It seemed like it could have slipped away in the second half. Adams was in foul trouble and didn’t play the final 6+ minutes. And while the box score might suggest that Taylor wasn’t much of a drop-off (fewer rebounds and blocks but more points and less turnovers), Adams’ defensive impact was huge. His blocks had the effect of keeping UConn wary of going inside as much as they wanted — yes, even as Ryan Boatright appeared to spend the second half continually driving to the lane. Adams had their frontcourt wary of going all the way to the rim. They didn’t want to challenge him.
Taylor was not that intimidating presence. And after a Napier 3 next three offensive opportunities for UConn had them going right into the paint after Adams departed. That said, Taylor came up huge in a way that Adams cannot. He drilled both of his freethrows with under 3 minutes left and Pitt clinging to a 2-point lead.
Pitt’s overall freethrow shooting still looks weak (17-23), but when you look at who took FTs and their general numbers it is hard to say that Pitt left much more than 2 points on the table (Zanna 1-3, Patterson 4-6). But in a way that reminds me of Dixon excusing the poor FT shooting of the Page/Brown teams of his first couple years, Pitt “made them when they had to.” Pitt all six FTs in the final 3 minutes to keep UConn from being able to snatch the game.
James Robinson came up exceptionally big in the final minutes. He drained all 4 of his FTs in that final 3 minutes and hit a huge 3 after UConn had tied the game at 58.
Robinson‘s 3-pointer came on a pass from Dante Taylor, who spotted him open in the right corner after running a pick-and-roll with Lamar Patterson.
Connecticut coach Kevin Ollie couldn‘t complain.
“We played our percentages there,” Ollie said. “He‘s a good player, and he stepped up and hit a shot.”
Ollie spent 13 seasons in the NBA, so he‘s used to seeing one of the oldest tricks in the playbook. What he wasn‘t happy about is that when the Panthers ran the play again, Taylor took a pass from Woodall and popped a 15-footer.
“We got beat on a pick-and-roll,” Ollie said. “It‘s the toughest thing to guard. That‘s why Malone and Stockton ran it for so long.”
It was the smart percentage by Ollie. Give Ollie some credit for knowing what the Pitt players were and weren’t doing. Robinson had really been scuffling on the offensive end for the last few games. His shots hadn’t been falling. His confidence in his shot looked shaky. He still had the trust of his teammates.
“That’s what he does,” senior captain Tray Woodall said. “He’s a patient player. He’s poised in clutch situations. This team has trust in him. A lot of people don’t have trust in a freshman like we do with James, but he’s instilled it in us. We’ll definitely go to that guy, and we know he’ll be ready when the time comes.”
Robinson’s 3-pointer came right after Connecticut rallied from a 13-point halftime deficit to tie the score at 58-58. Ryan Boatright, who scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the second half, made a 3-pointer to cap a 15-6 Huskies run just 27 seconds earlier.
Robinson had been struggling. He was shooting 29 percent in Big East games; 14 percent from 3-point range. Coach Jamie Dixon benched him for a game at Rutgers two weeks ago, and his production in other areas had slipped considerably in recent weeks, too. He was coming off a game at Villanova where he did not make a field goal.
Still, it was no surprise to his teammates when he confidently stroked the shot that stopped the bleeding and got the Panthers headed back in the right direction. After Robinson’s clutch shot, Pitt finished on a 9-3 run over the final four minutes.
“He’s always wanted to take the big shot,” junior guard Trey Zeigler said. “Even in practice, at the end-of the-clock situations, he always wants to take the shot. It wasn’t a surprise that he wanted to take the shot. And he knocked it down for us.”
He is still having some struggles. It seems that his passes are slower lately, almost telegraphed at times — leading to more turnovers. The reality is more likely, that he is learning the difference between playing mid-majors and Big East quality teams. He has to make stronger passes or more will get picked.
It seemed that Pitt was going to run away with this game. Not simply because they raced out to a double-digit first half lead. They didn’t let up. Not at the end of the half — like they did against Michigan and Cinci where they gave up some quick and easy baskets to cut the lead. They didn’t let up to start the second half. You knew UConn wasn’t going to keep missing as many shots as they did in the first half. I mean, yes, Pitt played some great D, but UConn missed some wide-open chances.
Pitt kept the double-digit lead for 8 minutes into the second half. UConn whittled it down over the next 8 minutes to tie the game. You could feel the angst among Pitt fans that this game was going to be blown. But Pitt’s defense stiffened. They denied the lane for Boatright. They forced UConn to use clock to find a shot. Then denied second chances by getting the rebounds. And on offense, they bled the clock and finished.
They showed that they have been learning.
That‘s when Pitt showed what it has learned from home losses to Cincinnati and Marquette. Led by freshman point guard James Robinson, the Panthers showed patience and poise for a 69-61 victory over Connecticut in the final Big East regular-season meeting between the rivals.
It was the first league win for the Panthers (15-4, 3-3) at the Pete, this one coming one week after an overtime loss to Marquette. Where Pitt needed a last-second 3-pointer to tie that game, the Panthers took control of this one from the outset and didn‘t let it slip away.
“You like to finish every one,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “But we‘ve lost a few, and when you lose, you remember those ones a little more. (Connecticut) made shots. They made plays to get back and tie it up. But down the stretch I thought we came up with the rebounds. I thought we defended well and hit free throws and got a couple of big jump shots.”
…
“In the games that we lost, we let it go at the end,” said Pitt forward Lamar Patterson, who scored a team-high 14 points and had five assists. “We made a little change and fought through and got the victory.”
This was the first time Pitt has won back-to-back Big East games since the beginning of last February (WVU and Villanova). It’s also the first win at the Pete for Pitt since before Christmas.
If you are looking to find a reason for pure confidence in this Pitt squad. That they are moving to be a force the rest of the way. No. It’s not there. There are too many issues, and not enough time for that.
If you are looking to see signs that this team is learning. Is improving. Is getting better, than it was 2 weeks ago. Or even last week. Well, I think the signs are pointing that way. It’s not going to be easy with this team.
Spot on analysis Chas, without Adams in the middle, the defense was reminiscent of last year’s matador defense. Coach really needs to recruit another Center pronto for next year as a backup. And I hope just a backup one, who knows.
JJ is taking too many 3′s and what’s worse is, he’s only making 26% of em. Whereas he’s one of our better FT shooters at 85% so Coach needs to drill it into his head to drive more to the hoop, for an easier shot or a trip to the FT line.
We really need to find some consistency in one or two players who will score 15+ ppg, as it’s a crap shoot every game trying to find points.
You can’t expect Sleepy to make such huge plays at the end of every game. Nor JR to drain a 3 pointer. Woodie, Patterson & Moore should be making these plays at the end of the game.
Ok it’s off to Providence, not a real easy place to play despite them being a below average team, however just our luck they will be coming off a home win against Villimanilli 69-66. They have a Guard who averages 22 ppg and 2 forwards who both average over 14 ppg. These 3 play the vast majority of minutes (35+) at their positions. One of the 14ppg players is 6-10, 245 lbs. However he is known to get into foul trouble, so it would be good if we get him out of there before Adams.
This will be a stiff challenge for Kiwi Steve.
Almost half of the Top 25 lost this weekend,
eleven (11) to be exact.
Uconn received 70 votes in the last AP poll, bringing them in at #27. Pitt got a couple votes, so we should now claim all of Uconn’s votes, lol.
So Saturday’s victory was indeed a huge win for Pitt and it’s climb back to the upper tier of the BigEast. I don’t see any great teams in the BigEast this season. As Marquette (who we should have beat) and L-Ville both got beat yesterday.
So while this isn’t a great Pitt team, there are no great teams in the BigEast and for that matter the nation as I see it. The new number one will probably be Indiana, who just lost to unranked Wisconsin, so maybe not, but just struggled mightily with an average or below average Northwestern team today. We hung with #5 Michigan as a very inexperienced team.
This year’s Big Dance as I see it, is the most wide open I can remember, as I just don’t see any really elite teams out there. So if we keep improving and Adams can get more touches and therefore more points, who knows.
Pitt’s RPi is now #55 (before conf. play started it was #58, so that hardly has budged despite non-con rent-a-win victims)
Pitt’s SoS is now # 97
Pitt’s victory over Uconn was our first over a team in the Rpi Top 50 this season (which is why it was sooooo huge) Uconn is #28 Rpi currently, was top 20 before the game.
Has Pitt at #9.
Don’t know how we grade out so high on that, but there it is.
Talk about a choke.
A star is born with Kaepernick.
“This is not what I‘ve built a career on,” Huggins said. “We let them do what they want to do, throw it where they want to throw it, drive it where they want to drive it. We just do the most unexplainable things I‘ve ever seen.” ~ Huggins after losing to Purdue. LOL
Any other panthers in the big game other than our next DC?
But from someone who actually played great hoops for Pitt I heard this is a team to be reckoned with.
If only they are let loose.
On a side note, Dante has his limitations and has never lived up to expectations, but I’ve enjoyed seeing him accept his role on this team. Despite his “Sleepy” moniker the kid has never had bad body language and is always the first on the bench to cheer on his team. I was happy to see him help ice the game down the stretch.
panther94, agree about that play
both of your comments mirrored my thoughts. Would love to see Sleepy have a decent final year, and glad that player for the Pats is OK (not paralyzed)
jackson is the asst db coach not the db coach there is nothing in his background that says is ready to be a DC on any level.
the outher 3 names i could live with they have the experence to be good DC but not jackson.
as far as i can see he is a frend of chryst that is all
and like i said he is not even the db coach just the db asst his helper not the man.
austain or tomsula make sence jackson does not.
if it is jackson i hope he does well for our sake
but he has done nothing to make him a DC LOOK IT UP HE WOULD BE A REAL SHOT IN THE DARK.
Pitt goes to the Donut Center on Tuesday. Momementum lasts right up until the opening tip. Providence, epi-center of all things Big East evil, comes off a home win against “Nova”.
This game can and will be lost if we come out as we did at Rutgers. 2 halfs of solid hoops is what is required.
Providence scored 45 points in the 2nd half against Nova. They also lost to some bads teams.
This is a must win for Pitt…all hands on deck and use our depth to wear their donut butts out!
Let’s hope we can stack some wins.
any of the outher 3 would be better.
Charismatic with an impressive playing and coaching resume.
At some point everyone who’s ever succeeded got that opportunity to step up and show what they can do for the first time.
Not to say it should be Jackson. But when you take a closer look he far outshines some of the other names being tossed around.
One of the least-talented UConn teams of recent memory. A couple of good guards but that’s about it.
Understand that UConn got hit with some academic challenges that resulted in a few key players being lost.
Saturday, it was Pitt’s big men surprisingly getting the rebounds. This says either UConn’s big men left a lot to be desired or Adams and Co. have actually turned an about face in the rebounding department.
Leaning toward the former.
This means Dixon’s rebounding revelation as detailed last week in the Post Gazette is still yet to be tested beyond Villanova.
Witholding excitement until Pitt plays a team with athletic big men who either force Adams, Zanna and Taylor to step up or give Dixon a chance to prove his strategy employed against Villanova can work against someone else besides Villanova.
and the outher 3 far out shine him one was even a DC IN THE PROS TWICE THE OUTHER IS A DB COACH NOT A ASST DB COACH and was a dc at FL even if only for one year.
and the outher was a DC IN CANADA FOOTBALL PLUS
THE DL COACH FOR SANFRAN and he to is charismatic.
jackson out shines none of them look up his coaching record before you post that stuff.
T Austin was DB coach at wake forest DB coach
at seattle seahawks DB coach for az cardinals
florida DC secondary coach for baltmore at present.
jim tomsula DC for berlin thunder head coach of
rhein fire San Fran interim head coach and now
DL coach of san fran for years.
Tim Lewis DB coach at pitt DB coach of steelers
DC of steelers DC coach of new york giants
now secondary coach of falcons
that is the 3
and they all out shine jackson who is a asst to the DB COACH HE IS NOT EVEN THE db COACH he is a helper
and if he is are DC IT WILL BE BECUSE HE COACHED WITH CHRYST LOOK AT HIS RECORD HE HAS ALL MOST NO RECORD.
you would have to wonder abought that pick
if it is him i hope he does well but it would have me worryed a lot.
but i all so liked orlando and he would be better then jackson.
let us hope it is austin jackson has no experence
if he is the pick it would be like catching lighting in a bottle if he is any good there is all most no record it would seam a bad pick.
it is like dockish said there are sites that make there money bye posting what coach is talking to who and had he talked to some one thay would know
no he has not interviewed any one yet.
so it must be some one on a team in the super bowl i just hope it is Tomsula or austin and
not jackson.
if he was talking to any one they would know.
has he and one man in the super bowl had a talk
i bye that and neather are saying any thing yes i will go for that but if he had interviews with outhers the sites would know .
they even know who is hired in div 3 and the JC
schools.
i think it is some one from san fran or balt.
most likey san fran and most likely jackson
but i hope not look at jackson record he has not even been the db coach just a asst.
i dont know why any one would think he ready to be a DC
look it up and compare it to these outher names and tell me you honestley would hire him as a DC
may be for a high school or a div 3 team but not pitt.
but i fear it is like you said before a yes
man he has worked with before,
let me put it this way lets just look at the mans record and if he had not worked with chryst
do you think he would be hired on his record alone if he had coached at iowa insted of wisconsin.
i dont think he would even be looked at as a DB
coach yes he would as a DC NO.
I would hire him as a db coach but not as A DC.
pitt or wisconsin or chryst
besides chryst does not seam to want any one on his staff who has more experence then him or eho has been a big time DC OR OC or ex head coach
who might know more then him look at his hires i think he is to new to want some one like that around.
even if it would help him.
ohio state but not penn state still some from pitt should go up there and stay with the kid take him to a all day lunch.
bring him to pitt for a 4 week vist.
PC better bring in a real defensive coach, not some guy who is going to get “on the job” training at Pitt’s expense. One is plenty. haha
MAY BE DB COACH . but not DC look him up there is not mutch to him there are a lot of outhers out there with way more experence.
he will be a risk.
lol I believe you bro, if you say Jackson has no experience…..he has no experience. And you are right, if this guy isn’t even a DB coach, just the asst. DB coach….he shouldn’t even be considered for the DC job. Let some other school/team pay him to learn his ABC’s. This is PITT we’re talking, not some schlepp program.
While he’s not come close to McDonald’s All-American hype, he’s been nothing but consistent in all 4 years at Pitt.
Averages around 4.5 to 5 ppg and 4 to 5 rpg.
So while he’s been consistent, he’s not improved much either. Or another way of looking at it.
His talent has not been realized. Shame cause he seems willing enough.
Pitt teams of the past always took care of business against teams they SHOULD BEAT. Providence & DePaul fall into that category. And that category is BigEast bottom dwellers. If this team has any hopes of being a top tier BE team this season, we must win these next two games. And convincingly would be even better.
The Friars lost to the Creepsters of Creepy Valley, so we SHOULD REALLY HAMMER THEM.
Just because of that fact alone.
HTP
VEV
He’s only 6-1, if you’re going to play him man up, put Wright at 6-4 on him.
Can’t wait to take ND on.
After beating #27 Uconn, I thought we’d pickup a few more AP votes since Uconn had 70 votes last week. And we had 2 votes last week.
Inexplicably Pitt received even less votes this week (after 2 wins/week). Yes even less than 2,,,,we got 1 vote.
Didn’t expect us to be in the Top 25, but I did expect we’d get like 50 votes or so.
lol we got 5 votes in USA/ESPN after getting Zero last week. Polls are indeed a strange animal.
Not impressive at all at home, Cincy controlled the tempo all game. Like I said, no great teams in the BigEast this year, nor the Nation.
However they lost to Brown as well.
We really need to trample the Friars in our last visit to the home of the BigEast, Providence RI.
As I don’t see us ever scheduling them in the non-con. We already play Duquesne.
Kick some ass !
Providence can really shoot the 3 well and has good guards…that normally is not a good thing for Pitt.
I am out of the prediction business, but know that pitt has to take every possession seriously and play like there is no tomorrow.
Our best basketball has been played away from Pgh.
Hang your hat on that if you get concerned.
I’m not predicting either anymore; just worried about the matchup….(there superstar guard had missed a lot of early season so Providence is playing better than their record shows right now.)
I like this team a lot and hope they show how good I think they can be tonight.
On antother subject, were there any football recruits at the game yesterday?