Season opens tonight. It’s a game courtesy of the 2K Classic against Eastern Michigan. EMU is coached by a Jim Boeheim disciple, so plenty of 2-3 zone defense looks. Not to worry, though, because if there is one thing Pitt has had little problem with is the Syracuse zone and– Oh. Yeah. That was the other guy.
Okay, well, it’s Eastern Michigan. The… I was going to say Emus simply because it matches, but it is apparently the Eagles. A directional Michigan school in the MAC. How much risk can there be?
Oh. Picked for 1st or 2d in the MAC West division in various preseason pubs. Experience in the backcourt. A MAC Freshman of the year and 1st team All-MAC center.
I mean, I’m not saying they are good. They lost to Penn State last year. So… perspective. But they aren’t a low mid-major patsy to open the schedule either.
The game is on ACC Network Extra. Or as it should be called, ACC branding of ESPN3/WatchESPN.
This will be the first of three games in the first week of the season for Pitt.
From the game notes, Pitt hasn’t lost to a MAC team since Kent State in the Sweet Sixteen (dammit) in 2002.
We will get our first glimpse at the ostensibly up-tempo Panthers, but even Kevin Stallings is hedging a bit in the name of offensive efficiency.
“We want to push the tempo, and that won’t change,” Stallings said. “The only thing I want to be certain of is that we’re taking the right shots. We can run as fast as we can but that doesn’t mean we’re going to pinch off the first bad shot that we see. We still want to get to a good shot.”
Stallings equates bad shots with turnovers.
“You take a bad shot, you might as well have just thrown it to them,” he said. “We’ll explore and grind until we get the shot that we want, and there are going to be some nights where the defenses force you to play 25 seconds of offense. And if they do and when they do, we’ve got to be willing to do it.”
It is also the start of the Jamel Artis Experience. Again, I don’t see this as some radically strange experiment. On offense, Artis is the best ball handler among the returning players. He is a playmaker on offense. Pitt has done it in the recent past, and it isn’t uncommon on a lot of teams where the small forward is running point or at least co-point.
The concern — and for Artis this would apply no matter what position he was playing — is defense. At his most engaged, he is an average defender. Whether he defends against the opposing point guard or elsewhere will depend on the quickness of the other team’s PG. Against a swift PG I think he will have to be switched off simply because of being blown past or foul concerns.
Overall it should be fine. In a worse-case scenario, it doesn’t quite get the team flowing like everyone wants and either Jonathan Milligan or Justice Kithcart takes over at the spot.
Finally, here’s a very nice piece on Coach Kevin Stallings as a father.
Sad very sad, we are headed towards Boston College status.
Oh well, I don’t want to hear or see that ACC commercial again.
Maybe the Son of Blubber Bowl ! 🙂
To be fair, this was a tough first game against a Beoheim zone protege but the team did not look all that different.
The traditional 3+ minute scoring drought reared it’s ugly head again. Some things never change.
I liked what I saw of Kithcart. I think Cam Johnson will play better and Jeter will shoot better. I think the Arits PG experiment is short lived and Kithcart moves into the starting lineup with Chris Jones hitting the bench.
The bench was really really bad in the exhibition too. Lead went from 20 to 10 in a 90 sec span before the starters extended it again in that exhibition game.
We’ll see but, to me, it looked like a Dixon cloned team from last year without the discipline. No way Young has 7 TO’s under Dixon.
I don’t think we’re going to see a miracle worker season out of Stallings but it’s way too early to judge him.
17 assists on 25 baskets. 12 TO’s, 7 by young. Take those out and it’s not too bad. Poor shooting. 39% overall. 24% from 3. Way too many 3’s. Maybe that was the product of the zone but not good. Outside of Chris Jones FT’s were excellent too.
IMHO typical early season game, plus players learning new system – seemed they did well offensively in the 1st half partly because Cam Johnson was clicking – until he committed very questionable fouls.
In second half the team fell back on old habits offensively and passed around the perimeter wayyyy too much instead of looking to drive. And Young’s hands of stone didn’t help when they did get it inside. Kithcart will be the point sooner rather than later – he was deferring to Artis way too much, but that is to be expected.
Chris Jones remains an enigma – great at times, but then he makes the most bonehead decisions the next time down the court…if he could harness his mind and his game Pitt would be a top 25 team for sure.
Defense showed signs of being ok but overall they could not contain the cutting guards; we didn’t get burned too bad on 3’s though.
Kithcart is quick on D but inexperience showed; Young and Artis disappeared, Luther was solid when he was in there.
Biggest worry for me is offensive rebounding – should have ate them up against that zone. Where were you Jeter and Young?
Will be interesting to see us play against a good man to man team – 100% zone teams are few and far between in today’s game.
Tempo was quick – that was enjoyable – will be more enjoyable to watch this team for that reason alone – got so stale watching Dixon slog ball the last few years – at least a defeat will be more entertaining with this coaching staff.
Lot of potential – as always – just depends how the kids respond as the season goes on. I am willing to just enjoy the show this year and not stress too much when they perhaps go .500 or below in the ACC. But they do have the potential to win some upsets too…
Re attendence – IMO not much worse than past years pre conference gigs – but honestly this years Zoo sucks – quietest and least organized student cheering section I’ve seen at the Pete. They didnt count down the clock, they had to be goaded to make noise by the scoreboard – no crazy costumes and all in all a pretty mundane experience. Same in the exhibition last week…
H2P
That was a sad start to what is going to be a long season…They won’t break .500 this year if they keep playing like that. Pitt used to get bigger crowds for exhibition games..if you take the zoo away.
And after a few more drinks! lol
This looks to be the same Turd Sandwich as last year.
Get Kithcart in there and Mangoat and whoever else
they signed, sealed, delivered I’m yours.
Syracuse 83 Colgate 55
Miami 92 Western Carolina 43
Boston College(soon to be us) 73 Nichols 79
L-Ville 78 Evansville 47
Virginiastan 76 Unc G’boro 51
Clemscum 74 How bout them Dawgs 64
Dook 94 Ric Smits 49
Wolf(6)Pack 81 Ga Southern 79
and some others
link to cbssports.com
Well at least Pitt’s version of it.
Projects to Jerry DiPaola that Clemson is destined for the Final Four.
Oops!
So we are still a team without ACC level guards or a big man.
You can’t blame Stallings for that.
Favorable article by Meyer regarding last night’s game. I didn’t see the game but based upon outcome, stats and online commentary he seems to be taking a glass half full perspective.
Fortunately for Pitt last night they had a huge FT shooting advantage (45 to 23). Again I didn’t see the game but Pitt shot a lot of 3s and people were complaining online about a lack of inside play. I’m therefore not sure why that disparity existed prior to EMU being forced into fouling in the 2nd OT.
Pitt was outrebounded by EMU and had more turnovers.
Not sure why an experienced Pitt team would struggle against a zone team, especially from the Boeheim tree, given how dominant Pitt has been against Syracuse over the years.
As Nick noted only 6411 attended the game. I never did hear how season ticket sales went but I am guessing not well….
Can’t really judge them until that happens. Meanwhile 2-7 MSU is playing 2-7 Buttgers and up 21-0.
Anybody who thinks the PG has it in for Pitt should read Zeise’s article from yesterday and Meyer’s blog for the game. Borderline fawning over the Stallings.
I heard Zeise on The Fan today and he and Filliponi have convinced themselves that Pitt will finish in the top half of the ACC even after last night’s performance. This even though Pitt finished ninth last year and lost their starting PG.
That is next years team. OMG !!!