4:30 pm, ESPN2. Hope you finish work early today.
It wasn’t close to a debacle, but it wasn’t great either. Losing to this SMU team was not a surprise, but the second half performance by Pitt was disappointing.
As we have seen in all three games, Pitt is still a team that will go on extended scoring droughts and its commitment to defense ranges from indifferent to inconsistent.
As a brief aside on consistency, Paul Zeise writing a column yesterday about how Pitt needs to play better defense. This after 4 years or so of veiled and open shots about Pitt putting defense first and not being as watchable since the offense didn’t flow. Special.
The defense was struggling, but did better in zone. Pitt can’t go exclusively to zone, or teams will start picking it apart quickly. But Pitt does need to be able to shift their defenses a little quicker, or Coach Kevin Stallings has to be willing to call timeouts a little more often to make the change.
Offensively, Pitt couldn’t control the tempo as SMU forced the game to slow down. And here we saw the flaw in Jamel Artis as point guard. He is an excellent passer. He sees the court well. He doesn’t, however, have the presence or mindset to direct the players to move. He waits for them to make moves. And if they don’t on their own, well…
Seniors Mike Young and Jamel Artis continued to flash their potential as one of college basketball’s better scoring duos, finishing with 22 and 20 points, respectively. Those gaudy numbers, however, came in a game when the free-flowing offensive scheme predicated on continual ball movement that Stallings hoped to introduce was regrettably absent for much of the night.
“We’d have one guy dribbling and four guys watching,” Stallings said. “That’s not who we are when we’re good. We’re best when we’re moving the ball and guys are screening and working for each other. We had some good moments. We started to do a better job as the game wore on of getting the ball to Mike Young inside, but I thought those were the ways we really came up short.”
Devoid of any of the characteristics Stallings described, Pitt’s offense often devolved into something of a two-man show.
Justice Kithcart had spells at PG in the first half, and you could see him directing and making people move. There was definitely more movement and flow. Kithcart also has a willingness to attack the basket. His biggest flaw is that he shoots free throws worse than Brandin Knight did.
But for the moment, Stallings isn’t going to make a move.
“Jamel has been plenty good in that role,” Stallings said. “Our offense can function just fine without a prototypical point guard. We have to have other guys step up and make plays.”
Today it is Marquette. No Tom Crean. No Buzz Williams. No Big East battle. There was no team that got me more anxious during the bloated Big East time than Marquette. Other teams were better. Other teams were bigger names. But no team both embodied the memories of Pitt coming up short in the NCAA Tournament, and gave Pitt consistently tough games.
This is not that team. They play much more up-tempo. They are young, and still figuring things out. They steamrolled Vandy in their season opener, and got taken apart by Michigan last night. Their defense works to create turnovers and run. They can be beaten with patience. On offense, they have balance with inside and perimeter games. Their Achilles heel is that they are a poor free throw shooting team.
Yes, “Up tempo” is getting the ball up court quickly after a basket or rebound but unlike UNLV of old, Pitt will only drive when an easy basket is there.
Otherwise, they pull up and go into their offense. Once in the offense, he does not want to go down to the end of the shot clock for a shot.
This team is not going to beat another team down court after a rebound too often because as their defense shows, they aren’t especially quick.
Up tempo for this team will be getting an open shot with time left on the shot clock. Period.
Hope the Jamie haters are happy. Watch the first 3 games
reminds me of street ball. Long season ahead.
“This speaks to his intelligence level — Kevin understands the game so well that over the years, he’s probably run 10 different offenses. He’s going to make a system that fits his players. Honestly, what he’s doing now doesn’t resemble anything from when I’ve been with him that I’ve ever seen.” – SMU coach Tim Jankovich, an assistant under Stallings for four years at Vanderbilt, on Pitt’s offense
…unless something really changes…and I doubt that will happen with 2 seniors dominating the scoring..going to be a long season….could be a while till Pitt ever olays in NCAA again.
…and it will take some time to get the wrinkles ironed out…that is what Nov and December games are really for, after all.
We fans have been spoiled here at PITT for over 14 years and the early season has mostly been a resume padding exercise…
… however most teams go through rebuilds every 4 or 5 years and use the early season games as a growing experience…will take changing perspective as a fan imo.
This team will live or die on offense. Defense needs to be adequate – but when the offensive engine is knocking and grinding the Panthers will be struggling in the slow lane rather than flying past their opponents in the passing lane.
SMU was no more talented than Pitt – but they played as a team on the offensive side of the game and dictated the pace of the game.
Chris Jones was a glaring weakness. So much so that even with his obvious shooting deficiencies Kithcart needs to replace Chris in the top 5. I think Chris would benefit from coming off the bench much like Luther does; he cannot maintain his energy and concentration for more than a few minutes at a time but his offensive genius does come through more consistently in short spurts.
Nix needs to get some time in the middle even if it is only a few minutes here and there when Pitt needs to take back the flow of the game from the other team.
Still puzzled where Damon Wilson is in the scheme of things – he has not stepped up like I thought he would – another JD 4* bust?
I understand that Stallings needs time to get his type of players in the system…but if he’s such a great brilliant coach and ‘understands the game so well’ he should be able to have a good season this year with the players he has right now.
It’s only three games so not ready to completely dismiss Stallings, bit haven’t seen anything yet to get excited about.
Good point but not only are they seniors learning a new system .. the coach is developing a brand new offense to fit them at the same time!! See my post above re SMU coach Tim Jankovich quote.
We are witneesing growing pains. And it is only 3 games – but I guess I am excited to see those pains occur after years of getting bored with the same old style game after game after game.
Did we have a style?
I thought we had offense by default.
Artis is absolutely mis-cast at the point, I don’t care how much of a “genius” Stallings is supposed to be. At the point he is lost and his strength last year was working off the wing using his shot or finding Young underneath.
Jones is horribly inconsistent as a shooter, but makes up for it with even more inconsistent defense.
Kithcart has a future, Jones is the past. Based on what I’ve seen so far Wilson = BUST.
If Cam Johnson isn’t hot from the outside this team won’t beat mediocre teams.
4500 at the last game…. sure that is all-time low for a game at the Pete.
My point is that what Pitt needed last spring was an infusion of alacrity in the form of a young fireball with boundless energy and enthusiasm coupled with an attitude that I am going to make my mark on the basketball world and I am going to work 24/7 to make it happen. What they got was a journeyman who most people never heard of with a paucity of accomplishments in his prime. What are the odds he is going to be any different now? Don’t misunderstand me. By all accounts Stallings appears to be a nice man who did nothing wrong by accepting a job that was offered to him. And no doubt he is doing his best and working as hard as he is capable of. However, if he fails to lead this program to even greater heights than Pitt has achieved the last 15 years nobody should be surprised. And you’ll have P T Barnes to thank for that.
Jamie had his run at Pitt and it was time for him to move on because recruiting really has dropped off over the last 3 years.
Stallings needs 3/4 years to be judged, is he the right guy ?
Who knows, none of us knows, it has to play itself out.
Other thoughts:
Dixon is gone and it was the right thing for Pitt and the right thing for him too. Very good coach and an even better person, but we were in extended decline which had nothing to do with the ACC (vs Big East), it had to do with the players he was bringing in, and the fact that there were no answers in sight to turn this trend around. Time to move on. win-win (well, at least it could’ve been if we had upgraded).
Then there’s Sean Miller… A guy who still hasn’t proven to be a very good coach and has not gotten a lot out of his talent pool- but that man can recruit! And of the two (coaching & recruiting), I think the later is more important in the college game. Per Wally’s comment, this is the kind of guy I’d like to get- younger, hungry, and the passion & ability to recruit…
Stallings needs to get to the post season to sell next years tickets. Will he bring life back to Pitt? Maybe maybe not – but it is going to take several years to bring the fans back regardless imo. Dixon bored them and underachieved to the point they left…attendance declined noticeably over the last few years – we watched it happen in person.
I refuse to rehash and keep going over past events from last spring, what is done is done. The situation is what it is and I want to try and be as optimistic as I can while still recognizing there are going to be bumps. We got the coach we got – I’ll support him for the time being.
Stallings has a good pedigree. As a player schooled under Gene Keady (best freind and college roommate of Bill Guthridge who was one of the best developerss of big men in CBB), as a coach descended from the Nesbitt/Phog Allen/Dean Smith/Roy Williams school. His peers respect him – rightfully so. Good recruiter too from all the evidence.
I don’t buy that old man no energy stuff- I am in my late 50’s myself and have never felt better – in fact going through a successful career change/challenge myself.
I’ll give him a season or two to see what he can do on the sidelines on gameday. I don’t care how many seniors there are this year, change is tough; + these seniors are flawed in many ways as has been pointed out on this blog – so why would we expect them to adjust to a new coach easily when they didn’t adjust to the last coach’s (who recruited them) system very successfully after 3 or 4 years in it?
H2P
Have lost control of the game again.
It’s one thing to lose.
It’s worse to not care.
Really it is.
Nice comeback. I wonder what Stallings said and what adjustments he did at the half.
Don’t believe ANYONE to the Contrary… Artis is a NATURAL Point Guard at this level… and maybe the next.
A Poor Man’s “Magic.”
Maybe Barnes knows a little about Basketball after all?
In the second half – Mike Young surprisingly took over offensively as he will have to do all year…and showed the leadership that was lacking in the first half. Kudos to Young.
Jekyll and Hyde team…I can deal with watching bad defense – what I can’t deal with watching is lack of effort. They mailed it in the last 5 minutes of the 1st half.
They were able to turn it back on in the second half…this time.
We shot 50% FG Last nite only 44%.
And so it goes with mainly a mid-range to outside shooting team. If we shoot around 50% or higher we can win, but mostly anything below 45% and it’s gonna be a loss(unless other team is horrid or a scrub).
Went away mad came back glad.
What the hell happened!?
the Bench had a Total of 10 points today.
After a Total of 11 points yesterday.
This won’t matter so much in the non-con part of the schedule, unless Artis or Young get into foul trouble.
But come late January and Feb. Not much bench production means lots and lots of minutes for the Big 3 and will they be worn down to half the players they are later in the season.
** Bench only score 9 points against EMU. Gardner-Webb game is irrelevant imo.
I didn’t watch today’s. I guess we won.
As far as last night’s game, the announcers and 95% of the camera work were pro SMU. About as bad as the major TV networks being 100% Hilary for the election.
Really no fun watching PITT ant more.
@Emel Spot on. Young and Artis aren’t going to be able to carry this team through ACC play. Plus they’re gone next year.
Down by 19 at half and lost by 22.
Can you say ass kicking.
Smu centric announcing was sickening for a program that has accomplished nothing in 30 years.
The 5 times they reached the NCAA’s in 50 YEARS, they never made it past the 2nd round.
The Espn crooning and crowing over that wretched of a program, show the lengths they’ll stoop to, to overlook and minimize Pitt as much as possible.
Makes it that much harder to recruit for Pitt.
But after all, isn’t that what it’s all about.
3-1
Emel, look at SMU’s record the last few years under Brown. Not too shabby.
Granted we don’t have NBA talent but can’t you at least say we’ll be competitive and that you’ll root for our team?
If not, why even post? What is your point?
Yea but again what has SMU accomplished in 50 years.
5 NCAA years never making it past the 2nd round.
Records mean very little as we saw with Dixon the last several years. Anyone can schedule 20 wins per season if they’re clever enough and willing to schedule 10-12 rent-a-wins per year.
Ok next subject, why not move Artis to Shooting Guard during the rent-a-win part of the schedule and get as many minutes for Kithcart and Milligan at PG as possible.
Artis at SG is a lot better option than Chris Jones, who is shooting 40% fg and 20% from 3 and only 58% FT. Your shooting Guard has to be a Shooter, not 40% and 20%. Artis would make a good Shooting Guard. Pitt would be better served with Jones coming off the bench, since the bench is not producing much in the way of points at all.
10 points last nite, 11 the nite before and 9 against EMU.
But he hasn’t improved much in the last 3 years.
His sophomore year he avg’d 27 minutes/game and 8.5 ppg and 3 rpg.
His Junior year he avg’d 19 mpg and 6ppg and 2 rpg
This year he is avg’g 31 minutes per game and about 8 ppg and 3 rpg.
There is no improvement there at all from year to year. Always shot FG’s around 40-43% and he was a lot better shooter from 3 his sophomore year than he has been the last 2 years. And he’s consistently avg’d 2-3 rebounds per game.
Glad they beat Marquette – old BE rival.
Now, back to FB.
Pound the puke out of Duke!
Of course we are still challenged inside with no shot blocking or size.
Really did not see the “more up-tempo” that we have heard about.
Just five guys playing their individual games, kind of like the NBA, but without the talent.