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December 21, 2016

Open Thread: Nebraska-Omaha–Pitt

Filed under: Basketball,Open Thread — Chas @ 11:29 am

7pm, ACC Digital Network Extra/WatchESPN

Sorry about light no posting this week. Last week before Christmas/Hanukah weekend, and it has been predictably nuts. Kids going on break. Scrambling to get everything finished at work. And on top of that, a late in the game, cold that I’m trying not to let get worse.

A couple common opponents. The Mavericks have played (and lost to) Eastern Michigan and Rice. They also hung 98 on Iowa in an upset. They play very up-tempo, that counts on attacking the basket. As a result they also shoot a lot of free throws. Nearly 25% of their points come from the line.

One of the things that has surprised me this season has been how much Justice Kithcart has struggled. It seemed, at least in the first few games of the season, that he was going to force a change in the starting line-up. He looked very confident and aggressive on the court, and by the SMU game I was sure that Chris Jones was going to lose his spot to him.

Instead, Kithcart has looked very confused on the court. Some of it, certainly has to do with Pitt going to a zone defense most of the time. Kithcart is a very good defender, but definitely prefers man-to-man defense. In the zone, he has gotten lost and been burned for being too aggressive.

The other part is that his offensive game is no where to be found. Nothing is going for him. He is 1-12 on 3s. Only 6-12 on 2-point shots. And an impossibly horrendous, 2-13 on free throws. The free throw woes seem to be what have sapped his confidence, at least on on offense. He hasn’t made a free throw since the Marquette game over a month ago. But, then he has only attempted 1 free throw in the seven games since.

The free throws are in his head, and it has stopped him from driving to the basket. He doesn’t want to attack as much, because if he gets fouled it means shooting free throws. He’s still getting over ten minutes a game. Clearly Coach Stallings has more confidence in him over any of the other guards on the bench. But he needs to get back to attacking the basket.





So Scout has him as a 4 star, which is part of their article above.

And ESPN has him as a 4 star.

link to espn.com

Comment by Emel 12.22.16 @ 2:47 pm

EMel:
And Thompson was Manigault’s teammate last year. I hope that there is some carry-over with chemistry, etc.
Marcus Carr is another guard that I am thinking can make an early impact next year.

Comment by xfmrman 12.22.16 @ 2:52 pm

One concern I do have is That Milligan, Kithcart, Thompson and Carr are all smallish. 6′-6’2″, 170#-180#.

Comment by xfmrman 12.22.16 @ 2:55 pm

Thompson is legit. I live about 3 miles from Paul VI HS in Fairfax. I took the kids to see Manigault a few times the last two years and all of us were excited when Thompson became a recruit. It’s fun living in Pitt’s recruiting area. I got to see Zanna play a few times as well.

Comment by Tossing Thabeets 12.22.16 @ 3:36 pm

I think Nix isn’t playing because he’s so slow getting up the court and looks like he tires easily. Stallings wants the team to be able to run.

Nix would work better under Dixon running his incessant high ball screens and lumbering up the court.

Coach D., FB sucks….who needs Zuckerberg and his Orwellian Ministry of Truth telling us what we can and can’t say? Besides, we wouldn’t know each other. (believe it or not my last name isn’t again.)

I do have a fake FB account and had a Jack Againski FB account until FB decided to kill it. I hate FB and would leave the group if we went there. You must have FB stock or something….the comment bars on Face plant are 1/20 the size we have here and they have only one page whereas we have a page for every topic here. FB pages are slower to load too since you have to load the full content every time.

Comment by Jackagain 12.22.16 @ 4:00 pm

What I don’t understand: why can’t Pitt hire a life coach for Nix? I mean, look at what these people do for celebrities…getting down to like 5% body fat to play a role (or gaining to 40%).

I guess it is against NCAA rules.

Comment by DD 12.22.16 @ 4:03 pm

DD:
I think that is what Garry Christopher and Ontario Lett are trying to do.
I do hope that Nix does not overindulge over the Christmas break.
😉

Comment by xfmrman 12.22.16 @ 4:09 pm

Jackagain – Actually, I don’t think Nix was slow getting up the court at all for a center; when you compare him to forwards like Young and Luther, then he’s slower, but not slow for a Center. I think people get hung up on his physique a bit. I believe there are some teams/match-ups that he can help us with this year, because playing without a Center will hurt us at times. Time will tell. I hope he’s given a chance.

I’d like to see Stalling offer the Russian/Georgian big man they’re talking about now, teammate of Carr.

Comment by 1618mt 12.22.16 @ 4:21 pm

Pat signal went out about 20 mins ago.

I’m with you Jack, I want no parts of Facebook. They shut down my fake account too when someone complained it obviously wasn’t a real name. I don’t put my business all over the internet.

Nix moves just fine. He shouldn’t start or play a lot of mins, but he can go in & bang for a few mins each half. I think he really could’ve helped in the Duq game.

Comment by Nick 12.22.16 @ 4:46 pm

It will be interesting to see if Stallings shortens the bench come ACC play or not. I am not sure he can…these guys need a spell now and then.

Comment by DD 12.22.16 @ 5:18 pm

Nickname Man, I’m all for it if Stallings can bring in any ready made talent, we certainly could use it. Just seen to many guards flop that were highly touted, Newkirk, Wilson, Kithcart.

Big jump from high school to college for some.

Not like Kentucky where they get freshmen that score 47.

Comment by gc 12.22.16 @ 5:26 pm

I disagree that Nix is slow getting up the floor. He actually surprised me with his ability to go end to end for a player of his size. I think endurance is his problem.

Comment by HbgFrank 12.22.16 @ 6:27 pm

Comment by PittofDreams 12.22.16 @ 6:35 pm

Now who is it?

Comment by PittofDreams 12.22.16 @ 6:41 pm

Well Herman is off to Oregon and so it is another offseason of uncertainty and change. Will this never end??

Comment by Coach Ditka 12.22.16 @ 7:15 pm

You gotta like this:

Pat Narduzzi ?@CoachDuzzPittFB Dec 21
ACC Pro Bowl selections by school:

Pitt – 3.
FSU – 3.
BC – 2.
Clemson – 1.
Miami – 1.

#Pitt2theProBowl #H2P

Comment by Emel 12.22.16 @ 7:24 pm

“Pitt athletic director Scott Barnes, who was hired 20 months ago, has been offered the same position at Oregon State and is negotiating with OSU officials, The Oregonian/Oregon Live has reported. A Pitt spokesman had no comment.”

As I posted last week, either here or there (lol)…Pitt should have been proactive and canned Herman’s ass, instead of letting him…..walk out on us.

Come on, save some face, we aren’t chumps. Oregon State, is a nobody, who are nobodies in football or hoops. And never were. Unlike Pitt.

Comment by Emel 12.22.16 @ 7:28 pm

Pat signal ….0n a guess Jaylen Twyman ( a great pick up if I am righ

Comment by Isnore 12.22.16 @ 7:31 pm

right

Comment by Isnore 12.22.16 @ 7:32 pm

Bye bye Herman.

“Pittsburgh’s Scott Barnes hired as Oregon State vice president and athletic director”

link to oregonlive.com

Comment by Emel 12.22.16 @ 7:41 pm

So the last two athletic directors Pitt has hired have left the football and basketball programs in shambles respectively. Gallagher is on the clock. I submit this is a make or break hire. How many times does Pitt have to get jobbed before they come to their senses and hire someone who understands what makes Pittsburgh, well, Pittsburgh?

Comment by wally 12.22.16 @ 7:52 pm

Emel is this your fault? Upittbaseball for sure had a hand in this Barnes thing.

I keep telling you guys to play/talk nice. These guys are sensitive and don’t really need us.

Could a guy like Wannstadt be smart enough?

Comment by Old Pitt Grad 12.22.16 @ 7:57 pm

I’m available wally.

But I’m not part of the Athletic administrative Club.

It’s not like he’s going to UCLA or something.

We’re talking about the little brother school in Oregon who has never been nationally relevant in football or basketball.

He will feel right at home though, OSU was 89th in the last Director’s Cup standings.

Comment by Emel 12.22.16 @ 7:59 pm

Marshall, who is Pitt’s next opponent has hung 50 points on the vaunted Cincy defense in the first half. Marshall is 14-22 from 3.
I hope the Pitt players and coaches are paying attention.

Comment by xfmrman 12.22.16 @ 7:59 pm

EJ is the right choice.

Comment by Isnore 12.22.16 @ 8:00 pm

Nope OPG,,,,not my fault.

Herman wanted to be AD and Chancellor at Pitt, but Gallagher wouldn’t step down.

There is NO LIMIT to the size of Herman’s Head !

Comment by Emel 12.22.16 @ 8:03 pm

I like EJ. But we may need someone who has seen the world. Meaning how the SEC gets away with it.

OSU spends 9MM more on their athletic dept than us.

Comment by Old Pitt Grad 12.22.16 @ 8:15 pm

Pitt will be just fine. Any new AD must first be able to unite the alumni, fans and boosters. And then must be a prolific fundraiser. And then finally at least be competent when it comes to hiring coaches. Football pays the bills of all the other programs. And an AD needs to run budget surpluses and not deficits. Its nice to see Pitt invest in the other sports programs subsidized by football. Its nice to see Pitt back to being Pitt for branding. Its nice to see commitment to excellence across all sports programs. I’m still waiting for my OCS feasibility study however.

Comment by TX Panther 12.22.16 @ 8:18 pm

AT least academically PITT is rated higher than both of Oregon State’s universities.

Comment by Old Pitt Grad 12.22.16 @ 8:19 pm

I like EJ, but not sure he has the background skills and experience. We need a superb administrator, marketer and fund raiser. Still think Riddick would be a great choice if he is interested.

He knows the pro and college game and could enlist the support of our Pro players. Not to just show up for locker room talks, but to host events, meet and greets so staff can get pledges.

In any case we need someone that has the fire to get the job done, not just to hob nob with corporate types. Not a guy that brags about how many season tickets he sold to Penn State Fans, or rely on search firms to do his job.

Look if EJ was any good, he would have been hired away from here by now. If he was ambitious he would have already gone elsewhere for that next step.

As for Barnes, he was a poor fit, saw him at BBall games, only shook hands and sought out the high rollers. Unlike a guy like Pat Bostick who says high to everybody and is extremely approachable, knows how to work the room. He is a guy that is going places. Hopefully not with Barnes.

Comment by gc 12.22.16 @ 8:20 pm

Barnes was a B- in my book. I did not like his arrogance. I did not like his hiring practice of Stallings. I frankly didnt like him being a basketball man. We need a football man from the East coast. It doesnt have to be a Pitt alum. But Football and East are prerequisites. Along with proven track record at fundraising, budgets, hiring and leadership (vision). I understand Barnes left for family reasons and roots. I dont fault him for that.

Comment by TX Panther 12.22.16 @ 8:22 pm

That’s it, no more sweet talking these guys. It is a waste of time. They leave anyway.

There is just too much money in this sports time.

It is almost as profitable as politics.

Comment by Old Pitt Grad 12.22.16 @ 8:25 pm

Hear the NOISE!

I think it’s applause.

Comment by PittofDreams 12.22.16 @ 8:26 pm

Demario Mathews a CB from Lakeland, Fla is our new commit. A position of need and another player from Florida with flying feet.

Comment by Isnore 12.22.16 @ 8:26 pm

Comment by gc 12.22.16 @ 8:28 pm

Couldn’t be happier that Barnes is gone. I can tolerate a lot of things, but being talked down to is right at the top of the list of things I won’t. I was never going to another hoop game as long as that prick was running the show. Got an email earlier that hoop tix will be in sale for $26 on Monday, I plan on buying several.

Comment by Nick 12.22.16 @ 8:59 pm

Pitt’s next Athletic Director should be someone with a background in Real Estate Development.

Comment by PittofDreams 12.22.16 @ 10:12 pm

PoD – two classic one liners last night at 8:26pm and 10:12pm – keep it up, you really do make me laugh with your off-center humor. Your Pitt sports knowledge is an added bonus…

Pulled this from PSN –

“Mathis is Pitt’s first cornerback commitment in this class and their 19th overall commitment. Good thing about getting Mathis is that he’s teammates with 4-star running back A.J. Davis, a player Pitt is in pursuit of.”

Welcome Mr. Mathis, all 5’11” of you. Turn your head and cough – good, you passed the CB physical and you are now eligible for a starting position with the Pitt FB team.

Please also put in a good word to your teammate AJ – make sure he knows our star running back is leaving for the NFL.

New committ D.Mathis had P5 offers from South Carolina, Ole Miss and Minnesota. He resides in Lakeland, FL – Pitt’s 5th verbal from the state of Florida in this class.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Comment by Erie Express 12.23.16 @ 6:10 am

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