Thursday, February 4, 2010

Pitt Struggles

Pitt dropped its fourth game in five contests last night after getting badly outplayed by West Virginia down the stretch. The final score of 70-51 makes the outcome look a little worse than it actually was, but Pitt never posed a real threat to win the game in the final 10-12 minutes. The loss left Pitt 16-6 overall and 6-4 in the Big East. If you told most Pitt fans before the season that Pitt would have that record at this point in the season, all but the most optimistic of the bunch would have been thrilled. Further still, if you would have told the Pitt fan base that the team would have that record after the embarrassing loss to Indiana at Madison Square Garden, one that I was a witness too first hand, most fans would have probably called you crazy. However, five consecutive wins to start Big East play, including three impressive road wins over Syracuse, Cincinnati and Connecticut, had Pitt fans dreaming big once again this year. Looking back on those five consecutive wins, only the Syracuse win seems as impressive as it did at the time. This Pitt team is neither as good as it was during their start to the Big East schedule nor as bad as it has been the past five contests. The team has serious flaws, but their overall body of work should have Pitt fans excited for another trip to the Big Dance and a chance to earn yet another high seed with a return to Pitt’s more conventional play. Instead of breaking down the reasons why Pitt lost last night in a tough environment against a very good WVU squad, not the least of which could be contributed to their 2nd and 3rd leading scorers combining for a whopping zero points, let’s look ahead to what Pitt should do to right the ship.

Yes, Pitt was badly out-rebounded last night but that is only the third time this season they have been out-rebounded and I expect Jamie Dixon and his staff to have that corrected by next game. Yes, the defense has also been somewhat vulnerable lately, but this is another area where we all know the Panthers can and will play more soundly down the stretch. To me, the biggest problem lies in their offense. Pitt has no low-post threat, only one feared outside shooter in Ashton Gibbs, and no players that can take over a game by themselves. It is a recipe that does not usually lead to great offense. This was clearly evident early in the season when Pitt was having an extremely difficult time scoring the basketball. However, with Jermaine Dixon and Gilbert Brown back in the line-up the team has more options than it is exploiting. If I was Jamie Dixon, I would be looking to run more isolation and pick and roll plays with Dixon, Brown and Brad Wannamaker. All three guys are excellent penetrators and can take their man off the dribble. Using the dribble-drive to get into the paint would free up outside shots on kick-outs for Gibbs who has struggled recently forcing shots off the dribble and shooting off of screens. The lack of a post presence could also be hidden by getting the ball deep with the dribble instead of the pass. Right now, Pitt is running numerous screens for Gibbs and when that does not work they revert back to their motion offense that has been so successful during the Dixon era. This team does not have as gifted offensive players as some of the past teams, however, and it’s time to adjust to the talent that is here. Brown, Wannamaker and Dixon are all great athletes that could thrive taking the ball to the hoop. If they are able to get into the paint and pass the ball to either cutting big men or kick it out to the open three point shooters, it would make the Panthers a much harder team to guard. It is the same offense that Duke, Villanova and Kentucky use and have used successfully over the years. Pitt does not have the same caliber of athlete at point guard as these other schools, but they have them on the wings and should use this advantage to spread their offense and get better shots.

Whether Pitt uses my proposed strategy or not, I suspect Jamie Dixon will have these guys playing enough defense, out-hustling and out-rebounding teams the way Pitt teams normally do down the stretch. Ashton Gibbs is too good of a shooter to stay in a prolonged slump as well and this team will win enough games to get into the NCAA Tournament. I expect the turnaround to start this Saturday at the Petersen Event Center when Pitt takes on Seton Hall. That being said, I do not expect a long NCAA tournament run unless this team adapts their offense, plays to its strengths and hides some of the serious flaws it does have.

4 comments:

  1. Gilbert Brown needs to be starting in the starting lineup. I wasn't able to watch last night's game so I don't know if he started it.. but he needs to start. Their best player can't be coming off of the bench.

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  2. Is Taylor ever going to be a factor? McGhee is the worst starter in recent memory. If Taylor can't do better than 7/7 every night, then some people were wrong about him.

    Kil

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  3. Reports are that Taylor had never played with his back to the basket before this season and he is going through a big learning curve. (Yes, I know, what in the world was his high school and AAU coaches doing!?!) I think it is safe to say he will not be a factor for this year, but it is much too soon to write him off or label him a bust. Look at what Jamie Dixon has done developing less talented players like McGhee and Aaron Gray. I think the sky is still the limit for Taylor and I expect a huge leap next year in his play and his production.

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  4. As for Brown, I agree he should be starting, but it really isn't a big deal as long as he's playing starter minutes. Right now he is only playing 24 minutes a game, however, and this needs to increase. I'm not sure if it is a conditioning factor because of his missed time, but he sure looks fine out there to me. He is their most versatile player and should be playing a minimum of 30-35 minutes a night when not in foul trouble along with Gibbs.

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