I guess it worked out that I didn’t get a chance to do a recap of the loss to Marquette. It would have been completely wrong and looked pollyanaish in the cruel light of the Notre Dame debacle. I would have called it just one of those games. Marquette was hot. Even Marquette’s own coach said that they played their best game of the season. They were at home. There’s a reason they had won 23 in a row at home. Pointed out Ohio St. getting blitzed at Wisconsin the next day. Yada, yada, yada.
Dead wrong.
The ND game was Pitt’s worst game of the year. Near the end of the game, ESPN panned over to Coach Jamie Dixon and you could see him visibly seething. I’ve never seen him so openly pissed at his own squad while a game was still happening. At officials, sure, but never at his own team.
It was present right after the game ended.
But this might have been the most inconsolable Dixon has been after a loss. He could barely speak for a long time after Pitt blew a 19-3 lead by playing some of the worst basketball since the Ralph Willard days.
“Sorry you had to see that,” Dixon muttered to a friend as he left the court after his postgame radio show.
And it carried over to his post game press conference.
PantherLair posted video from Dixon’s presser if you want to look for yourself. He just kept looking down at the box score. As if he couldn’t believe the numbers he was seeing.
Once again, Pitt was outrebounded, and as I’ve stated I don’t buy into rebounding differential. I do accept the idea that rebounding margin on this team is an indicator of effort and hustle. And from that perspective, it was damning. Especially in allowing offensive rebounds.
Even when Notre Dame was missing every shot to start the game. Even as they were turning the ball over. They were getting offensive rebounds. They were getting more chances. They went after it harder and stronger than Pitt.
We can talk about the foul calls suddenly picking up after Brey’s technical. Or how it fired up the Domers. Or how two quick Zanna shots and misses went the other way for 6 points.
It’s just that suddenly this team is not the same. The energy is low. The focus is off. Execution. Everything.
“Our offensive efficiency numbers had been terrific,” Dixon said. “This put an end to that.”
Pitt shot 35 percent from the field and only made six baskets in the final 17:54, and two of those came in the final 1:22 when the game was already decided.
“We played selfish,” senior guard Tray Woodall said. “We’re a team that passes the ball, but our assist numbers and rebounding numbers indicate how selfish we played. We have to find ourselves, look at ourselves.”
Pitt had 10 assists on 16 field goals and got hammered on the backboards, 40-25. The Panthers entered the game the top rebounding team in the conference, but the Irish continually crashed the boards with success and tracked down almost every loose ball. The 15-rebound deficit was by far the largest of the season against Pitt.
“We’ve been drilling it, talking about it,” Dixon said. “Our losses have had a common denominator. That’s where we came up short in our seven losses.”
Not to mention not making a single three-point shot the entire game. Lamar Patterson, the best 3-point shooter on the team didn’t take one. Passing up on them, and plenty of other shots. Patterson chose a hell of a game to have a funk. Durand Johnson was sent home with a stomach flu. (And honestly, I keep hoping it is revealed that the whole team has it. That would explain a lot more of the performances.)
Considering how Patterson spoke before the game about wanting to win at home. About hating to lose at home, his effort seems that much more unbelievable.
No one it seemed wanted to shoot. No one wanted to rebound. No one wanted to play. There was poor effort to help in the second half. Everyone was in their own funk. Or as Woodall put it, selfishness.
That’s selfish also, to be open and not shoot the ball,” Woodall said. “That’s selfish, too. You have to take what the defense gives you.”
Dixon has said all season many of his players are too unselfish and he agreed that hurt his team Monday night.
“We have some guys who are too unselfish,” Dixon said. “We got tight. As the game went on we passed some open shots and ended up throwing up a guarded shot. That makes your offense incredibly inconsistent. We never got in a rhythm where we were finding guys and getting guys shots.”
I mean, Cam Wright ended up taking the second-most shots last night. It wasn’t because he was just hoisting them. It was no one else was. Wright also led the team in assists with 3. I like Cam Wright — off the bench, as a cog on this team — but he should not be taking more shots than Patterson and Adams and even Moore. He certainly shouldn’t have as many assists as Woodall, Patterson and Robinson combined.
Zanna has no confidence in his shot. Robinson and Zeigler are afraid of taking shots from outside, because they aren’t good shooters. J.J. Moore wants to shoot outside but is horrible at it, and is not finishing strong on the occasions he is driving to the hoop.
This is still the same team that looked to be getting better at the right time. Making progress and growing. We won’t know until Sunday if this is the sort of attitude adjustment they have to make in the face of the losses. Or if this team has something else wrong with it.
HERE we go agein rumor is big 10 is looking to expamsion once more.
they say north carolina has a offer on the table and GT .
it is posted in several places check it out.
so what does that mean well it means if big 10
belives them than they want first pick before
the big 12 makes its move.
so they go to north carolina and GT knowing every one will end up at 16 soon
it is all there hope it is wrong but read the posts.
Only if we had a better coach committed to coming.
Not another DW firing with no plan whatsoever.
As far as UNC & the Big 10, I posted this before, the Tarheel Radio Network run weekly football show, spent the majority of each weekly broadcast bashing ACC football. Which I found extremely strange for a radio show that was supposed to be PROMOTING ACC football.
They even ridiculed the ACC’s 4-2 bowl record, which wasn’t bad at all. So I would say, since this show was run by the Tarheel radio network, they were “laying the groundwork” for a reason to leave the conf.
and everyone of worth has “left the party”.
Sort of like arriving late at a Frat Party and all the better looking girls were already picked over.
That would be…..just like PITT !
EMel it will be ok we still get the 17 millon per year we could be in big east with 2 million per year
and you know what i think NC says no but some one else might say yes.
Well it’s not like they haven’t played a little uptempo, transition offense in the past. Cause they have, he’s just not committed to it.
He was the same way with his abhorrence of playing zone, and he’s playing it a lot more this season than ever before. So there’s that….
So I will continue to hold some hope that he realizes that most of the players on this team play better in transition than half court including ALL the bigs…….
@Dan 72 – LMAO. No. I’m not Steve Pederson (but I have met him). And I’m not affiliated with the Athletic Department (except for my annual contributions to the Pitt Band).
However, if I were Steve P, I would immediately bring back Script Pitt and the 70s color scheme.
i think it was 2 weeks ago you could be right
it could be the ground work to leave.
Yea but if UNC leaves, FSU & Clemson are sure to go to and maybe Duke. Weakens basketball tremendously and football too.
We get stuck playing in a watered down version of the ACC, basically BigEast2 against the likes of Wake Forest, L-Ville, Uconn (would be added), probably USF too, NC State, UVA. Blah
Hope the Pitt Admin, has some sort of contingency plan in case everyone of worth starts leaving the ACC. Like call up TExas and say,,,,remember when….
‘This Week in the ACC’. Only later did I find out it was produced by the Tarheel Network after doing a little research.
There would be no reason to bash your own football conference week in and week out unless there was some reason to do so. Since that would be counterproductive to your OWN football program.
UNC basketball is coincidentally down this year as well, so they don’t look as scary as they usually are to the B1G.
better then 2 million.
so it wont make a diff in a waterdown ACC ANY WAY.
I’d be happy with a Pitt, Cuse, Cincy, UCONN, Louisville conference. Pick up the three or four best ones left and have a round robin in football and a full home and home in basketball. Can the ACC keep the full contract with five less members?
if you get cincy and u con that would replace the first 2 and ucf and say tulane just for kicks they would still have 14 so yes we would still get the money till end of contract which is 10 years i think
Missouri was playing in Starksville, Mississippi the other nite. And soon Rutgers will be playing Iowa and Minnesota in football. lol
The Big 10 is basically waving heaps of money in front of everyone and hopes that university says goodbye to all tradition and everything else that made that university unique in sports.
Big 10 & Delaney is the like the devil incarnate of college sports. I really hope like Pitt Dad mentioned cable TV goes ala-carte and the Big 10 falls flat on it’s collective face. Cause they do produce an inferior… vastly overated football product and to an extent, basketball product as well.
Forgot that Devil Delaney is a UNC alumnus, so there’s that in the equation as well.
He’s not content until he’s completed destroyed college sports. Because what makes college sports unique and desirable is it’s traditions.
And this power driven control freak is doing his best to destroy it.
That’s all Stevie Cornhole needs is an extra 15 million per year to fiddle diddle away.
You ain’t seen nothing yet
this is bad for the ACC if it comes to pass
but good for U CON AND CINCY
and if it does the big east will really be dead this time
there will be no big east how could it go on.
Also, yesterday, someone on here had me howling all day. I can’t find the comment or who it was, but it was something like this……
“look, we know Dixon doesn’t like to recruit kids who can shoot, but….”
The sarcasm was dripping all over the floor!!! LOL
Take Pitt out of the equation, and take any Pitt being left out of the party, out of the equation.
Purely as a college football and basketball fan, this whole expansion business has ruined the fabric of the sports.
Not all of it, mind you, just the latest.
I could understand teams unhappy with Texas, and the Big 12 situation. I could even understand the Big 10 getting Nebraska, they needed an even number.
The beginning of the end for me, was the Big Ten poaching of Rutgers and Maryland.
Look, college athletics the last 40 years has been all about the money, we all know that.
They’ve always been sluts and hookers, nothing new there.
They’re all just full blown whores now. That’s all. Just whores. Nothing more.
North Carolina v. Minnesota in football?? WTF is that???
Virginia v. Iowa???
Rutgers v. Illinois???
Pitt will still play football, against someone, somewhere.
As a college football fan, Illinois is supposed to play Northwestern and Mich St.
Iowa v. Minnesota
N.Carolina v. Wake Forest
UVA v. Maryland
Geography, geography, geography.
WVU, not even taking a shot at our rivals. Rivalry totally taken out of my thoughts.
What in the effin’ world is WVU doing playing Texas, Texas Tech and Iowa State in conference games??? Think about that.
A couple years ago, I posted a lot, just about what Pitt has to do, to get saved and have a chair when the music stopped.
I can honestly say, if the UNC, UVA thing goes down, I could really care less anymore.
Not being emotional either. When you take the geography out of the games, then what does it really matter anymore.
Not an old fuddy duddy longing for the Big Eight and Eastern Independents.
I understand progress.
I also understand going to far with progress, and sometimes going overboard.
Just because you progress, doesn’t mean it’s good progression.
One thing on this one. Conventional Wisdom says, that if Big 10 goes to 16, then Big 12 will make a play to become one of the Big 4.
Taking Clemson, Louisville, Miami et al.
Then Va. Tech and NC St. would go to SEC for them to have 16.
I mean who knows, it’s all BS with a little bit of substance, but how do you know which is which???
Also, if it starts breaking down, there is always the famous, if the Pac 12 sees them all going to 16, then they make a grab for TX, TX TECH, Okie and Okie St.
Then does the Big 12 fall apart and the ACC could survive by taking some of them.
My biggest disgust, is, I would like them to go ahead and get it all over with, and leave the teams in the conferences, where ever they may be for 10 or 20 years.
And now thinking as a Pitt fan, if they go to 4 conferences of 16, will Pitt be one of the 64 or will be now relegated to a “second tier” conference a’la Big East, Conf USA, Mntn West?
I can’t see North Carolina leaving the ACC. They are king of the conference and they like being king. If Virginia goes who cares?
I would like to see Dante Taylor get playing time at the 4 spot.
I’ve been wondering when folks would start realizing just how miserable college ball has become.
No post play, ugly offenses with too much high ball screen focus, and one-and-done players who never develop.
It’s getting rougher and rougher to be a fan…..
Our gurads and forwards may have a mind set that lets get down the court and run while steve gets the rebound.
Pitts success on the boards was that it committed 5 players to the boards on defense. I have seen too many many long rebounds were the oppositions guards got the ball about the foul line while Woodall and company were not blocking out their man.
Rebounding is a five man game. Blair success was that Biggs and Young gave him space. Zanna never blocks out his man nor does Patterson.
This is crap and Dixon ought to tell them their playing time now depends on how many offensive rebounds their man gets.
College Basketball stinks anymore, most of the players lack basic fundamentals. If the rules were enforced, (carrying the ball, palming, traveling, etc,) it would be even worse. Roy Williams even mentioned this in his weekly radio show the other nite.
What is being valued more these days is just basic athleticism over all everything else.
Sorry but I don’t really care how high they jump and how awesome they throw down a dunk. whoop whoop.
I’d like to see some semblance of teams that have the basic fundamentals down, that they should have had down in jr. high in the first place and I’d love to see a well coached team. And that doesn’t mean overcoached, where one substitutes and substitutes with no effect at all on the game other than that of no cohesion or flow to the game at all.
I do realize it must be very frustrating coaching these kids today.
Rebounding is a five man game.
Comment by pittisit 02.20.13 @ 4:34 pm
Agree pittisit,
Where this team has trouble on the defensive boards is teams with a good 4 & 5 and on long rebounds. JR is not a particularly quick guard and is not to good on chasing down long rebounds.
Woodie is better but doesn’t like blocking out his man, as he sometimes get pinballed around.
As far as the bigs not blocking out their men, this must happen in practice as well, since Zanna has never learned this. And it carries over in the game. Sleepy is more of an offensive rebounder as well, so it’s almost a team thing.
Hopefully Kiwi Steve doesn’t pick up on their bad habits on defensive rebounds.
Things may be bad now, but when Adams gets drafted after this season, I cannot imagine what crap Dixon will have on the front line next year for our first stint in the ACC. The only upside is that we will be losing Travon Woodall. And we will have another year of Lamar “don’t look at me for rebounds” Patterson.
I give our chances in the ACC in football much better than basketball. What a freaking joke this program has become. Thank god Syracuse is joining the ACC also. At least there will be one team Dixon can beat.
There has to be someone who would like to come to Pitt who could shot over 40% from the field.
There are not many self-motivated players like Sam Young who made himself into a shooter.
If they do not have the mechanics and shooters mentality (confidence) when they hit campus who is going to work with them Brandon Knight.
i killed there first born go read it.