adjust his game so abruptly.

It’s been a struggle on both ends. There were questions about his defense, since he didn’t have to play that much of it at Central Michigan. But his struggles on offense have been surprising. Maybe it’s because he’s coming off the bench. Maybe he’s trying too hard to fit in with his teammates. But he’s getting close to falling behind Wright in coming off the bench.

A 30% 3-point shooter for his first two years, he hasn’t made one yet this year. His free throw shooting, which was a disturbing 50+% for his career, is under 40% this year. There’s definitely a confidence problem right now for him.

More player thoughts in the next post.