The Dawg woke up this morning and was excited to find John Grupp's article on Pitt's recent shooting slump in the Pitt Post-Gazette. It's about time the panthers (and us as fans) get to the heart of the matter. The shooting, especially from beyond the arc, has been terrible all season. It certainly hasn't been acceptable since the start of conference play. It's been so bad I think all Pitt fans have been asking themselves if Gil Brown or Ronald Ramon will ever make a three pointer again. Or more importantly, will they ever decide to be more selective about taking shots until they do get back on track.
As Grupp wrote in his article, poor shooting leads directly to bad defense and rebounding. Even in the rough and tough grinding battles of the Big East, shots have to be made. There is only so many times the defense can answer the bell and make the stops necessary to keep a game close. Eventually bad shooting will doom any chance of victory no matter how valiant the defense plays. And the sad part about the slump is that Pitt's staple motion offense has been generating open looks at the basket. The shots are generally there but this team is inexplicably missing them, especially at the most critical moments during games.
But why are the Panthers missing these shots? Exhaustion and injury definitely deserve the lion's share of blame. Ramon and Benjamin have been fighting through injuries while also having the burden of playing more minutes than expected with Fields' injury and only freshman Bradley Wannamaker to back them up. Exhaustion is certainly a culprit for a young starter like DeJuan Blair as he makes his way through brutal conference play for the first time. And with Levance Fields shaking off the rust since his return three games ago it becomes painfully clear why the Panthers can't buy a bucket right now. And Pitt fans could only shiver when envisioning what the fate of this season would if Sam Young had not dramatically improved his outside shot from last year.
Unfortunately, the Panthers have no time to rest and get healthy. Jamie Dixon must find a balance to keep his top players fresh enough to finish off their shots, especially late in games. Pitt should be able to beat Cincinnati and DePaul at home with just their relentless defense...regardless of how well they shoot. But to lock down a spot in the NCAA tournament before they even travel to Madison Square Garden they must also win at least one of the two road games left on the schedule. And it's hard to envision the Panthers winning at West Virginia or Syracuse by defense alone. The must make shots or they will find themselves at the losing end of both road games and needing a deep run in the conference tournament to ensure their invitation to the big dance.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Talk, Talk, Talk
OK, I'll admit it. the Dawg started this not too long after Pitt lost their third straight game to the Louisville Cardinals at home. Nonetheless, the issue that has me burning right now has been doing so for some time now.
This team talks to much. Especially to the press.
And that's all fine and dandy when they are winning...which is exactly what they are NOT doing right now.
I now what many of you are thinking...this is a little too unfair. But I don't care. I'm ticked off and concerned right now. The last time Pitt had a team that even insinuated they would beat a team like Dejuan Blair did before he and his teammates went out and lost to Louisville was the 2005 version that fizzled down the stretch and exited both the the Big East and NCAA tournaments without a win.
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the confidence and fire...but keep on the floor. It just seems like the natural reaction to losing by some players is to exude some sort of false confidence with the press. Maybe I appreciate the old school way, but until you are winning with ease, it's better to spare everyone the faux bravado and just put the energy into actually winning the game.
You see, what happens is that all the energy ends up being overextended into backing up boasts made in the papers. And it only gets worse at the losing continue. All of sudden knuckles become white and too much stock is put into reversing the losing trend instead of doing what is truly required to stop the losing...getting back to the basics. The Panthers are their absolutely best when they are grinding out every position on both ends of the court. This season has not been any different. Wins against Duke, Georgetown and the dreaded Mountaineers of West Virginia came because each possession was played with the utmost intensity and as if it was the last in a tie ball game.
Instead, the Panthers are now missing wide open jams and three points shots while also turning over the ball way too much while uncontested. This is not Pitt basketball. The Panthers might not recruit the highest rated players come out of high school. But they do recruit talented and smart basketball players who bring intensity to each possession as if its the last of the season. It might not be pretty, it's how this team wins a lot of games.
And when they forget that...they talk too much...and then lose too many games.
This team talks to much. Especially to the press.
And that's all fine and dandy when they are winning...which is exactly what they are NOT doing right now.
I now what many of you are thinking...this is a little too unfair. But I don't care. I'm ticked off and concerned right now. The last time Pitt had a team that even insinuated they would beat a team like Dejuan Blair did before he and his teammates went out and lost to Louisville was the 2005 version that fizzled down the stretch and exited both the the Big East and NCAA tournaments without a win.
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the confidence and fire...but keep on the floor. It just seems like the natural reaction to losing by some players is to exude some sort of false confidence with the press. Maybe I appreciate the old school way, but until you are winning with ease, it's better to spare everyone the faux bravado and just put the energy into actually winning the game.
You see, what happens is that all the energy ends up being overextended into backing up boasts made in the papers. And it only gets worse at the losing continue. All of sudden knuckles become white and too much stock is put into reversing the losing trend instead of doing what is truly required to stop the losing...getting back to the basics. The Panthers are their absolutely best when they are grinding out every position on both ends of the court. This season has not been any different. Wins against Duke, Georgetown and the dreaded Mountaineers of West Virginia came because each possession was played with the utmost intensity and as if it was the last in a tie ball game.
Instead, the Panthers are now missing wide open jams and three points shots while also turning over the ball way too much while uncontested. This is not Pitt basketball. The Panthers might not recruit the highest rated players come out of high school. But they do recruit talented and smart basketball players who bring intensity to each possession as if its the last of the season. It might not be pretty, it's how this team wins a lot of games.
And when they forget that...they talk too much...and then lose too many games.
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