7pm, ACC Network Extra/WatchESPN
After the Maryland win last week, I wrote that this was still going to be an up-and-down season with frustrating losses. I just didn’t think Pitt was going to prove my point the very next game.
You can put an asterisk by this game if you want because Jamel Artis was suspended for the game, but there is no excuse to lose that game. Pitt, as a team, played a really lousy game and never seemed to care that they were. Up until the end when they realized they were going to lose and it was too late.
As a fan, there is nothing more frustrating to watch then when your rooting interest is visibly disengaged.
Just as it has to be maddening to a coach when he could see it coming, but not change it.
Days after beating Maryland on the road by 14, Stallings said he sensed a letdown from his players during the shootaround Friday and in the locker room before the game. As he paced along the sideline in the final seconds, right around when he stared at Artis, he had a message for his players.
“They’re going to rush the floor,” he said, in reference to Duquesne’s students in attendance. “Hope you enjoy this.”
When the final horn sounded, they did just as Stallings thought they would, mobbing the Duquesne players who, minutes later, were handed a trophy their school hadn’t received since Bill Clinton was president.
If this was a young team, it might be excusable. But this team has four seniors that start. Instead, one was suspended and the others couldn’t or wouldn’t lead. And I don’t simply mean scoring the points. Leading the team. Getting them motivated to put the effort forth. It was lacking. Playing up or down to the competition.
But entering the night, Stallings expressed concern regarding how his team seemed to get up for high-profile games early this season (see: Tuesday’s win at Maryland), but played with a lower energy and intensity against lesser foes. Stallings didn’t like his team’s attitude during Friday’s shoot-around.
“There was nothing about our play that was good enough to win,” Stallings said. “We didn’t shoot it well enough, we didn’t do anything well enough, offensively, to win. Our defense was just OK. It’s what you get.”
Stallings has since soft-walked it back a bit in terms of performance to Pitt just having a bad night shooting — which was true. But the team looked like it had assumed the win and didn’t need to try as hard.
I can’t believe they will have a repeat performance tonight (I hope). The real question will be what they do on Saturday.
Pitt’s next opponent, Penn State, losing at home by 4 with 11 to play. Playing at home in front of dozens of fans. Quite a contrast to the cult following at Beaver Stadium.
Sound correct? It would also explain losing to Duquense – why does Jeter still shoot 3’s?
Young & Artis don’t look to happy on those pics.
If the game went on longer …we lose.
One player scored off the almost non-existent Pitt bench.
12th or lower is about right in the ACC
Anyone have any ideas.
WTF? Thank you JD? or whomever all is responsible for this mess. Not entertaining as evidenced by attendance and participation here.
Also blame Dixon’s poor recruiting the last few yrs.
Still, it has to be hard to go from being overmanaged by Dixon to the freestyle offense of Stallings.
None of these kids appear to be having any fun out there at all. It’s like it’s work for them.
They didn’t have many against Duquesne either.
You got to work hard to o-rebound.
What…..IceFishing ?
Specialized in Canadian Ballet 🙂
Really good ball movement early. Looked like a blow out, a lot like Maryland. Then Stallings put in the second team and Manigault lost Perkins three times in a row, that got him going and Pitt had no answr for the big man underneath. Not good at all.
Then shooting went cold as well as foul shots, and it started to look a lot like the Duquesne game.
At least Cam Johnson had a really good day.
Total different coaching style from Stallings, calls very few time outs. Obviously does not stress offensive rebounding, very few putbacks with no one underneath. Doesn’t jump around and look like he is going to have a heart attack.
Jamie would have had a stroke the last two games.
So they don’t appear to be very good. But today hard to figure how these kids play from one game to another.
Manigault looks the part, but have seen nothing from him so far except he looks like a pretty good passer. Have seen nothing from Kithcart yet, and Wilson is definitely in the dog house.
Nice to see Jamie “dick”son finally lose at TCU tonigbt, that ass left the cupboard totally bair when he left
This is like a total rebuild, we’re looking at the 90’s all over again if Stallings doesn’t get some kids that can play
Blow the PETE up and rebuild PITT stadium!!!
Nothing.
This IS about chemistry or a complete lack of chemistry between a coach and his players.
The only key person missing from last year’s NCAA Tournament team line up is Robinson.
Stallings doesn’t have the respect of the kids and he doesn’t know how to earn it. He is clueless on how to get THIS team mentally ready to play. He actually derails them DURING games.
They are simply tolerating him. You can see it in their faces. This isn’t fun anymore. They don’t want to play for this guy at all. They are playing selfishly because they are only playing for themselves
You are watching a train wreck happening and it will only get worse as the year goes on.
This team will not make the NIT & Stallings will not be able to right this ship before he is out the door 2 years from now and don’t blame Jamie Dickson he was shown the door here.
I hear Syracuse is looking to build a new stadium to replace the Carrier Dome. Money doesn’t seem much of a problem.
If you think Jamie was gonna right the ship here you are very mistaken
He couldn’t recruit here anymore and the program was in a steady decline for a few years
As for stallings, I have no idea how he’s gonna fair here, he’ll be judged in a few years,but it could get ugly
As for his players right now, I do think there’s a cpl kids that are a giant pain that brings the whole team down, so if it seems like there miserable it’s because they are! I saw the same thing last year when Dixon was here
Supposedly the kids were happy with Stallings because he let them play. The implication being that JD wouldn’t let them play.
The narrative had been that Dixon and James Robinson had been holding Pitt back. So the narrative now is that since Dixon and JR are now gone that it’s still Dixon’s fault because of his recruiting failures.
The program was in “decline” because of the 2010-2012 recruiting classes. Two guys, Cam Wright and James Robinson, stayed with the program for all of their eligibility. The remainder transferred, left (Steven Adams) or were kicked off the team (Durand Johnson). Most of the transfers occurred before their sophomore year. Adams left after his freshman year. Durand Johnson was suspended for a year and injured for a year.
I think you’re spot-on regarding the current state of the team. If there’s one thing that has sapped my interest as a fan (and this was my FAVORITE thing to watch in all of sports- Pitt Basketball), it’s the lack of passion and toughness. And yes, you can see it on the faces, as well as in the body language and hustle. I remember driving out to the football game against Akron back in 2014, and as embarrassing as it was to lose to a bad team at home by a score of 21-10, I think it was the sideline behavior that bothered me the most- it bothered me that I seemed to care a lot more than the players, who looked completely disinterested. I believe this is what we have here, pretty clearly. Will they turn this around and play up to a higher level against better teams? Probably to some extent, but who knows, and maybe to some extent, who cares any more?
Jamie Dixon is a very good basketball coach by all accounts, and seems to be an even better person, but it was clearly time for him to move on, and therefore I have no regrets about his leaving. His glaring problem- recruiting- showed no signs whatsoever of rebounding, and he refused to make necessary changes in the staff, so…. End of Story. The jury is still out on Stallings, we all know he inherited a problem and I’m sure he’ll be given a few years to right the ship. It’s hard to overlook Stallings’ history, which seems to shows that’s he’s a pretty good coach and recruiter, so I suspect that’s what he’ll be here- pretty good. Can the downgrade in coaching ability be made up for with better recruiting? I’ll be rooting for our new coach, but I will be stunned if he achieves a level that gets us close to where we were at prior to our 5+ year slide under Dixon. Really, deep down I think we’re all biding time until Stallings is replaced and Barnes is held accountable for his decision. In the meantime, it’d be nice to at least see some passion return, and that means at the very best, we have to wait until next year.
You never show someone the door unless you have a replacement that has some upside. There is no upside with Stallings.
He is a place holder at best we will not see the NCAA tourney under his direction for the next 3 years.
It’s depressing.
I’ll be the first to admit if I am wrong, but Stallings was soooo not the coach this team and program needed. It’s a shame because I really miss being excited about Pitt basketball.
Got thugged by Xavier by 33 points
Nevada beat them by 5
Creighton clobbered them by 21
St. Bonny beat them by 6.
The Bulls wins were over 2 below .500 teams.
And two D2 teams.
So in other words they stink !