Florida Gulf Coast Game & Other Dribbles ...

[DT_PITT]

** Niagara. Nicholls. St. Francis (PA). The Citadel, UMBC, and even VCU.

** That’s the quite unsightly list of foes who have upended our Panthers in the OOC season during the Capel era. Each of those losses had their own reasons, but the only common denominator among them all is that these were clearly substandard opponents.

** Florida Gulf Coast should probably be considered at least a place above this substandard list. In fact, they were a tough and strong group who have some legit weapons. Nonetheless, I walked out of the Pete this evening feeling like this year’s group of Panthers is certainly different at this point in the season than any of the previous Capel teams. Other Capel teams would likely have lost a game like this.

** I see the difference with this year's team is that they know who they are, and know what they need to do to keep opponents like the Eagles at arm’s length, instead of letting them gain an upper hand.

** Mostly, tonight the Panther’s kept FGC a couple of possessions away because they ran some really good offense.

** And this isn’t to say that we were really good offensively. In fact, we didn’t shoot the ball well from three point line, and fumbled about at the foul line, leaving about a dozen or so points to be had from both spots on the table.

** Still, the Panthers notched 86 points. That’s impressive.

** It’s hard for me to think of a single trip on our end during the game when we struggled to get something we wanted offensively. We took care of the ball well while executing our stuff very well. Our guys are running some fluid sets, particularly the zoom screens that bring Bub out from the baseline, swinging up near the top of the key. And Bub was hitting that shot more often than not.

** Blake was getting his typical threes as well, but for a better part of the game he wasn’t hitting his shot more often than not. In fact, for parts of this game, Blake may have been hurting more than helping.

** But no worry. Because tonight, Jaland Lowe joined the attack.

** During the first half, Jaland was likely our best offensive player, both with shooting and playmaking. He was also solid on the defensive end, with his switches on the perimeter.

** Last Friday, I suggested that Jaland’s growth might be more important than any other player, so my thanks to him for allowing my thoughts to be right for once. If it wasn’t for Jaland’s first half, it’s possible the Panthers go to the break tied, if not even behind, instead of ahead by comfy double digits.

** Had this been the case, maybe tonight we are adding Florida Gulf Coast to the unsightly list of names that led off today’s edition.

** Our 86 points were important for another reason. That is because tonight showed there is some work to be done on defense.

** I’m not suggesting that there were any real difficulties with our defensive efforts. Instead, I could point to several areas of defensive execution that caused some problems.

** Early in the game, we looked to chose to go under screens about 5-6 times too many leaving space for perimeter shooters. This seemed to improve as the game went on. But the bigger problems were a result of FGC’s posting up in the lane. One on one, Fede struggled with it, and GDiaz really struggled with it, especially to FGC’s physicality.

** But we were able to offer some post defense when we ran a double at the post man, and most often this was accomplished by Will Jeffress.

** Overall, Will’s impact on the game on the defensive end cannot be overstated. He was exceptional, and the difference he made on the outcome was likely greater than Jaland’s.

** Beyond Will’s help in the post, he was almost flawless shutting down his man, which several times led to bad shots or even turnovers. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a 21 minute defensive only performance quite like Will’s tonight.

** And on this night, Will didn’t even try to get involved offensively, understanding that wasn’t his role. So going back to my above point, we scored 86 points with one guy on our team playing 21 minutes and taking just one shot. I hope this is indeed as good of a sign as I think it is.

** We already know that Bub and Ish are a pretty nifty backcourt pair. I can’t wait to see how they stack up against some of the finer backcourts in the ACC. And adding in Jaland’s dozen to make 48 points among the trio should hopefully convince some such as myself that we are further along replacing last year’s senior guards than I may have thought previously.

** Finally, I’ll throw a little shout out to Zach for knocking down a big triple. He may be coming along a little more slowly than we might like. But I do think he’s indeed coming around.

** There was a part of me that was hoping for another 20+ point win tonight, adding more fuel to our fire that this team just might be special. While I liked the Panther performance tonight, it wasn’t exactly that kind of impressive performance.

** But it was certainly the kind of performance that shows this team remains on the right track for this campaign. And it sure as heck beats some of the head scratching defeats in the fall of the previous five.

 

[Pitt2006]

** Niagara. Nicholls, St. Francis (PA), The Citadel, UMBC, and even VCU.

** That’s the quite unsightly list of foes who have upended our Panthers in the OOC season during the Capel era. Each of those losses had their own reasons, but the only common denominator among them all is that these were clearly substandard opponents.

** Florida Gulf Coast should probably be considered at least a place above this substandard list. In fact, they were a tough and strong group who have some legit weapons. Nonetheless, I walked out of the Pete this evening feeling like this year’s group of Panthers is certainly different at this point in the season than any of the previous Capel teams. Other Capel teams would likely have lost a game like this.

** I see the difference with this year's team is that they know who they are, and know what they need to do to keep opponents like the Eagles at arm’s length, instead of letting them gain an upper hand.

** Mostly, tonight the Panther’s kept FGC a couple of possessions away because they ran some really good offense.

** And this isn’t to say that we were really good offensively. In fact, we didn’t shoot the ball well from three point line, and fumbled about at the foul line, leaving about a dozen or so points to be had from both spots on the table.

** Still, the Panthers notched 86 points. That’s impressive.

** It’s hard for me to think of a single trip on our end during the game when we struggled to get something we wanted offensively. We took care of the ball well while executing our stuff very well. Our guys are running some fluid sets, particularly the zoom screens that bring Bub out from the baseline, swinging up near the top of the key. And Bub was hitting that shot more often than not.

** Blake was getting his typical threes as well, but for a better part of the game he wasn’t hitting his shot more often than not. In fact, for parts of this game, Blake may have been hurting more than helping.

** But no worry. Because tonight, Jaland Lowe joined the attack.

** During the first half, Jaland was likely our best offensive player, both with shooting and playmaking. He was also solid on the defensive end, with his switches on the perimeter.

** Last Friday, I suggested that Jaland’s growth might be more important than any other player, so my thanks to him for allowing my thoughts to be right for once. If it wasn’t for Jaland’s first half, it’s possible the Panthers go to the break tied, if not even behind, instead of ahead by comfy double digits.

** Had this been the case, maybe tonight we are adding Florida Gulf Coast to the unsightly list of names that led off today’s edition.

** Our 86 points were important for another reason. That is because tonight showed there is some work to be done on defense.

** I’m not suggesting that there were any real difficulties with our defensive efforts. Instead, I could point to several areas of defensive execution that caused some problems.

** Early in the game, we looked to chose to go under screens about 5-6 times too many leaving space for perimeter shooters. This seemed to improve as the game went on. But the bigger problems were a result of FGC’s posting up in the lane. One on one, Fede struggled with it, and GDiaz really struggled with it, especially to FGC’s physicality.

** But we were able to offer some post defense when we ran a double at the post man, and most often this was accomplished by Will Jeffress.

** Overall, Will’s impact on the game on the defensive end cannot be overstated. He was exceptional, and the difference he made on the outcome was likely greater than Jaland’s.

** Beyond Will’s help in the post, he was almost flawless shutting down his man, which several times led to bad shots or even turnovers. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a 21 minute defensive only performance quite like Will’s tonight.

** And on this night, Will didn’t even try to get involved offensively, understanding that wasn’t his role. So going back to my above point, we scored 86 points with one guy on our team playing 21 minutes and taking just one shot. I hope this is indeed as good of a sign as I think it is.

** We already know that Bub and Ish are a pretty nifty backcourt pair. I can’t wait to see how they stack up against some of the finer backcourts in the ACC. And adding in Jaland’s dozen to make 47 points among the trio should hopefully convince some such as myself that we are further along replacing last year’s senior guards than I may have thought previously.

** Finally, I’ll throw a little shout out to Zach for knocking down a big triple. He may be coming along a little more slowly than we might like. But I do think he’s indeed coming around.

** There was a part of me that was hoping for another 20+ point win tonight, adding more fuel to our fire that this team just might be special. While I liked the Panther performance tonight, it wasn’t exactly that kind impressive performance.

** But it was certainly the kind of performance that shows this team remains on the right track for this campaign, instead of some of the head scratching defeats in the fall of the previous five.

I feel like I remember great defense and little scoring from some of dixons players, but it is a much needed asset. While they never got the kill shot to safely cover the spread, it goes to show the importance of not being one dimensional offensively. This is agreed a game they lose in past years when the three was not falling.

 

[PittPoker]

** Niagara. Nicholls, St. Francis (PA), The Citadel, UMBC, and even VCU.

** That’s the quite unsightly list of foes who have upended our Panthers in the OOC season during the Capel era. Each of those losses had their own reasons, but the only common denominator among them all is that these were clearly substandard opponents.

** Florida Gulf Coast should probably be considered at least a place above this substandard list. In fact, they were a tough and strong group who have some legit weapons. Nonetheless, I walked out of the Pete this evening feeling like this year’s group of Panthers is certainly different at this point in the season than any of the previous Capel teams. Other Capel teams would likely have lost a game like this.

** I see the difference with this year's team is that they know who they are, and know what they need to do to keep opponents like the Eagles at arm’s length, instead of letting them gain an upper hand.

** Mostly, tonight the Panther’s kept FGC a couple of possessions away because they ran some really good offense.

** And this isn’t to say that we were really good offensively. In fact, we didn’t shoot the ball well from three point line, and fumbled about at the foul line, leaving about a dozen or so points to be had from both spots on the table.

** Still, the Panthers notched 86 points. That’s impressive.

** It’s hard for me to think of a single trip on our end during the game when we struggled to get something we wanted offensively. We took care of the ball well while executing our stuff very well. Our guys are running some fluid sets, particularly the zoom screens that bring Bub out from the baseline, swinging up near the top of the key. And Bub was hitting that shot more often than not.

** Blake was getting his typical threes as well, but for a better part of the game he wasn’t hitting his shot more often than not. In fact, for parts of this game, Blake may have been hurting more than helping.

** But no worry. Because tonight, Jaland Lowe joined the attack.

** During the first half, Jaland was likely our best offensive player, both with shooting and playmaking. He was also solid on the defensive end, with his switches on the perimeter.

** Last Friday, I suggested that Jaland’s growth might be more important than any other player, so my thanks to him for allowing my thoughts to be right for once. If it wasn’t for Jaland’s first half, it’s possible the Panthers go to the break tied, if not even behind, instead of ahead by comfy double digits.

** Had this been the case, maybe tonight we are adding Florida Gulf Coast to the unsightly list of names that led off today’s edition.

** Our 86 points were important for another reason. That is because tonight showed there is some work to be done on defense.

** I’m not suggesting that there were any real difficulties with our defensive efforts. Instead, I could point to several areas of defensive execution that caused some problems.

** Early in the game, we looked to chose to go under screens about 5-6 times too many leaving space for perimeter shooters. This seemed to improve as the game went on. But the bigger problems were a result of FGC’s posting up in the lane. One on one, Fede struggled with it, and GDiaz really struggled with it, especially to FGC’s physicality.

** But we were able to offer some post defense when we ran a double at the post man, and most often this was accomplished by Will Jeffress.

** Overall, Will’s impact on the game on the defensive end cannot be overstated. He was exceptional, and the difference he made on the outcome was likely greater than Jaland’s.

** Beyond Will’s help in the post, he was almost flawless shutting down his man, which several times led to bad shots or even turnovers. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a 21 minute defensive only performance quite like Will’s tonight.

** And on this night, Will didn’t even try to get involved offensively, understanding that wasn’t his role. So going back to my above point, we scored 86 points with one guy on our team playing 21 minutes and taking just one shot. I hope this is indeed as good of a sign as I think it is.

** We already know that Bub and Ish are a pretty nifty backcourt pair. I can’t wait to see how they stack up against some of the finer backcourts in the ACC. And adding in Jaland’s dozen to make 47 points among the trio should hopefully convince some such as myself that we are further along replacing last year’s senior guards than I may have thought previously.

** Finally, I’ll throw a little shout out to Zach for knocking down a big triple. He may be coming along a little more slowly than we might like. But I do think he’s indeed coming around.

** There was a part of me that was hoping for another 20+ point win tonight, adding more fuel to our fire that this team just might be special. While I liked the Panther performance tonight, it wasn’t exactly that kind impressive performance.

** But it was certainly the kind of performance that shows this team remains on the right track for this campaign. And it sure as heck beats some of the head scratching defeats in the fall of the previous five.

I thought Pitt was gonna win by 22(that was my prediction)and we would have won by 20+ if the FT shooting didn't suck. That's how different I feel this team is compared to all the other Capel teams, even last season's team. Pitt gave about 12-14 points away on the foul line and still won by 12. No way that happens in previous seasons. This is gonna be a really fun season no doubt.

 

[DT_PITT]

I thought Pitt was gonna win by 22(that was my prediction)and we would have won by 20+ if the FT shooting didn't suck. That's how different I feel this team is compared to all the other Capel teams, even last season's team. Pitt gave about 12-14 points away on the foul line and still won by 12. No way that happens in previous seasons. This is gonna be a really fun season no doubt.

I wouldn’t say we gave away 12 points at the foul line. We were 18-32. So if we had 12 more, we would have been 30-32, which would have better than anyone shoots.

As I often say, free throws are not free. If we would have hit six more, we would have been 75% which would have been a really decent night at the foul line.

 

[PittPoker]

I wouldn’t say we gave away 12 points at the foul line. We were 18-32. So if we had 12 more, we would have been 30-32, which would have better than anyone shoots.

As I often say, free throws are not free. If we would have hit six more, we would have been 75% which would have been a really decent night at the foul line.

I'll take even 25 of 32 from the line. That's 7 more points and we win by almost 20 points. Pitt missed 14 FT's and still won by 12.

 

[gary2]

** Niagara. Nicholls, St. Francis (PA), The Citadel, UMBC, and even VCU.

** That’s the quite unsightly list of foes who have upended our Panthers in the OOC season during the Capel era. Each of those losses had their own reasons, but the only common denominator among them all is that these were clearly substandard opponents.

** Florida Gulf Coast should probably be considered at least a place above this substandard list. In fact, they were a tough and strong group who have some legit weapons. Nonetheless, I walked out of the Pete this evening feeling like this year’s group of Panthers is certainly different at this point in the season than any of the previous Capel teams. Other Capel teams would likely have lost a game like this.

** I see the difference with this year's team is that they know who they are, and know what they need to do to keep opponents like the Eagles at arm’s length, instead of letting them gain an upper hand.

** Mostly, tonight the Panther’s kept FGC a couple of possessions away because they ran some really good offense.

** And this isn’t to say that we were really good offensively. In fact, we didn’t shoot the ball well from three point line, and fumbled about at the foul line, leaving about a dozen or so points to be had from both spots on the table.

** Still, the Panthers notched 86 points. That’s impressive.

** It’s hard for me to think of a single trip on our end during the game when we struggled to get something we wanted offensively. We took care of the ball well while executing our stuff very well. Our guys are running some fluid sets, particularly the zoom screens that bring Bub out from the baseline, swinging up near the top of the key. And Bub was hitting that shot more often than not.

** Blake was getting his typical threes as well, but for a better part of the game he wasn’t hitting his shot more often than not. In fact, for parts of this game, Blake may have been hurting more than helping.

** But no worry. Because tonight, Jaland Lowe joined the attack.

** During the first half, Jaland was likely our best offensive player, both with shooting and playmaking. He was also solid on the defensive end, with his switches on the perimeter.

** Last Friday, I suggested that Jaland’s growth might be more important than any other player, so my thanks to him for allowing my thoughts to be right for once. If it wasn’t for Jaland’s first half, it’s possible the Panthers go to the break tied, if not even behind, instead of ahead by comfy double digits.

** Had this been the case, maybe tonight we are adding Florida Gulf Coast to the unsightly list of names that led off today’s edition.

** Our 86 points were important for another reason. That is because tonight showed there is some work to be done on defense.

** I’m not suggesting that there were any real difficulties with our defensive efforts. Instead, I could point to several areas of defensive execution that caused some problems.

** Early in the game, we looked to chose to go under screens about 5-6 times too many leaving space for perimeter shooters. This seemed to improve as the game went on. But the bigger problems were a result of FGC’s posting up in the lane. One on one, Fede struggled with it, and GDiaz really struggled with it, especially to FGC’s physicality.

** But we were able to offer some post defense when we ran a double at the post man, and most often this was accomplished by Will Jeffress.

** Overall, Will’s impact on the game on the defensive end cannot be overstated. He was exceptional, and the difference he made on the outcome was likely greater than Jaland’s.

** Beyond Will’s help in the post, he was almost flawless shutting down his man, which several times led to bad shots or even turnovers. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a 21 minute defensive only performance quite like Will’s tonight.

** And on this night, Will didn’t even try to get involved offensively, understanding that wasn’t his role. So going back to my above point, we scored 86 points with one guy on our team playing 21 minutes and taking just one shot. I hope this is indeed as good of a sign as I think it is.

** We already know that Bub and Ish are a pretty nifty backcourt pair. I can’t wait to see how they stack up against some of the finer backcourts in the ACC. And adding in Jaland’s dozen to make 47 points among the trio should hopefully convince some such as myself that we are further along replacing last year’s senior guards than I may have thought previously.

** Finally, I’ll throw a little shout out to Zach for knocking down a big triple. He may be coming along a little more slowly than we might like. But I do think he’s indeed coming around.

** There was a part of me that was hoping for another 20+ point win tonight, adding more fuel to our fire that this team just might be special. While I liked the Panther performance tonight, it wasn’t exactly that kind impressive performance.

** But it was certainly the kind of performance that shows this team remains on the right track for this campaign. And it sure as heck beats some of the head scratching defeats in the fall of the previous five.

I think FCGU had some players. This game was a good early test.

Worried about the free throw shooting though.

 

[DT_PITT]

I'll take even 25 of 32 from the line. That's 7 more points and we win by almost 20 points. Pitt missed 14 FT's and still won by 12.

78% would be a really good night.

23-32 would be an average night by NCAA standards. So from that, allow me to “fairly” suggest that we left 5-6 points at the line below reasonable expectations.

 

[gary2]

This team has chemistry and is unselfish like last years.

Big differences in style of play.

Hopefully, both styles can work. Carrington makes that likely so.

 

[Fredact]

I wouldn’t say we gave away 12 points at the foul line. We were 18-32. So if we had 12 more, we would have been 30-32, which would have better than anyone shoots.

As I often say, free throws are not free. If we would have hit six more, we would have been 75% which would have been a really decent night at the foul line.

The average free throw percentage in college is just under 70%, so yes, 75% would be a good night. Had both teams been average tonight, Pitt would have had 4 more points and FGCU would have had one more, for a net 3 point bigger win.

For as much as fans gnash their teeth at free throw percentages, there is almost no correlation between free throw percentage rate and winning percentage. There's a much much higher correlation of winning % and number of trips to the free throw line though, and tonights a good example as Pitt made more free throws than FGCU attempted. So despite missing a handful, Pitt won the FT battle by 7 points (18 to 11).

 

[Bethlehemjohn]

** Niagara. Nicholls, St. Francis (PA), The Citadel, UMBC, and even VCU.

** That’s the quite unsightly list of foes who have upended our Panthers in the OOC season during the Capel era. Each of those losses had their own reasons, but the only common denominator among them all is that these were clearly substandard opponents.

** Florida Gulf Coast should probably be considered at least a place above this substandard list. In fact, they were a tough and strong group who have some legit weapons. Nonetheless, I walked out of the Pete this evening feeling like this year’s group of Panthers is certainly different at this point in the season than any of the previous Capel teams. Other Capel teams would likely have lost a game like this.

** I see the difference with this year's team is that they know who they are, and know what they need to do to keep opponents like the Eagles at arm’s length, instead of letting them gain an upper hand.

** Mostly, tonight the Panther’s kept FGC a couple of possessions away because they ran some really good offense.

** And this isn’t to say that we were really good offensively. In fact, we didn’t shoot the ball well from three point line, and fumbled about at the foul line, leaving about a dozen or so points to be had from both spots on the table.

** Still, the Panthers notched 86 points. That’s impressive.

** It’s hard for me to think of a single trip on our end during the game when we struggled to get something we wanted offensively. We took care of the ball well while executing our stuff very well. Our guys are running some fluid sets, particularly the zoom screens that bring Bub out from the baseline, swinging up near the top of the key. And Bub was hitting that shot more often than not.

** Blake was getting his typical threes as well, but for a better part of the game he wasn’t hitting his shot more often than not. In fact, for parts of this game, Blake may have been hurting more than helping.

** But no worry. Because tonight, Jaland Lowe joined the attack.

** During the first half, Jaland was likely our best offensive player, both with shooting and playmaking. He was also solid on the defensive end, with his switches on the perimeter.

** Last Friday, I suggested that Jaland’s growth might be more important than any other player, so my thanks to him for allowing my thoughts to be right for once. If it wasn’t for Jaland’s first half, it’s possible the Panthers go to the break tied, if not even behind, instead of ahead by comfy double digits.

** Had this been the case, maybe tonight we are adding Florida Gulf Coast to the unsightly list of names that led off today’s edition.

** Our 86 points were important for another reason. That is because tonight showed there is some work to be done on defense.

** I’m not suggesting that there were any real difficulties with our defensive efforts. Instead, I could point to several areas of defensive execution that caused some problems.

** Early in the game, we looked to chose to go under screens about 5-6 times too many leaving space for perimeter shooters. This seemed to improve as the game went on. But the bigger problems were a result of FGC’s posting up in the lane. One on one, Fede struggled with it, and GDiaz really struggled with it, especially to FGC’s physicality.

** But we were able to offer some post defense when we ran a double at the post man, and most often this was accomplished by Will Jeffress.

** Overall, Will’s impact on the game on the defensive end cannot be overstated. He was exceptional, and the difference he made on the outcome was likely greater than Jaland’s.

** Beyond Will’s help in the post, he was almost flawless shutting down his man, which several times led to bad shots or even turnovers. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a 21 minute defensive only performance quite like Will’s tonight.

** And on this night, Will didn’t even try to get involved offensively, understanding that wasn’t his role. So going back to my above point, we scored 86 points with one guy on our team playing 21 minutes and taking just one shot. I hope this is indeed as good of a sign as I think it is.

** We already know that Bub and Ish are a pretty nifty backcourt pair. I can’t wait to see how they stack up against some of the finer backcourts in the ACC. And adding in Jaland’s dozen to make 47 points among the trio should hopefully convince some such as myself that we are further along replacing last year’s senior guards than I may have thought previously.

** Finally, I’ll throw a little shout out to Zach for knocking down a big triple. He may be coming along a little more slowly than we might like. But I do think he’s indeed coming around.

** There was a part of me that was hoping for another 20+ point win tonight, adding more fuel to our fire that this team just might be special. While I liked the Panther performance tonight, it wasn’t exactly that kind impressive performance.

** But it was certainly the kind of performance that shows this team remains on the right track for this campaign. And it sure as heck beats some of the head scratching defeats in the fall of the previous five.

-FGCU was better than I thought. However, it was not because of their guard play, but it was because of their bigs.
-We had a few bad offensive trips and 2 that I recall were when G tried to play PG.
-As you said, Blake did not play all that well, but he did score a big 5 points for us when they cut the lead to 7.
-Huge first half for Jaland and that will do wonders for his confidence. Personally, I thought he was trying to do way too much the first 2 games and looked like Nelly did early last year.
-Will’s defense was very, very good tonight and on 2 separate FGCU possessions late in the game, he single handily kept them at arms length.
-In Capel’s press conference, he said he wanted the guys to go below the screen on Burno, but he made them pay 3 times early and then they adjusted on him.
-It was nice to see us handle some pressure possessions both on O and D late in the game. This team can be very, very good, but we still have a lot of work to do.

 

[Vader_Storm]

** Niagara. Nicholls, St. Francis (PA), The Citadel, UMBC, and even VCU.

** That’s the quite unsightly list of foes who have upended our Panthers in the OOC season during the Capel era. Each of those losses had their own reasons, but the only common denominator among them all is that these were clearly substandard opponents.

** Florida Gulf Coast should probably be considered at least a place above this substandard list. In fact, they were a tough and strong group who have some legit weapons. Nonetheless, I walked out of the Pete this evening feeling like this year’s group of Panthers is certainly different at this point in the season than any of the previous Capel teams. Other Capel teams would likely have lost a game like this.

** I see the difference with this year's team is that they know who they are, and know what they need to do to keep opponents like the Eagles at arm’s length, instead of letting them gain an upper hand.

** Mostly, tonight the Panther’s kept FGC a couple of possessions away because they ran some really good offense.

** And this isn’t to say that we were really good offensively. In fact, we didn’t shoot the ball well from three point line, and fumbled about at the foul line, leaving about a dozen or so points to be had from both spots on the table.

** Still, the Panthers notched 86 points. That’s impressive.

** It’s hard for me to think of a single trip on our end during the game when we struggled to get something we wanted offensively. We took care of the ball well while executing our stuff very well. Our guys are running some fluid sets, particularly the zoom screens that bring Bub out from the baseline, swinging up near the top of the key. And Bub was hitting that shot more often than not.

** Blake was getting his typical threes as well, but for a better part of the game he wasn’t hitting his shot more often than not. In fact, for parts of this game, Blake may have been hurting more than helping.

** But no worry. Because tonight, Jaland Lowe joined the attack.

** During the first half, Jaland was likely our best offensive player, both with shooting and playmaking. He was also solid on the defensive end, with his switches on the perimeter.

** Last Friday, I suggested that Jaland’s growth might be more important than any other player, so my thanks to him for allowing my thoughts to be right for once. If it wasn’t for Jaland’s first half, it’s possible the Panthers go to the break tied, if not even behind, instead of ahead by comfy double digits.

** Had this been the case, maybe tonight we are adding Florida Gulf Coast to the unsightly list of names that led off today’s edition.

** Our 86 points were important for another reason. That is because tonight showed there is some work to be done on defense.

** I’m not suggesting that there were any real difficulties with our defensive efforts. Instead, I could point to several areas of defensive execution that caused some problems.

** Early in the game, we looked to chose to go under screens about 5-6 times too many leaving space for perimeter shooters. This seemed to improve as the game went on. But the bigger problems were a result of FGC’s posting up in the lane. One on one, Fede struggled with it, and GDiaz really struggled with it, especially to FGC’s physicality.

** But we were able to offer some post defense when we ran a double at the post man, and most often this was accomplished by Will Jeffress.

** Overall, Will’s impact on the game on the defensive end cannot be overstated. He was exceptional, and the difference he made on the outcome was likely greater than Jaland’s.

** Beyond Will’s help in the post, he was almost flawless shutting down his man, which several times led to bad shots or even turnovers. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a 21 minute defensive only performance quite like Will’s tonight.

** And on this night, Will didn’t even try to get involved offensively, understanding that wasn’t his role. So going back to my above point, we scored 86 points with one guy on our team playing 21 minutes and taking just one shot. I hope this is indeed as good of a sign as I think it is.

** We already know that Bub and Ish are a pretty nifty backcourt pair. I can’t wait to see how they stack up against some of the finer backcourts in the ACC. And adding in Jaland’s dozen to make 47 points among the trio should hopefully convince some such as myself that we are further along replacing last year’s senior guards than I may have thought previously.

** Finally, I’ll throw a little shout out to Zach for knocking down a big triple. He may be coming along a little more slowly than we might like. But I do think he’s indeed coming around.

** There was a part of me that was hoping for another 20+ point win tonight, adding more fuel to our fire that this team just might be special. While I liked the Panther performance tonight, it wasn’t exactly that kind impressive performance.

** But it was certainly the kind of performance that shows this team remains on the right track for this campaign. And it sure as heck beats some of the head scratching defeats in the fall of the previous five.

Not much to add to what you said or what I said during the in game thread.

Guillermo did not play well on either end at all. This was just a bad performance. Both our centers were very soft. Both gave up second chance points. Both had slow reaction time on defense and had really poor positioning in certain instances. Its like the 2 of them were out late the night before and were not ready for this game. Both of them got pushed around.

Jaland was really good. His shot selection was good, his passes were on target, and he was using screens to attack the paint off the dribble drive and he scored in multiple ways doing this. He needs to do this more.

Will Jeffress was pretty strong on defense, but even he had a very bad defensive breakdown that resulted in a wide open costly 3.

Zach Austin is 1-7 on threes this year and 2-6 from the line. Surprising, but its early...

I really wish our shot selection on offense was better and more selective as a team. And Hinson is a decent chunk of this.

Our rebounding again is good in 3 games out of 3.

We need to spend more time as a team working on defense, communicating on defense, fighting through screens better, switching better, hedging better, and just overall being more active and less ball watching and start hunting the passing lanes. I also want to see a few hard fouls here and there and make things a little more difficult. Simply put, Im not happy with the defensive effort today and deep down Capel cant be either. I want better and it needs to be way better before Florida. Today was a significant let down here on that end of the floor.

Lastly I thought our team energy was just ok and the crowd energy was just ok.

With all that said, Ill take the W and move on to the next one.

 

[Chescat]

Earlier today I posted that FGCU would give us a "tough game, but we would
win by double figures. Well, I got it right, but I can't brag because I thought
those double figures would be in the 15 - 18 range. I knew they were a 3pt.
shooting team, but I thoughtwe'd dominate them inside. We outrebounded them,
and outscored them in the paint, but they did manhandle us inside on occasion.

As far as those games vs Nichols, Niagara, Citadel, St. Francis, etc.....FGCU is a far
better team. They have some talent (less than ours) and will do well in their league.
Chambers, much as I dislike him, had them prepared. Given what they were able to
to put on the floor, they looked well coached.

As for us, FT's as already mentioned HAS to improve. If so our double digit win is
much better. The twins are improved and stronger, but we're going to see stronger
BIGS in the ACC than what we saw tonight. Jaland played more within himself tonight.
I really believe he's going to continue to improve. He wasn't thinking shot first, pass
later. He scored within the flow, which is what I've been suggesting on here.

Liggett looks and plays like a man.
Carrington's late three was a J from almost half court.....nuthin but net!
Will...keep going with the D and the rebounding. Take it to the hoop and
take NO outside J's. I like where we are, and Capel has a lot of things to
work on. This is a good thing at this point. There's no reason for these plaayers
to be over confident after this game, but they should be feeling good about
themselves and our progress so far.

 

[PITT 76]

** Niagara. Nicholls, St. Francis (PA), The Citadel, UMBC, and even VCU.

** That’s the quite unsightly list of foes who have upended our Panthers in the OOC season during the Capel era. Each of those losses had their own reasons, but the only common denominator among them all is that these were clearly substandard opponents.

** Florida Gulf Coast should probably be considered at least a place above this substandard list. In fact, they were a tough and strong group who have some legit weapons. Nonetheless, I walked out of the Pete this evening feeling like this year’s group of Panthers is certainly different at this point in the season than any of the previous Capel teams. Other Capel teams would likely have lost a game like this.

** I see the difference with this year's team is that they know who they are, and know what they need to do to keep opponents like the Eagles at arm’s length, instead of letting them gain an upper hand.

** Mostly, tonight the Panther’s kept FGC a couple of possessions away because they ran some really good offense.

** And this isn’t to say that we were really good offensively. In fact, we didn’t shoot the ball well from three point line, and fumbled about at the foul line, leaving about a dozen or so points to be had from both spots on the table.

** Still, the Panthers notched 86 points. That’s impressive.

** It’s hard for me to think of a single trip on our end during the game when we struggled to get something we wanted offensively. We took care of the ball well while executing our stuff very well. Our guys are running some fluid sets, particularly the zoom screens that bring Bub out from the baseline, swinging up near the top of the key. And Bub was hitting that shot more often than not.

** Blake was getting his typical threes as well, but for a better part of the game he wasn’t hitting his shot more often than not. In fact, for parts of this game, Blake may have been hurting more than helping.

** But no worry. Because tonight, Jaland Lowe joined the attack.

** During the first half, Jaland was likely our best offensive player, both with shooting and playmaking. He was also solid on the defensive end, with his switches on the perimeter.

** Last Friday, I suggested that Jaland’s growth might be more important than any other player, so my thanks to him for allowing my thoughts to be right for once. If it wasn’t for Jaland’s first half, it’s possible the Panthers go to the break tied, if not even behind, instead of ahead by comfy double digits.

** Had this been the case, maybe tonight we are adding Florida Gulf Coast to the unsightly list of names that led off today’s edition.

** Our 86 points were important for another reason. That is because tonight showed there is some work to be done on defense.

** I’m not suggesting that there were any real difficulties with our defensive efforts. Instead, I could point to several areas of defensive execution that caused some problems.

** Early in the game, we looked to chose to go under screens about 5-6 times too many leaving space for perimeter shooters. This seemed to improve as the game went on. But the bigger problems were a result of FGC’s posting up in the lane. One on one, Fede struggled with it, and GDiaz really struggled with it, especially to FGC’s physicality.

** But we were able to offer some post defense when we ran a double at the post man, and most often this was accomplished by Will Jeffress.

** Overall, Will’s impact on the game on the defensive end cannot be overstated. He was exceptional, and the difference he made on the outcome was likely greater than Jaland’s.

** Beyond Will’s help in the post, he was almost flawless shutting down his man, which several times led to bad shots or even turnovers. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a 21 minute defensive only performance quite like Will’s tonight.

** And on this night, Will didn’t even try to get involved offensively, understanding that wasn’t his role. So going back to my above point, we scored 86 points with one guy on our team playing 21 minutes and taking just one shot. I hope this is indeed as good of a sign as I think it is.

** We already know that Bub and Ish are a pretty nifty backcourt pair. I can’t wait to see how they stack up against some of the finer backcourts in the ACC. And adding in Jaland’s dozen to make 47 points among the trio should hopefully convince some such as myself that we are further along replacing last year’s senior guards than I may have thought previously.

** Finally, I’ll throw a little shout out to Zach for knocking down a big triple. He may be coming along a little more slowly than we might like. But I do think he’s indeed coming around.

** There was a part of me that was hoping for another 20+ point win tonight, adding more fuel to our fire that this team just might be special. While I liked the Panther performance tonight, it wasn’t exactly that kind impressive performance.

** But it was certainly the kind of performance that shows this team remains on the right track for this campaign. And it sure as heck beats some of the head scratching defeats in the fall of the previous five.

I really appreciate your analysis. This is the first place I came to read about the game. Much thanks.

 

[Parkview57]

First game I saw with this group, nice blend of talent and team play. The bigs still are not gonna cut it at the highest level of NCAA play?

 

[upj87]

I wouldn’t say we gave away 12 points at the foul line. We were 18-32. So if we had 12 more, we would have been 30-32, which would have better than anyone shoots.

As I often say, free throws are not free. If we would have hit six more, we would have been 75% which would have been a really decent night at the foul line.

Uh, 6 more is a substantial number...makes a 12 point win an 18 point win which matters in the age of the Net.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I felt this FGCU team was one of the better "buy" teams we've played at The Pete in a long time. They were picked 2nd in the A-Sun and can absolutely get to the NCAAT and get a decent seed and even win a game. For a lower mid-major, they had a pretty complete team. You dont see MM's with that type of size.

Our defense was an issue last year and I still have my concerns. Teams are getting plenty of open looks.

Overall, nice win to get. And we beat the spread which is important for NET.

 

[Pitt2006]

What kind of foul shooter is Lowe historically? Bub and Ish both above 80 percent…Hinson with an off night but not awful. As others said Fede should improve. I get not wasting time in practice to practice FT. However, I would spend time practicing Fede missing the back end and trying to tip back with the twins length for possession. At the very end Fede had the quick pass back out as you could tell he didn’t want to go back to the line, but what would be the highest 5 FT for end of game scenarios? Ish, Bub, Hinson, Jeffress, and maybe a twin or Lowe?

 

[mo cheeks]

Nice analysis by everyone. Lowe really surprised me after watching him the past 2 games. I was very surprised the twins and Fede got outplayed as much as they did. They did much better defensively last year against some good players. Hopefully just one bad game. Hinson does have to improve shot selection. He will. Still, he is crucial to our success this season. He is much better overall. The nba tryouts helped his overall game.

 

[DT_PITT]

Uh, 6 more is a substantial number...makes a 12 point win an 18 point win which matters in the age of the Net.

I wasn’t trying to suggest that 6 wasn’t significant, only that it should be considered that we left 6 foul line points on the table more than 12.

Another way to have garnered 6 more points would have been to go 35% from three (10-28) (closer to our average) instead of the 29% we actually shot (8-28).

 

[Sam Bam Clancy]

If Johnson and Kante were playing this year, might have been a top ten level talent team. However, who knows how "chemistry" might have played out on that team. We will never know.

Kante is a big loss based upon what we saw from the interior post defense with Federico out.

Poor free throw shooting can be a problem, but I am more concerned about guys making them when they have to in one point games. The way Bub and Ish play, at this point, I would be confident in their ball handling and for clutch free throw shooting in tight games.

Their depth is good, but wish they had one more big. In games that Fede gets two quick fouls I think it will be tough to defend well in the interior for 17 minutes of a half without him.

 

[Wanstash21]

Not much to add to what you said or what I said during the in game thread.

Guillermo did not play well on either end at all. This was just a bad performance. Both our centers were very soft. Both gave up second chance points. Both had slow reaction time on defense and had really poor positioning in certain instances. Its like the 2 of them were out late the night before and were not ready for this game. Both of them got pushed around.

Jaland was really good. His shot selection was good, his passes were on target, and he was using screens to attack the paint off the dribble drive and he scored in multiple ways doing this. He needs to do this more.

Will Jeffress was pretty strong on defense, but even he had a very bad defensive breakdown that resulted in a wide open costly 3.

Zach Austin is 1-7 on threes this year and 2-6 from the line. Surprising, but its early...

I really wish our shot selection on offense was better and more selective as a team. And Hinson is a decent chunk of this.

Our rebounding again is good in 3 games out of 3.

We need to spend more time as a team working on defense, communicating on defense, fighting through screens better, switching better, hedging better, and just overall being more active and less ball watching and start hunting the passing lanes. I also want to see a few hard fouls here and there and make things a little more difficult. Simply put, Im not happy with the defensive effort today and deep down Capel cant be either. I want better and it needs to be way better before Florida. Today was a significant let down here on that end of the floor.

Lastly I thought our team energy was just ok and the crowd energy was just ok.

With all that said, Ill take the W and move on to the next one.

like we just talked about before the game .. Jaland always looked comfortable .. just needed some shots to fall.

It's also hard for me to complain about shot selection .. this is the best scoring Pitt team we've seen in quite a while (maybe ever) .. they fill it up .. I will take Blake Hinson 3s every single time down the court.

 

[str61166]

** Niagara. Nicholls, St. Francis (PA), The Citadel, UMBC, and even VCU.

** That’s the quite unsightly list of foes who have upended our Panthers in the OOC season during the Capel era. Each of those losses had their own reasons, but the only common denominator among them all is that these were clearly substandard opponents.

** Florida Gulf Coast should probably be considered at least a place above this substandard list. In fact, they were a tough and strong group who have some legit weapons. Nonetheless, I walked out of the Pete this evening feeling like this year’s group of Panthers is certainly different at this point in the season than any of the previous Capel teams. Other Capel teams would likely have lost a game like this.

** I see the difference with this year's team is that they know who they are, and know what they need to do to keep opponents like the Eagles at arm’s length, instead of letting them gain an upper hand.

** Mostly, tonight the Panther’s kept FGC a couple of possessions away because they ran some really good offense.

** And this isn’t to say that we were really good offensively. In fact, we didn’t shoot the ball well from three point line, and fumbled about at the foul line, leaving about a dozen or so points to be had from both spots on the table.

** Still, the Panthers notched 86 points. That’s impressive.

** It’s hard for me to think of a single trip on our end during the game when we struggled to get something we wanted offensively. We took care of the ball well while executing our stuff very well. Our guys are running some fluid sets, particularly the zoom screens that bring Bub out from the baseline, swinging up near the top of the key. And Bub was hitting that shot more often than not.

** Blake was getting his typical threes as well, but for a better part of the game he wasn’t hitting his shot more often than not. In fact, for parts of this game, Blake may have been hurting more than helping.

** But no worry. Because tonight, Jaland Lowe joined the attack.

** During the first half, Jaland was likely our best offensive player, both with shooting and playmaking. He was also solid on the defensive end, with his switches on the perimeter.

** Last Friday, I suggested that Jaland’s growth might be more important than any other player, so my thanks to him for allowing my thoughts to be right for once. If it wasn’t for Jaland’s first half, it’s possible the Panthers go to the break tied, if not even behind, instead of ahead by comfy double digits.

** Had this been the case, maybe tonight we are adding Florida Gulf Coast to the unsightly list of names that led off today’s edition.

** Our 86 points were important for another reason. That is because tonight showed there is some work to be done on defense.

** I’m not suggesting that there were any real difficulties with our defensive efforts. Instead, I could point to several areas of defensive execution that caused some problems.

** Early in the game, we looked to chose to go under screens about 5-6 times too many leaving space for perimeter shooters. This seemed to improve as the game went on. But the bigger problems were a result of FGC’s posting up in the lane. One on one, Fede struggled with it, and GDiaz really struggled with it, especially to FGC’s physicality.

** But we were able to offer some post defense when we ran a double at the post man, and most often this was accomplished by Will Jeffress.

** Overall, Will’s impact on the game on the defensive end cannot be overstated. He was exceptional, and the difference he made on the outcome was likely greater than Jaland’s.

** Beyond Will’s help in the post, he was almost flawless shutting down his man, which several times led to bad shots or even turnovers. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a 21 minute defensive only performance quite like Will’s tonight.

** And on this night, Will didn’t even try to get involved offensively, understanding that wasn’t his role. So going back to my above point, we scored 86 points with one guy on our team playing 21 minutes and taking just one shot. I hope this is indeed as good of a sign as I think it is.

** We already know that Bub and Ish are a pretty nifty backcourt pair. I can’t wait to see how they stack up against some of the finer backcourts in the ACC. And adding in Jaland’s dozen to make 47 points among the trio should hopefully convince some such as myself that we are further along replacing last year’s senior guards than I may have thought previously.

** Finally, I’ll throw a little shout out to Zach for knocking down a big triple. He may be coming along a little more slowly than we might like. But I do think he’s indeed coming around.

** There was a part of me that was hoping for another 20+ point win tonight, adding more fuel to our fire that this team just might be special. While I liked the Panther performance tonight, it wasn’t exactly that kind impressive performance.

** But it was certainly the kind of performance that shows this team remains on the right track for this campaign. And it sure as heck beats some of the head scratching defeats in the fall of the previous five.

I figured this would be a difficult game. I got a little nervous when their top scorer from last year (who didn’t play against Indiana) heated up a bit late, but I didn’t think they were in danger of losing. And as much as I would’ve loved a 20+ pt win too, maybe this serves as a good experience for handling well a bit of an uneasy situation late with them cutting it to 5. Those were two huge free throws by Bub to help keep it at arm’s length… really wouldn’t have liked to see them get a chance to cut it to one possession.

Curious why you lumped VCU in with those other opponents? Unless there was another game against them I forgot, last year they were a tournament team and A10 champ, even if that conference was a bit weak. Though they were missing their leading scorer (now at Penn St) and that was their 3rd straight loss to knock Pitt down to 1-3, so it was probably the main low point in an otherwise fun season.

 

[DT_PITT]

like we just talked about before the game .. Jaland always looked comfortable .. just needed some shots to fall.

It's also hard for me to complain about shot selection .. this is the best scoring Pitt team we've seen in quite a while (maybe ever) .. they fill it up .. I will take Blake Hinson 3s every single time down the court.

I kinda like our shot selection.

 

[DT_PITT]

I figured this would be a difficult game. I got a little nervous when their top scorer from last year (who didn’t play against Indiana) heated up a bit late, but I didn’t think they were in danger of losing. And as much as I would’ve loved a 20+ pt win too, maybe this serves as a good experience for handling well a bit of an uneasy situation late with them cutting it to 5. Those were two huge free throws by Bub to help keep it at arm’s length… really wouldn’t have liked to see them get a chance to cut it to one possession.

Curious why you lumped VCU in with those other opponents? Unless there was another game against them I forgot, last year they were a tournament team and A10 champ, even if that conference was a bit weak. Though they were missing their leading scorer (now at Penn St) and that was their 3rd straight loss to knock Pitt down to 1-3, so it was probably the main low point in an otherwise fun season.

That’s fair about VCU.

 

[JD1976]

If Johnson and Kante were playing this year, might have been a top ten level talent team. However, who knows how "chemistry" might have played out on that team. We will never know.

At the time, I was happy to hear the news of Dior being forced to leave the program… and that was without having any clue what kind of players Bub and Lowe were. Chemistry was such a key ingredient to last year’s team and Johnson’s checkered past seemed to contradict what Capel was trying to build.

Now that we have seen the type of players they are (combined with Leggett), there is no doubt in my mind that Johnson’s departure was addition by subtraction. I can’t imagine anyone but these two with the ball in their hands. That’s not to say they won’t have a bad game and make freshman mistakes, but what a great, young combo we have in the backcourt.

 

[MorningCoffee13]

I thought it was the perfect game. Obviously the kids feel they can crush anyone. But Florida Ocean School had other thoughts and our kids had to work at it. So a good bump in the road without losing and finding a way to keep them at arms length or more the whole game.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

78% would be a really good night.

23-32 would be an average night by NCAA standards. So from that, allow me to “fairly” suggest that we left 5-6 points at the line below reasonable expectations.

I would add to that-- that making 3's at least above 33% should be what this team should/would do in an average game. The 8 for 28 should have/could have been 9 or 10 for 28 (32.1% or 35.7%) more typically. Hinson's uncharacteristic 3 for 10 was probably the main reason for only making 8.

So, I believe Pitt left between 7 (4 FTs + 1-3 Pt) and 11 (5 FT + 2-3Pt) on the table and could have won by 19-23 points without a weaker than average 3-point and FT shooting performance.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

a final thought--looking at the box score; despite the noted disappointing interior defense Pitt still won the rebounding battle comfortably at 42-29.

 

[Ski11585]

Count me among those not concerned with FT shooting. I’m just glad they’re getting to the line. I am just a teensy but nervous about Blake’s shooting.

Losing Dior hurts from a depth standpoint, but if it gets more minutes for Bub that’s a big plus in my book.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

FGCU played well and gave Pitt a good test which isn’t a bad thing at all . It did expose a weakness inside against a physical player .

Fede and the twins can overwhelm smaller less physical teams with their length , but last night showed a weakness that will be hard to overcome , it’s a shame Kante got hurt .

Last years guards were experienced good college players , but if Lowe’s play improves ( similar to yesterday ) this years group will make everyone forget about them . Bub looks like a superstar in the making and Leggett looks every bit as tough and determined as Burton . ( that’s a huge compliment , Burton was my fav Panther )

If any of JDs team had a player like Bub his success in the tournament wouldn’t be an issue .

Hinson was forcing things last night , once he realizes there’s plenty of offense on this team hopefully he’ll become a little more selective.

Last night also showed the value of Wil , hopefully all his distractors will realize he’s a valuable piece of this team .

Good times ahead for this team ! !

 

[Pitt2006]

Count me among those not concerned with FT shooting. I’m just glad they’re getting to the line. I am just a teensy but nervous about Blake’s shooting.

Losing Dior hurts from a depth standpoint, but if it gets more minutes for Bub that’s a big plus in my book.

Hinson, albeit against better competition, started off his first three games last year 6/22 from 3 (27%) and with last night is at 37.5 on threes this year, which is very consistent with his 38 percent last year. FT is near identical, but overall FG is up from 42 to about 47 percent. Blake will be fine. He was one 3 away from being 40 percent for the game instead of 30. For those keeping track, he shot worse from 3 in 15/36 games last year than last night. Interestingly Pitt only lost 6 games when Blake had a “poor” shooting night. We certainly like to remember the clutch and long threes while forgetting the not so great nights.

 

[DT_PITT]

there is no doubt in my mind that Johnson’s departure was addition by subtraction.

There's no way to prove this of course, and I really dislike piling on to disparage the kid, but it kinda does "feel" this way.

In the case with Hugley, we were able to actually witness the chemistry with him and the chemistry without him.

 

[Protes]

The issue with the FT shooting, ultimately, is *who* is shooting them. Fede (25%) and Austin (33%) are the main culprits right now. I'm not concerned with Bub, Blake or Ish. But that's 2/5ths of our starters. If they continue like this, sooner or later, it is going to cost us. And 1 or 2 losses because of that could be the difference between The Big Dance and the NIT. FGCU gave us a preview of what may be to come, also, when they purposely fouled Fede to put him on the line (we were lucky that was ruled a flagrant foul).

 

[Pitt2006]

There's no way to prove this of course, and I really dislike piling on to disparage the kid, but it kinda does "feel" this way.

In the case with Hugley, we were able to actually witness the chemistry with him and the chemistry without him.

You may only choose one guard to play against FGCU, one is a current guard, one is a former guard.

35 min 5-9, 1-2 from 3, 4r, 1a, 14 pts or
37 min 5-9, 2-6 from 3, 4r, 7a, 19 pts

The team element is so crucial and one thing that clearly hasn’t changed much for capels first guard recruit.

 

[Vader_Storm]

like we just talked about before the game .. Jaland always looked comfortable .. just needed some shots to fall.

It's also hard for me to complain about shot selection .. this is the best scoring Pitt team we've seen in quite a while (maybe ever) .. they fill it up .. I will take Blake Hinson 3s every single time down the court.

The 2009 Pitt team had the #2 ranked offense in the country

The 2011 Pitt team had the #4 ranked offense in the country

The 2008 Pitt team had the #10 ranked offense in the country. That team won the Big East Championship. That team lost Mike Cook before the midseason mark and lost Levance Fields for an extended period of time. We were undefeated before both got hurt. This could have been our best team ever without the injuries. And we still had the 10th best offense in the country without our starting backcourt for a good portion of the season.



When we go up against much better teams that play physical hard defense and protect the middle, points will be much more at a premium. And you are going to wish we had better shot selection than Blake trying to make Jordan style fadeaway jumpers and shooting the ball from halfcourt.

Those 2 possessions will become very valuable and the difference between winning and losing.

 

[Vader_Storm]

If Johnson and Kante were playing this year, might have been a top ten level talent team. However, who knows how "chemistry" might have played out on that team. We will never know.

Kante is a big loss based upon what we saw from the interior post defense with Federico out.

Poor free throw shooting can be a problem, but I am more concerned about guys making them when they have to in one point games. The way Bub and Ish play, at this point, I would be confident in their ball handling and for clutch free throw shooting in tight games.

Their depth is good, but wish they had one more big. In games that Fede gets two quick fouls I think it will be tough to defend well in the interior for 17 minutes of a half without him.

Ive said this a few times already. I don't think anyone really knows just how good this Pitt team is or could become yet.

I certainly agree the loss of Kante for sure is a big one. I think the loss of Dior is also significant.

However,

This team through 3 games from what I have watched has very high upside. Upside to potentially compete for a league championship and make a real NCAA Tournament run.


I'm overly critical of this team with my posts because I want to see them achieve such things. Im not concerned with being on the bubble or sneaking our way into the tournament. My critical posts has everything to do with Pitt playing to the full maximum potential of our abilities and playing much better and much smarter team basketball. Pitt winning these games by these scoring margins "could" have been much better if we played basketball as a team better. The potential is clearly there. And if we take action to clean this stuff up now, we could become the biggest dark horse in college basketball this year. It is up to the players and up to the coaches to fix these mistakes. We are still making too many mistakes on both ends of the floor.

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

Was hoping twins were a little stronger. There's still a gap at the 5 that got exposed there. Neither helped much on offense which made it seem worse I guess.

 

[HailToPitt1985]

It always seemed to me that FT shooting was more about what's in the head than what's in the shot. These guys are all capable of sinking FT's. But I see them making them on some nights and missing them like last night. It could just be a mindset in that moment that has to be broken. Maybe hypnosis? I recall a Tim Grgurich team where Tim used a hypnotist to get the guys shooting FT's better. I think it was Grgurich. Who knows?

 

[Islanderpanther]

The thought of Dior being on this team still haunts me…..oh, well.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

Ive said this a few times already. I don't think anyone really knows just how good this Pitt team is or could become yet.

I certainly agree the loss of Kante for sure is a big one. I think the loss of Dior is also significant.

However,

This team through 3 games from what I have watched has very high upside. Upside to potentially compete for a league championship and make a real NCAA Tournament run.


I'm overly critical of this team with my posts because I want to see them achieve such things. Im not concerned with being on the bubble or sneaking our way into the tournament. My critical posts has everything to do with Pitt playing to the full maximum potential of our abilities and playing much better and much smarter team basketball. Pitt winning these games by these scoring margins "could" have been much better if we played basketball as a team better. The potential is clearly there. And if we take action to clean this stuff up now, we could become the biggest dark horse in college basketball this year. It is up to the players and up to the coaches to fix these mistakes. We are still making too many mistakes on both ends of the floor.

Do you know how Dior is playing ?