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.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Bubble Woes
The Dawg has to admit, I'm finally a little worried about the Pitt Panthers making the NCAA tournament.
The last two double digit losses on the road to Marquette and Notre Dame were disconcerting not only because of the point differentials, but also because of the nature of them. Pitt seemed to literally lay down in the 2nd half with absolutely no answer for when the momentum swung their opponent's way. The last time a Dixon coached team displayed this characteristic they were bowing out of the NCAA tournament in the first round against the likes of Pacific University. I'm not ready to predict a similar ending to this season, but I'm certainly worried enough about it to mention it in this column.
One man gives me hope, and every Pitt fan knows who I'm talking about. The General, The Blue Devil Slayer, the Hero of Madison Square Garden...whatever you call him, he is without a doubt the true leader of this team. Sure Levance Fields has already been back...in fact he played significant minutes in both of the losses that now have me concerned about the Panthers in the first place. But he isn't truly back...not yet. Maybe he will arrive tomorrow against Louisville, maybe later next week. But when he does I do believe the Panthers will go on a run that leads them deep into the Big East and NCAA tournaments.
Pitt might seem lost right now, but they have also proven they have the talent and determination to play with the best in the nation. With a confident Fields the Panthers will be a very deadly opponent in the post season. Very rarely does the team that dominates all season long win the NCAA basketball championship. Last year Florida was the favorite from beginning to end. But the year before they weren't even mentioned as one of the true contenders for the title before they shocked Villanova in the Elite Eight and overwhelmed George Mason and UCLA to win it all.
So there is a lot to be gained, but a leader must emerge as soon as tomorrow if Pitt wants to end the season the way they started it...by beating the best college basketball has to offer.
The last two double digit losses on the road to Marquette and Notre Dame were disconcerting not only because of the point differentials, but also because of the nature of them. Pitt seemed to literally lay down in the 2nd half with absolutely no answer for when the momentum swung their opponent's way. The last time a Dixon coached team displayed this characteristic they were bowing out of the NCAA tournament in the first round against the likes of Pacific University. I'm not ready to predict a similar ending to this season, but I'm certainly worried enough about it to mention it in this column.
One man gives me hope, and every Pitt fan knows who I'm talking about. The General, The Blue Devil Slayer, the Hero of Madison Square Garden...whatever you call him, he is without a doubt the true leader of this team. Sure Levance Fields has already been back...in fact he played significant minutes in both of the losses that now have me concerned about the Panthers in the first place. But he isn't truly back...not yet. Maybe he will arrive tomorrow against Louisville, maybe later next week. But when he does I do believe the Panthers will go on a run that leads them deep into the Big East and NCAA tournaments.
Pitt might seem lost right now, but they have also proven they have the talent and determination to play with the best in the nation. With a confident Fields the Panthers will be a very deadly opponent in the post season. Very rarely does the team that dominates all season long win the NCAA basketball championship. Last year Florida was the favorite from beginning to end. But the year before they weren't even mentioned as one of the true contenders for the title before they shocked Villanova in the Elite Eight and overwhelmed George Mason and UCLA to win it all.
So there is a lot to be gained, but a leader must emerge as soon as tomorrow if Pitt wants to end the season the way they started it...by beating the best college basketball has to offer.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Pitt vs Michigan State: The First Real Test of the Season
Despite a Michigan State fans comments on a Panther Digest thread regarding Pitt's performance the first two weeks compared to MSU's, the Panthers indeed have a great chance for a marquee win against the Spartans this weekend. Just because Pitt didn't run up the scores and stats in the 2nd half of their first two games doesn't mean that the Panthers didn't easily win both games. The purpose of the game is to beat your opponent. And Pitt did that convincingly the first two games of their young season, despite losing three of their most valuable players going into the season already.
A closer analysis show that Pitt has a much better chance to beat MSU this year. Mainly because of the stronger balance they have on both sides of the ball. On offense, the Panthers are much more balanced with a two prong RB attack. Stephens-Howling is much more dangerous to opposing defenses when they are forced to also focus on LeSean McCoy. The Panthers also has outstanding playmakers at WR and TE. The big question for the offense is the line play. It got a little better against Grambling, but it needs to protect the relatively new QB in Kevan Smith enough and give all of Pitt's playmakers a little bit of room and time to make plays. Fortunately, Pitt's tremdeously talented playmakers will not need as much time as they did last year to make those plays.
On defense, even with losing Mustakas, the Panthers are much faster and stronger on the line. More importantly, the linebackers, as a complete unit, are much better this year. McKillop is faster than Blades and Murray and Gunn are much better tacklers. Dickerson is an X factor playmaker that the Spartans offensive line will have to account for when he's on the field. So I don't expect teams to run roughshod on Pitt this year. Doesn't mean teams won't be successful running against them, but you will probably not see many opposing teams racking up 300+ yards on the ground with regularity as too many did last year. The defensive backs, as a group, are also better this year. Thatcher and Phillips are healthy and Cox will not be picked on as much now that he isn't playing opposite the best CB in the league. Berry and Gary might not be the shut down corners that Revis was yet, but they cover well and are opportunistic when given the chance.
Most importantly, MSU does not run the same offensive style they did last year. If the Panthers have shown anything, they do stack up much better against the pro style offense Dantonio employs than the option offense that MSU and other teams were so effective in running against the Panthers the last few years. Pitt only lost two games last year to a traditional pro style offense (Louisville Rutgers). All the remaining teams used sort of option (MSU, WVU, USF) or spread (UCONN) offense to wear and run the thin defense down. I would suggest that both Louisville and Rutgers last were far superior to MSU this year and Rutgers was still a very close game.
So all in all, I think on paper Pitt has a great chance to win this game. I'm not predicting a win since the game is on the road at a difficult place to play. But I will not be surprised if either Pitt won the game or lost it. It certainly is not the lost course some here might predict it is. I will only be disappointed if Pitt doesn't make the game competitive for four quarters.
A closer analysis show that Pitt has a much better chance to beat MSU this year. Mainly because of the stronger balance they have on both sides of the ball. On offense, the Panthers are much more balanced with a two prong RB attack. Stephens-Howling is much more dangerous to opposing defenses when they are forced to also focus on LeSean McCoy. The Panthers also has outstanding playmakers at WR and TE. The big question for the offense is the line play. It got a little better against Grambling, but it needs to protect the relatively new QB in Kevan Smith enough and give all of Pitt's playmakers a little bit of room and time to make plays. Fortunately, Pitt's tremdeously talented playmakers will not need as much time as they did last year to make those plays.
On defense, even with losing Mustakas, the Panthers are much faster and stronger on the line. More importantly, the linebackers, as a complete unit, are much better this year. McKillop is faster than Blades and Murray and Gunn are much better tacklers. Dickerson is an X factor playmaker that the Spartans offensive line will have to account for when he's on the field. So I don't expect teams to run roughshod on Pitt this year. Doesn't mean teams won't be successful running against them, but you will probably not see many opposing teams racking up 300+ yards on the ground with regularity as too many did last year. The defensive backs, as a group, are also better this year. Thatcher and Phillips are healthy and Cox will not be picked on as much now that he isn't playing opposite the best CB in the league. Berry and Gary might not be the shut down corners that Revis was yet, but they cover well and are opportunistic when given the chance.
Most importantly, MSU does not run the same offensive style they did last year. If the Panthers have shown anything, they do stack up much better against the pro style offense Dantonio employs than the option offense that MSU and other teams were so effective in running against the Panthers the last few years. Pitt only lost two games last year to a traditional pro style offense (Louisville Rutgers). All the remaining teams used sort of option (MSU, WVU, USF) or spread (UCONN) offense to wear and run the thin defense down. I would suggest that both Louisville and Rutgers last were far superior to MSU this year and Rutgers was still a very close game.
So all in all, I think on paper Pitt has a great chance to win this game. I'm not predicting a win since the game is on the road at a difficult place to play. But I will not be surprised if either Pitt won the game or lost it. It certainly is not the lost course some here might predict it is. I will only be disappointed if Pitt doesn't make the game competitive for four quarters.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Elijah Fields Suspension
First and foremost, the Dawg would like to thank all of my Penn State fans for the kind words of encouragement and support regarding his most recent blog on the current state (or lack there of) of the Pitt/Penn State rivalry. I have to admit, I was very pleasantly surprised to see so many PSU fans show support and agreement on my theories of why the rivalry isn't currently being held where it belongs, on a football field. And I also was bowled over by their very positive opinions and respect for the Pitt football program and even my skills as a writer. I would have posted all of their responses, but since there were so many and because so many were simply singing my praises and not furthering the discussion of the blog, I've decided to keep them to myself, close to my heart.
So again, thank you to all those gracious Nittany Lion fans, I really appreciate all of your support for my ramblings and look forward to more of your praise and support in the coming months.
Now onto more current news. The Dawg was extremely disappointed by the recent news that Elijah Fields was suspended from the team for the upcoming season. Despite having Mike Phillips and Eric Thatcher back, the safety position was still extremely shallow in depth even before Fields suspension. Considering that both starting safeties are coming off injuries, and how much the absence of Thatcher truly contributed to Pitt losing the last five games last season, losing Fields is a tremendous blow to an already thin defensive backfield.
But this does not mean that all is lost when considering Pitt's defense this year. If the defensive line can continue to show improvement and play a significant role in stopping the run in 2007, than the deficiencies and inexperience so prevalent in the back seven might not be as punitive as it was in 2006. Experience also plays a big factor in all of this.
And I mean lack of experience. Let the Dawg Explain...
Despite a few bright spots (mainly H.B. Blades and Derrelle Revis) most of the defensive leftovers from the Walt Harris days did not seem to buy into the new defensive style favored by new head coach, Dave Wannstedt. Wannstedt prefers to line up in base defenses and that allow his players the chance to beat their man and make plays. This is in direct contrast to the schematic style Paul Rhoads employed under Harris. If asked to be honest, I believe most leftover players would admit they favored the old defense. Especially since its scheme effectively hid their deficiencies by attempting to prevent the big play. The old defense did allow opposing offenses to maintain significant and lengthy drives, but it also kept Pitt in most games and gave Harris' complex offensive a chance to pull games out in the end.
It worked well for Harris, but Wannstedt wants more...he wants his defenses to dominate game much like his defenses at Miami did. And his best chance of having this type of success on defense is by having his talented, but largely inexperienced underclassmen get more playing time on the field. Although its scary to think that inexperience players like Dom DeCiccio and Nate Nix might get significant playing time...but it also could reap huge benefits for the Panthers in the future as well. Fields would have been another benefactor of this, but he also will continue to practice and learn the system. More importantly, due to Wannstedt's recent success on the recruiting trail, there will be many other young players looking to make their impact if opportunity arises as well.
So again, thank you to all those gracious Nittany Lion fans, I really appreciate all of your support for my ramblings and look forward to more of your praise and support in the coming months.
Now onto more current news. The Dawg was extremely disappointed by the recent news that Elijah Fields was suspended from the team for the upcoming season. Despite having Mike Phillips and Eric Thatcher back, the safety position was still extremely shallow in depth even before Fields suspension. Considering that both starting safeties are coming off injuries, and how much the absence of Thatcher truly contributed to Pitt losing the last five games last season, losing Fields is a tremendous blow to an already thin defensive backfield.
But this does not mean that all is lost when considering Pitt's defense this year. If the defensive line can continue to show improvement and play a significant role in stopping the run in 2007, than the deficiencies and inexperience so prevalent in the back seven might not be as punitive as it was in 2006. Experience also plays a big factor in all of this.
And I mean lack of experience. Let the Dawg Explain...
Despite a few bright spots (mainly H.B. Blades and Derrelle Revis) most of the defensive leftovers from the Walt Harris days did not seem to buy into the new defensive style favored by new head coach, Dave Wannstedt. Wannstedt prefers to line up in base defenses and that allow his players the chance to beat their man and make plays. This is in direct contrast to the schematic style Paul Rhoads employed under Harris. If asked to be honest, I believe most leftover players would admit they favored the old defense. Especially since its scheme effectively hid their deficiencies by attempting to prevent the big play. The old defense did allow opposing offenses to maintain significant and lengthy drives, but it also kept Pitt in most games and gave Harris' complex offensive a chance to pull games out in the end.
It worked well for Harris, but Wannstedt wants more...he wants his defenses to dominate game much like his defenses at Miami did. And his best chance of having this type of success on defense is by having his talented, but largely inexperienced underclassmen get more playing time on the field. Although its scary to think that inexperience players like Dom DeCiccio and Nate Nix might get significant playing time...but it also could reap huge benefits for the Panthers in the future as well. Fields would have been another benefactor of this, but he also will continue to practice and learn the system. More importantly, due to Wannstedt's recent success on the recruiting trail, there will be many other young players looking to make their impact if opportunity arises as well.
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