A perspective

[GT74]

After 3 straight losses, in which our Panthers lacked competitiveness, the tone of this board has been very negative, hardly readable in fact. A loss last night would have been a disaster, not only for Pitt's vision of a bid, but also for our fan's psyche. Watching the game, I tried to focus on body language, and effort, because in previous games, I noticed some disappointing things. Well, my conclusion is not so negative. We questioned effort recently, but how can you get 19 and 26 offensive boards and lack effort? Our defensive just is not in sync, and that may be the problem with the effort posts. My guess is that confidence and a little more communication and togetherness might be the answer to Pitt's problems. Lack of confidence produces hesitation and you can see it in the half-court offense. It is struggling to say the least. Confidence comes with making shots and winning, so a few last second wins (have one now), might do this team a world of good. I think it is important to shoot well and beat Syracuse. If Pitt does, we may see a renewed team down the stretch.

 

[NCanton Panther]

GT74, couldn't agree more with your thoughts. I was going to post a similar thread but you beat me to it.

Winning yesterday definitely doesn't cure all our ills for the current season or in the long term for this program. And just because it took 2 OTs to beat a 'weak' WF team, it doesn't mean it was because of lack of effort. Offensive rebounds definitely take effort and we've gotten a significant number of those not only against the weak WF team but also against the good UNC team.

I too have spent a good bit of time the last few games not just watching the ball but focusing on players off of the ball, even more so yesterday with all the in-game posts regarding lack of effort, point shaving, etc etc. I have long questioned Mike Young's demeanor and attitude on the court when he comes up against a team with a good front line that plays him aggressively as I think he definitely gets frustrated and pouts in many of those cases. I felt that way about Mike dating to last year, not just with this season's recent downturn. And yeah, that attitude definitely leads to some less than optimal effort, but by and large I think the poor performance is due more so to poor communications, stupid decisions, some selfish play and talent limitations than lack of effort.

Same with Jamel Artis. He has definitely been playing poorly and has made some real bone-headed decisions but I didn't see the lack of effort when I was focusing on him, particularly on defense. What I saw more so was bad decision-making. There were all kinds of obvious bad decisions on offense, but the lapses I saw on defense were decision-making as well.

Overall, this team just doesn't play the high-energy in-your face defense that can stifle and wear down an opponent. That's a negative against them (and maybe more so against Jamie), but I also don't see them just going through the motions on defense. It is just the slight hesitation or brief relaxation by anyone of them that gives the opponent that couple step cushion for the open shot or other advantage. Compound that with a number of them not being quick enough to prevent opponents from driving to the hoop, or not good enough at fighting through screens and you end up with a lot of deficiencies on defense.

And lastly, communication and decision-making leads to a lot of defensive lapses. Guys switching off and then no one picking up the other guy. Leaving guys wide open when in zone or just trying to hedge or cheat but not being quick enough to get back to the guy they were giving the cushion to. Their defensive lapses in this regard remind me of the Steelers backfield. Yeah they may have some less than elite talent DBs but so many times it wasn't the talent deficiency, it was scheme and/or communications because they had no one covering a wide open opponent.

I'm sure not saying there is any quick fix or miracle turnaround coming for the Panthers. I just don't see all of their ills being do to lack of effort as is a popular theme on the board currently.

 

[GT74]

Agree with you NCanton. Things were coming easy for the Panthers early in the year, and their confidence level was sky-high. But a few losses and/or poor shooting can take that down quickly. It is difficult with a talent/athleticism deficiency with regard to the top teams to be able to compete with them, let alone beat them. So, when the ranked teams put it on the Panthers, frustration set in and confidence dived. I don't know if the claims of 'chemistry' problems were true, and I won't speculate, because losing brings out the demons in teams, but the body language definitely showed frustration. I, myself, questioned Pitt's attitude and effort, but I think it was more frustration and low-confidence because of the losses. As I look back, it is tough for this group to beat the NCs, Purdues, Miami's, Vas of the world, but the expectation and reputation says they can beat good teams at least at home, and it isn't happening. That is why I say they need a confidence boost to get back to their peak level. Let's hope they beat Syracuse, and win a game at home against ACC elite teams. then maybe, they can make a mark in the NCAAs.