Dixon flat out HANDS the game to LVille

[TicoCooperFan]

Dixon is just unreal with his lineup moves.

Lineup with Luther/Jeter/Jones/Robinson DOMINATED Louisville. Just DOMINATED them. Luther was unstoppable and LVille couldn't score. Pitt up by 8.

6 mins left Dixon puts back in Young & Artis...Luther is a forgotten man (Young and Artis haven't met him at practice yet I suppose) and Lville scores at will.

There's nothing more to say. That's the game. If Pitt doesn't make the dance remember this one.

 

[The Sisco Kid]

Tico always good to get your perspective

 

[jcpitt]

Dixon is just unreal with his lineup moves.

Lineup with Luther/Jeter/Jones/Robinson DOMINATED Louisville. Just DOMINATED them. Luther was unstoppable and LVille couldn't score. Pitt up by 8.

6 mins left Dixon puts back in Young & Artis...Luther is a forgotten man (Young and Artis haven't met him at practice yet I suppose) and Lville scores at will.

There's nothing more to say. That's the game. If Pitt doesn't make the dance remember this one.

Let's be honest here, does this Pitt team really deserve an at large bid?

 

[iMissTheOldDays]

They don't deserve to dance and news flash to everybody we are not beating duke

 

[PittPoker]

Artis and Young are SELFISH SELFISH SELFISH!!! They had no interest in looking for the best player tonight down the stretch, they wanted to do everything. Luther WAS the forgotten man late.

 

[pittizit]

Uh no

 

[hilltoppanther]

Dixon is just unreal with his lineup moves.

Lineup with Luther/Jeter/Jones/Robinson DOMINATED Louisville. Just DOMINATED them. Luther was unstoppable and LVille couldn't score. Pitt up by 8.

6 mins left Dixon puts back in Young & Artis...Luther is a forgotten man (Young and Artis haven't met him at practice yet I suppose) and Lville scores at will.

There's nothing more to say. That's the game. If Pitt doesn't make the dance remember this one.

Was this before or after Jeter's awful closeout to the corner when he got posterized on the dunk?

 

[GT74]

They don't deserve to dance and news flash to everybody we are not beating duke

Come on. Pitt is not grasping the opportunity, but look around cbb, everyone loses. Every night a bubble team goes down. The tourney committee will have its hands full, going down to the last playing date. Pitt is not great, but how many teams are better? Pitt's RPI was 34 before tonight.

 

[iMissTheOldDays]

Come on. Pitt is not grasping the opportunity, but look around cbb, everyone loses. Every night a bubble team goes down. The tourney committee will have its hands full, going down to the last playing date. Pitt is not great, but how many teams are better? Pitt's RPI was 34 before tonight.

I'm just saying man we have beaten ND and an average cuse team twice and that's it , we needed this win and had it and blew it

 

[PITT92DOG]

They don't deserve to dance and news flash to everybody we are not beating duke

Someone needs to go to bed and calm down a little.

 

[iMissTheOldDays]

Someone needs to go to bed and calm down a little.

lol im calm buddy .. What in my post was wrong to you ? We're not beating duke , and we have done next to nothing to deserve to be in the tournament thus far

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Was this before or after Jeter's awful closeout to the corner when he got posterized on the dunk?

I can't believe that there is anyone wishing for more of what we saw from Sheldon Jeter tonight. 11 minutes, 0 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 11 minutes of awful defense. Sign me up for some more of that!

 

[DT_PITT]

Was this before or after Jeter's awful closeout to the corner when he got posterized on the dunk?

This play was just terrible. Terrible.

 

[UPitt '89]

I can't believe that there is anyone wishing for more of what we saw from Sheldon Jeter tonight. 11 minutes, 0 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover and 11 minutes of awful defense. Sign me up for some more of that!

Our three juniors are our biggest problems on this team. #1, #2, and #21.

 

[DT_PITT]

Our three juniors are our biggest problems on this team. #1, #2, and #21.

And, they are the three most important players, too.

Sheldon is unhappy with playing time, but he needs to do something to stay in the game, and he didn't do anything like that today. I was hoping he'd pick up for Mike in the second half, but he was a step down from Mike.

 

[iMissTheOldDays]

And, they are the three most important players, too.

Sheldon is unhappy with playing time, but he needs to do something to stay in the game, and he didn't do anything like that today. I was hoping he'd pick up for Mike in the second half, but he was a step down from Mike.

If this is true it is just laughable .. How can he possibly be upset about playing time ? What has he ever done besides have decent games against garbage teams once every blue moon ? The kid plays ZERO defense and takes awful shots .. Not to sound like a dick but my god , he's unhappy with playing time !? My mind is blown because he really deserves less playing time if anything

 

[DT_PITT]

If this is true it is just laughable .. How can he possibly be upset about playing time ? What has he ever done besides have decent games against garbage teams once every blue moon ? The kid plays ZERO defense and takes awful shots .. Not to sound like a dick but my god , he's unhappy with playing time !? My mind is blown because he really deserves less playing time if anything

He's played a couple very good games against some good teams -- even ND this year. But these are too infrequent.

 

[UPitt '89]

If this is true it is just laughable .. How can he possibly be upset about playing time ? What has he ever done besides have decent games against garbage teams once every blue moon ? The kid plays ZERO defense and takes awful shots .. Not to sound like a dick but my god , he's unhappy with playing time !? My mind is blown because he really deserves less playing time if anything

To be fair.... I want a team of players that all want more playing time.

Whether they deserve it or not, they should all WANT it.

But I want guys... like Luther and Jones.... who do what they need to do to get more playing time when the opportunity presents itself. Over the past 4 games, Jones has taken advantage of Sterling Smith's disappearing act to play halfway decent and keep himself in the games. Same thing with Luther taking advantage of his opportunities over the past 5 or 6 games.

If Jeter feels entitled to more minutes, then he has to take advantage of the minutes he gets. Jamie made him a starter for a few games a month ago and he squandered that opportunity.

Similarly, I had hoped that Mike Young not starting a game would wake him up that he isn't entitled to anything, and he needs to earn it. But apparently not.

Dixon should start the game with THIS lineup on Sunday... even if only until the first TV timeout... just to send a much-needed message:

Robinson
Jones
Johnson
Luther
Maia

At least those five *TRY* to defend. Then when we get to the first TV timeout... you can bring in Artis, Young, and Jeter. Hopefully with a chip on their shoulders and focused.

 

[iMissTheOldDays]

He's played a couple very good games against some good teams -- even ND this year. But these are too infrequent.

Yea against ND earlier this year and UNC last year he was great , but other than those and very few others next to nothing .. his defense alone is what keeps him off the floor and it confuses me because he has all the tools to be a great defender it's painfully obvious he just does not want to defend , with all
The points he gives up he would have to average about 18-20 to make up for it and stay on the floor

 

[PittPoker]

To be fair.... I want a team of players that all want more playing time.

Whether they deserve it or not, they should all WANT it.

But I want guys... like Luther and Jones.... who do what they need to do to get more playing time when the opportunity presents itself. Over the past 4 games, Jones has taken advantage of Sterling Smith's disappearing act to play halfway decent and keep himself in the games. Same thing with Luther taking advantage of his opportunities over the past 5 or 6 games.

If Jeter feels entitled to more minutes, then he has to take advantage of the minutes he gets. Jamie made him a starter for a few games a month ago and he squandered that opportunity.

Similarly, I had hoped that Mike Young not starting a game would wake him up that he isn't entitled to anything, and he needs to earn it. But apparently not.

Dixon should start the game with THIS lineup on Sunday... even if only until the first TV timeout... just to send a much-needed message:

Robinson
Jones
Johnson
Luther
Maia

At least those five *TRY* to defend. Then when we get to the first TV timeout... you can bring in Artis, Young, and Jeter. Hopefully with a chip on their shoulders and focused.

Not Johnson. Not yet anyways.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Sheldon is unhappy with playing time, but he needs to do something to stay in the game, and he didn't do anything like that today.

He picked up two fouls in two minutes in the first half tonight and then went back to the bench. We can argue about the wisdom of that strategy but it is pretty standard for D1 coaches to sit guys with two fouls in the first half. In the second half he played 9 of 20 minutes. Maybe not quite as much as he would like, but not a bad workload.

If he wants more playing time the two keys are play well when you are in there (duh!) and stop fouling so damn much. This isn't the first time he's done that recently. If you pick up two fouls in two minutes you are heading for the bench. So don't do that.

 

[UPitt '89]

He picked up two fouls in two minutes in the first half tonight and then went back to the bench. We can argue about the wisdom of that strategy but it is pretty standard for D1 coaches to sit guys with two fouls in the first half. In the second half he played 9 of 20 minutes. Maybe not quite as much as he would like, but not a bad workload.

If he wants more playing time the two keys are play well when you are in there (duh!) and stop fouling so damn much. This isn't the first time he's done that recently. If you pick up two fouls in two minutes you are heading for the bench. So don't do that.

Conversely, when a player is playing poorly *cough*Young*cough*, he should get less playing time.

It should change game to game, based on how players are performing. If they are playing well, ride 'em. If they are having a bad game, sit 'em. It is a very simple theory that almost all successful coaches in sports follow. Play the guys that have earned it, and sit the guys that haven't.

 

[mbrannagan]

I'm just saying man we have beaten ND and an average cuse team twice and that's it , we needed this win and had it and blew it

But we also don't have any bad losses, that can't be said for many teams. We are playing at the level we are ranked, no surprise wins, no real surprise losses. You could say we should have split with cuse and lost to Notre Dame, that balances out losing to clemson and NC St. We are exactly where we should be. A mediocre tournament team, but still in the top 45 teams in the country. Nothing to be particularly proud of, but nothing that wasn't expected at the beginning of this year.

 

[UPitt '89]

But we also don't have any bad losses, that can't be said for many teams. We are playing at the level we are ranked, no surprise wins, no real surprise losses. You could say we should have split with cuse and lost to Notre Dame, that balances out losing to clemson and NC St. We are exactly where we should be. A mediocre tournament team, but still in the top 45 teams in the country. Nothing to be particularly proud of, but nothing that wasn't expected at the beginning of this year.

Actually, Pitt was picked 10th in the ACC this year... .and they'll likely finish between 6th and 8th. So we are actually outperforming pre-season expectations.

 

[Atch]

They don't deserve to dance and news flash to everybody we are not beating duke

Thanks for the news flash.

 

[UPitt '89]

No problem , dickhead

Easy, dude.

Atch is one of the best Pitt fans around and deserves better than that.

There's lots of dick heads on this site... including me... but not Atch.

 

[iMissTheOldDays]

Thanks for the news flash.

No problem , Sir ... There is that better ?

 

[wbrpanther]

Dixon is just unreal with his lineup moves.

Lineup with Luther/Jeter/Jones/Robinson DOMINATED Louisville. Just DOMINATED them. Luther was unstoppable and LVille couldn't score. Pitt up by 8.

6 mins left Dixon puts back in Young & Artis...Luther is a forgotten man (Young and Artis haven't met him at practice yet I suppose) and Lville scores at will.

There's nothing more to say. That's the game. If Pitt doesn't make the dance remember this one.

Not trying to rag your ass but are you saying Dixon should have kept his top two scorers on the bench in crunch time? Could you imagine this board if he had done that?

The problem is what those 2 guys try to do some times. Pitt could have been playing with a double digit lead late in that game had they been smarter with the ball all game. Young driving into 3 man traps in the lane and Artis rushing down and turning it over on multiple breaks was the problem. not Dixon.

And yes, Ryan Luther needs to play 30 minutes a games and touch the ball more

 

[wbrpanther]

Let's be honest here, does this Pitt team really deserve an at large bid?

I'll be honest here. When you look at the teams that would get in if Pitt is left out? Yes, they would deserve to be in.

 

[DT_PITT]

Easy, dude.

Atch is one of the best Pitt fans around and deserves better than that.

There's lots of dick heads on this site... including me... but not Atch.

"... including me ..." ... LOL!!

But Atch is in the very top tier, no doubt!

 

[NTOP]

"... including me ..." ... LOL!!

But Atch is in the very top tier, no doubt!

Like you & I....he overmarried.