This isn’t Pitt’s final home game but it is the last one on a weekend. Hence, time to honor the seniors Lamar Patterson and Talib Zanna. Fifth year seniors who already have their undergrad degrees and have been taking graduate level classes this year. And both who needed this eight-day break to try and get closer to healthy.
ESPNU at 6 pm for the ACC Sunday night game. Carter Blackburn and Dino Gaudio will be the announcing duo.
All games are crucial at this point. As disappointed as the outcome has been in a lot of the games in the second half of the ACC conference play, Pitt is still firmly in the NCAA Tournament. It may be hard to believe when we tend to only look at Pitt, and what they haven’t done. But when you look at the other 31 conferences and start looking at their records. Their wins. Their losses. You realize Pitt is not on the bubble discussion because they are solidly in the Tournament.
At least right now. The Panthers can absolutely play themselves to the bubble if they struggle with this final five-game stretch. The final three of four being on the road.
But at the moment, the focus is entirely on the Seminoles.
Dixon said Hamilton is underappreciated because his teams usually are not flashy.
Instead, they win with great defense and rebounding while playing hard and as a team. He also said a lot of schools likely could learn from Florida State, which won the ACC tournament title in 2012.
That’s because the Seminoles have stuck with Hamilton through some tough years.
As a result, Dixon thinks, Florida State always is competitive and winds up fighting for the postseason.
He also said coaches don’t stick around as long as Hamilton has unless they know what they are doing and are successful. He always has admired the job that Hamilton has done.
Coming into this season, Florida State had the third-best ACC record since the 2005-06 season behind North Carolina and Duke. The Seminoles also had the third-most regular-season wins among conference members in that span.
“I thought … when I was watching some of the game film and they had his record and how long he has been there, I said, ‘Wow, he has been there a long time,’ ” Dixon said.
“Then, I sort of laughed because I remember we played against him my first year and so that means I’ve been around a long time as well.”
It also helps that FSU doesn’t place nearly the emphasis on basketball as they do on football. But really Hamilton has had a solid career. He had the ill-fated sojourn to the NBA as the coach of the Washington Wizards when Michael Jordan plucked him from the Miami Hurricanes, but otherwise has been a solidly successful college coach.
Hamilton’s quick success at Austin Peay led him to Kentucky, where he developed a reputation as the top recruiter in college basketball. From Kentucky, he accepted head coaching positions rebuilding basketball programs at schools better known for football — Oklahoma State, Miami and Florida State. Between stints at Miami and Florida State, Hamilton coached the NBA’s Washington Wizards for a season.
The ACC’s second-longest tenured coach, behind Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, Hamilton has guided Florida State to a school-record four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Since 2005-06, Florida State is the third-winningest program in the ACC, behind Duke and North Carolina. He led Miami to its first postseason appearances in 31 years and led Oklahoma State to its first consecutive postseason trips in more than three decades.
“I’ve always been excited about taking rebuilding jobs that needed a little fixing up,” said Hamilton, a college coach since 1971-72. “I tell people I’ve been scratching and clawing, clawing and scratching, my entire career.”
For Pitt it has been a lot of work to fix some things over the last week plus.
“For us, it was good, it was needed because we had so many games in a row,” Dixon said. “In the Big East, we had two sort of bye weeks or open days where you don’t play, but in the ACC we only get one and you don’t know when you are going to get them.
“Ours just happened to be in the latter part of the year, but we obviously needed it. We needed to practice. We hadn’t practiced enough given the situation. It is good and it was effective for us in terms of health, too, as some guys needed some time off, and that was important.”
Dixon said Lamar Patterson (thumb) and Talib Zanna (ankle) were able to practice this week but had a few days off after the North Carolina game that helped them get back close to full strength.
He said the only player who wasn’t able to practice was little-used reserve Joseph Uchebo, who got hit in the jaw in the first part of practice Tuesday and is day to day.
Dixon said the practices were a little shorter but intense. He said there was some progress in addressing the defensive and rebounding breakdowns that have hurt the Panthers, who have lost four of their past six games.
And getting the freshmen to be ready to keep going.
One concern for Dixon was the fact that the freshmen hit a “wall” because the college season is so much longer than the high school season.
Pitt relies heavily on four freshmen and will need all four to play at a high level if it is going to continue to improve and have success in the NCAA tournament.
Dixon said he addressed the fatigue factor with his four freshmen — Chris Jones, Jamel Artis, Michael Young and Josh Newkirk — this week. He basically told them that now is the time when they will have to be tough enough to fight through injuries and tired legs.
“We talked to the freshmen, I think they played well and obviously they are getting a lot of minutes because of the injury to Durand [Johnson]. Across the board they have played well,” Dixon said. “At the same time, this is the longest year they had ever been through already at this point. We have talked to them about the fact that this is where we need discipline and commitment going down the stretch.
“They can’t be tired, they can’t be sore; those are things they have to overcome. You can’t let it affect you. They may be there but it can’t diminish your effort or focus.”
To say nothing of the frustration when your shots aren’t falling.
I actually expect a decently paced game. Florida State wants to play strong defense, but they aren’t as stagnant as Miami or Virginia on offense. There will be opportunities for Pitt in transition.
I am more patient with Dixon and this program than most, and I am at my wits end. This now feels like a continuation of the last two years. I guess our expectations for this team were raised too high when they started strong in conference. Still trying to figure out where that team is that thrashed Clemson by 30.
So when does spring ball begin? 😉
That being said, thanks for representing at the game tonight.
dont give up on him but we should not be in the NCAA play off this year we are not good enough may be the NIT it will be a joke for us to get in this year .
Bottom line Pitt is playing a lot of freshman and will probably still make the tournament. Pretty solid in a year where you lost your best shooter to injury.
IMHO, this game was lost by Lamar Patterson, I know he made the last 16 points, mostly when the game was pretty much over. He completely stunk out the joint for most of the game.
For a while Jamie had all four freshmen in and I was thinking maybe they can pull this out, no in comes Patterson and Zanna, who were ineffectual most of the night.
One thing for sure the refs call way more fouls than in the past, is it the ACC, the new rules, or both? It really doesn’t matter, we have to make our foul shots. They killed us at the line.
I don’t know what it looked like on TV, but the reffing looked bad live.
Funny we are getting the results I expected before the season started, the cake non-com and early ACC success really fooled me/us. This team is not that good.
I said that Patterson’s game disappeared at Syracuse and against VA. It resurfaced late against Miami and disappeared again.
If he doesn’t turn it back on, we are done.
One other footnote, Robinson had a leg injury, he is hurting, but gutted it out.
Always easy to blame the coach, but Patterson is no longer in the hunt for ACC MVP.
I still can’t get over the crowd tonight at the Pete. Beyond disgusted.
The next stretch is critical to getting on a 4 game run, followed by a w in the tourney and Pitt will be on a 7 out of 10 streak going in. Enough to get in. I question the basketball iq of the players. Zanna trying a three is a prime example. First one of the year attempted for him!! Bad timing, wrong person with the ball in the wrong area of the court.
Can’t teach iq at this level. They either need to have it already, or need to sit the bench and watch. This is why the PC recruits will do well. They “get it”. So to the Pitt team….”I ain’t quittin you”!! Get back on your horse and play balls out from this point forward. Need to get on a roll. I don’t want a new coach. I want a coach that is teaching these kids about transition and not running the same doggone play every time. It don’t work. We should not be hearing the Pitt crowd counting down the timeclock nearly every possession.
Our weakness underneath the basket is killing us. Since Zanna’s injury, he can’t make a layup. Young and Artis just aren’t big and strong enough against 7 footers.
No easy baskets for us. As usual they tomahawked and alley-ooped us too many times.
We need a big man for next year BAD.
Maybe baseball is worth watching!
Live, it looked like the refs called every touch foul on Pitt outside the paint – we couldn’t keep a body in front of their guards – but let FSU bang everyone underneath, and let them double dribble, walk, and charge. But no sour grapes here.
The game was lost when at halftime Zanna and Lamar had a combined 6 points. Zanna had many many opportunities to go up on one touch and put it in and tried for hesitations all night – maybe this was because of the early charge.
pitt has lost 14 home games in the past 3 years….14!!!!…we have zero mojo at home…we have a lazy, uninteresting style of offense
btw….our beloved coach has NEVER…EVER beatn a team with a higher seed in the tourney
This program has slowly inched toward the middle of the NCAA pack
go ahead and try to convinece 18 year old kids to come play defense and maybe get a shot or two without being scared as hell!!
Your allowed to be happy with JD…go ahead…..I’m not….I’ll be happy when and if he changes his style…or is out of here!!
and I guarantee we lose the 2016 5 star guy!!
Keith, style of play arguments are such BS. Pitt played a much worst style if basketball 10 years ago but I doubt you or anyone else cared. And the players don’t look scared. They are up and down cause a lot of them are freshman. Artis had a big plays against the Cuse. But was down other games. Making the tournament 90 plus percent of the time ever isn’t middle of the pack.
I hope at least everyone here acknowledges the fact that the Pete is no longer an advantage for this current team. NCST is licking their chops…
So are some sunny side glasses you’re wearing! You define the Dixon Diehards.
Hail to Pitt.
Keep the calculator out. Making the tournament 90% of the time minus this season if this team doesn’t have a transformation – no, more like a transubstantiation. Keep those prayers going.
I keep reading people who are saying “if the team wins out.” How in the hell is that going to happen based on Miami, Virginia Tech, and Florida State? Did Dixon’s boys think they were just going to show up and win?
Let’ hope the NCAA doesn’t use the simplest test of all. The eye test, because if they actually see this team play, they will not want them anywhere near a tournament site!!!
I am not going on a fire Dixon rant but I simply cnanot understand when year after year Pitt starts strong and ends in misery in late Feb and March, he doesn’t try someting, anything, different. For God sakes, there are good HS teams that would give Pitt a game now. I think after 9 years, every team has figured out Pitt’s 1-4 offense and every pass and cut off of it.
Everyone has seen our hedges on defense.
Jamie’s stubborness to try anything new and different is going to get him fired one day.
This just isn’t a losing team now, it’s an ugly losing team that is beyond painful to watch.
So here is my solution. Start Newkirk at PG for the rest of the year. Move JR to the 2 or sit his ass on the bench. Ditto’sP Patterson if he has another stretch like the first half today. Zanna is still obviously hurt so you cannot run any form of a zone on defense or we cannot get any boards. As long as we are using 8 players, why not try some backcourt pressure…maybe a 3/4 court trap just to speed up the possesions.
Year after year we have seen the same thing. Someone said it earlier …the only thing that has stayed the same is the coach.
After watching this crap for a couple years, I’m sure his Dad will tell him to go play at Duke or Kentucky.
Think about it, why would any player with ball skills want to play in some stagnate system.
Agreed, doubt we keep him.
I don’t go around praising everything Dixon does. But he’s the best Pitt could have. Taking a Pitt team to the tournament consistently and having really good teams every couple years is really good especially considering his hone recruiting base is Western PA.
Pitt lost a lot one year. The Birch year. Pitt didn’t lose a lot last year. They were a 6 seed (they had to be higher cause of NCAA Not a great year. But not even close to terrible or losing a lot. This is when you guys are no longer based in reality.
we suck it makes no difference wheather it is becuse we play freshmen or not we are not very good
look i dont want a different coach becuse as ben said before the next coach might be worse at least this one wins 20 games a year.
but to tell the truth as the season goes on i wonder if he can really coach or should i say he does not know what to do when things go bad he lose his cool and the team loses there cool i dont know what i mean but i dont like how things go every year it is the same shit may be dixon should go and we could bring back the man who UCLA just fired who was are coach before dixon i am so upst i cant even think of his name.
Pitt seasons don’t routinely end in misery. That’s such overreacting nonsense. Pitt had plenty of good finishes in Big East Tournament. Losing in NCAA tournament doesn’t mean you finished bad.
Dan72, yeah James Robinson is at fault and needs to be benched and replaced with a freshman who at times is erratic. That sounds like a great way to win.
You know who sucks? Teams like Boston College and Wake Forrest who fired coaches that were making NCAA tournaments. Their we can do better attitudes sure did them well.
I wouldn’t count on either though…
that would be ok. it might be better then dixon Howland is also a proven coach it would not be a big gamble.
he need a job and he can get to the final 4 something dixon cant do and he recruits better players then dixon and knows how to use them.
dixon needs a rest.
Tough loss, but not unexpected. This team is really struggling right now. Could be injuries, could be freshmen, could be other teams are getting lucky as shit against us. It most certainly is not because Jaime Dixon is a poor coach. That’s a joke, and your opinions will be considered a joke if you jump on that bandwagon…
There’s not a coach in the country that doesn’t respect what Jamie has done at Pitt and the disrespect that he gets from some of you is pathetic. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Every program in the country struggles at some point… Could be a few games, could be a few seasons, could be a few decades… We’re struggling right now but there’s no reason to abandon ship… Jamie will right the ship. It maybe not this year, it maybe not next… But I think he’s earned the chance, and your respect for what he’s done for this program.
You don’t seem to grasp that Dixon is paid well to recruit and win. What’s pathetic is his team’s effort last night.
But the basketball program with the facilities, fan base, and conference it is in can win a national championship. The only disadvantage is the lack of local talent, but it takes a lot less players to field a basketball team.
So, it is frustrating, watching this program regress. I’m not ready to fire Jamie either, but it’s obvious this program is stagnant right now, and Jamie needs to adjust….
1. The Pete was dead. I don’t know if it was the odd start time, the less than full Zoo, the recent slide, or the polite senior ceremonies prior to tip, but the arena was flat. There were few moments when the crowd got into it, especially the Zoo.
2. I’m convinced that Karl Hess gets paid by the whistle. Though, I wouldn’t mind if the quick whistle was consistently applied. I have noticed a palpable difference in the emphasis of what is called by the refs that frequent the ACC. To me, it seems like any hand check on the perimeter is going to get a whistle while the physicality in the paint is a crap shoot.
3. Call it lost mojo, call it lack of confidence, call it lack of talent…but this is a collection of players that just can’t finish consistently. For the guys who want to skewer Dixon at every turn, at some point players have to knock down shots. We pass up good open looks on the wing, miss jumpers and floaters at the elbow, leave points at the rim, and fail to hit free throws. Sorry, that’s execution. Yes, Dixon is responsible for the results, but players need to score the ball. The scheme is getting good looks…you gotta have guys that will knock em down.
4. Another frustrating night. I can’t believe I’m saying this after the 15-1 start…but this doesn’t look like an NCAA tourney worthy team.
Hail to Pitt!
This probably needed to be done earlier in the season to show his freshman he has confidence in them. They are always in an out so quickly, they never get the feel the flow of the game or develop any confidence in their play.
Patterson has been notoriously pathetic in first halves of games. Other than Syracuse when he came out strong. It has to be a mental thing. He was terrible last night.
Zanna got his 11 rebounds but again missed bunnies, foul shots and was ineffective offensively.
I’ve seen a lot of people, like me, with the same comment. “we’ve been Dixon supporters and defenders, but something’s wrong”.
Ward, we all love Pitt. It’s nice to be loyal.
Loyalty is a great thing.
So is honesty though.
