Pitt’s frontcourt is in far better shape than last year. The additions of Nelson-Ododa and Maia are to replace Uchebo and Randall are obvious. Nelson-Ododa and Maia are better shot blockers. They are more aggressive on defense, more consistent rebounders and they are better on offense.

That isn’t to say they are all-ACC caliber players. They are simply better than what was. The one issue that is bedeviling to this point, though, is the emphasis on freedom of movement and more fouls being called.

That has gotten both of them in foul trouble and limited their minutes. The result, using the zone and more Ryan Luther.

Luther was going to see playing time this year. He’s gotten stronger and worked on his game after struggling last year. Playing more out of necessity than being ready.

“I know that’s a guy that wasn’t so-called ranked high and all those different things, but he is going to be a good player,” Dixon said. “We would have liked to redshirt him last year. He’s ready to go and he’s a good player. You will be seeing a lot of him going forward.”

Luther, who has played power forward and center, said he didn’t ever think he’d become strictly a post player in college but he has learned how to play both positions and is thankful he can get on the floor.

“I’m definitely a lot more comfortable this year,” Luther said. “I think most of that has been from improving on defense because once I get into the flow of the defense everything else comes easier, especially on the offensive end. I think emphasizing defense has really gotten me into the flow of the game rather than being cold.”

Starting forward Mike Young said he is happy that Luther’s hard work has paid off because it is clear he was committed in the summer to getting stronger and more physical.

“He really took the weight room seriously, as far as getting his body right, getting stronger and quicker.” Young said. “He upped his conditioning and his confidence. I think his confidence is the biggest improvement as far as him knowing that he should be out there playing, and knowing that when he gets out there that he belongs.”

You could see both the strength and confidence in the Gonzaga game that never happened. He was not backed down on defense and stayed in good position. Last year Luther had 4 blocks for the season. He’s matched that total in two official games.

Luther also has more of a scoring touch and range, giving Pitt more options. In the Detroit game, he was one of eight different Pitt players to attempt and make a three.

The Detroit game also showed Pitt going zone. This should not be treated as a surprise — but it sort of is. Pitt used the zone last year, to varying degrees of success. And with a frontcourt that will be prone to foul issues, there will be plenty more of it this year.

“I just think the rules are pointing more in that direction,” Dixon said. “You’ve got a longer (3-point shot). They’re calling it tighter, (with a) shorter (shot) clock. There’s all kind of reasons why you’re going to see more zone.”

Dixon’s decision to play zone in the second half against Detroit keyed the Panthers’ 95-79 win Friday.

The defensive switch surprised Detroit coach Ray McCallum.

“I felt that he had confidence in his team, and he was just going to come out and guard us,” McCallum said. “That’s what they do, they defend and they rebound. It probably caught us off-guard.”

Pitt’s opponents must adapt to facing more zone, just as the Panthers adjust to new rule changes.

So far, so good. Call them the Zone Rangers.

“The zone (against Detroit) was good for us and something we’ve been working on more this year,” Dixon said. “How (officials) are calling it and how the rules are going, it seems more teams will be playing zone.”

Detroit had a player in Anton Wilson with a hot hand. He was single-handily loosening up the Pitt defense to allow others to get good looks and get inside.

“When they went to the zone, it took our aggressiveness away,” Detroit coach Ray McCallum said. “Going to the zone killed our momentum.”

Detroit (1-1) missed all eight 3-point attempts in the second half after converting 6 of 11 (54.5 percent) in the first half.

Pitt’s Michael Young scored a game-high 21 points and combined with fellow junior Jamel Artis (15 points) and Luther (15 points, 11 rebounds) to shoot 19 of 27 (70.4 percent).

The Panthers shot 33 of 67 (49.3 percent).

Luther stepped up his game. His scoring and rebounding totals were career highs.

He played 23 minutes, third most on the team.

The zone is going to be a part of this team’s defense quite regularly, because it fits the team a little better. Not simply to protect the frontcourt when they get in foul trouble (though, that is a plus).

The zone worked because the Panthers have the right personnel — long, athletic wings and mobile big men — to fit that defense, but it isn’t the way Dixon prefers to play. Pitt’s program is built on man-to-man defense, and Dixon made establishing a strong man-to-man defense an offseason priority after the defensive struggles of the 2014-15 season.

Emphasizing the defense was not a surprise. As with last year, the players know it. The players even say the right thing. The issue, though, is that there are some key players who will simply never be very good defensive plaeyrs.

“A lot of guys are open-minded in the sense of coming in and wanting to learn,” said junior Michael Young, who led the Panthers in rebounding and was second in scoring last year. “Guys are going to have to fight for minutes.”

Another returning junior, Jamel Artis, led the Panthers in scoring and emerged as one of the top players in the ACC in his first year as a starter.

“I have to take more pride in playing defense,” said Artis, who was second on the team in rebounding. “We have to do more on defense because that’s what it takes to win.”

I love Artis on offense. And he is a vital player for Pitt. But he will never be a very good defensive player. Neither will Chris Jones — who Pitt also needs for offense. With both playing more on the perimeter, a zone makes more sense to help with their deficiencies.

Although Dixon prefers to play man-to-man defense, he said his current team is suited to be a great zone team.

“The group we had there early when we went to a zone, it was long at pretty much every position and I think that is a big part of any good zone,” Dixon said. “We have worked on it a lot, we got out on the shooters and we made Detroit take contested jump shots and kept them out of the paint. Plus, we got some deflections and some steals and we didn’t get hurt on the glass out of the zone.”

Dixon said that he isn’t ready to panic about his team’s struggles in the man-to-man defense because there are so many new players who are playing key roles. That’s especially true on the perimeter, where there is a redshirt freshman, Cameron Johnson, a true freshman, Damon Wilson, and two incoming players in Dante [correction, Jonathan] Milligan and Sterling Smith.

This is an older team with three graduate transfers, but it is also a new team. They are still learning to play together.

It also isn’t to say that there aren’t good defensive players. Young and Robinson are fundamentally sound. I really like what I have seen from Sterling Smith and Damon Wilson on defense.