By Joe StarkeyThursday, March 12, 2015, 11:35 p.m.
Updated 10 hours ago
As a charter member of the Jamie Dixon Apologist Society, it pains me to say this. But it's true. The Pitt basketball program has become ordinary.
The facts speak loudly. Over the past four seasons, Pitt is …
• 36-36 in conference play
• 3-4 in conference tournaments
• 1-2 in the NCAA Tournament
That's right: Pitt has recorded one NCAA Tournament victory in four years, against Colorado, and has not advanced past the first weekend since 2009. That was so long ago that Jack Wilson still was playing shortstop for the Pirates.
It hasn't all been bad, mind you. But in the context of Pitt considering itself an elite program, well, the evidence of such is shrinking.
Last year, the Panthers were strong. They were also gone after one win in the NCAAs. The year before that, they finished fourth in the Big East but went 2-7 against ranked teams and were one-and-done in the conference and NCAA tourneys. In 2011-12 they were horrible. This season they were below average.
Add it all up, and you have maybe a C+/B- program since 2011. That's not elite.
Used to be my reflexive response to Pitt critics was, "Hey, they make the tournament every year; that's pretty good." They've now missed twice in four years.
Somehow, "Hey, they make the tourney every other year and fly home before the national anthem" doesn't have the same clout.
Note from VJ; Starkey must have been a pantherlair apologist then
A month ago, this season appeared to be shaping up as one of Dixon's best jobs. It turned into one of his worst. His failure to recruit even one big man who could help was glaring. His team crumbled down the stretch, losing five of its past seven. It never improved defensively.
Some of the elements that used to define Dixon's program either disappeared this season or have faded over time. Most prominent in the latter category is the existence of a game-controlling point guard.
Brandin Knight, Carl Krauser and Levance Fields were not NBA players, but each had a major presence. Each was the backbone of his team. Each was an alpha dog. The line of powerful point guards ended when Fields left, which happened to coincide with Pitt's last significant postseason run.
Pitt used to be in every game. Its losses were almost always close. In his first three seasons, Dixon didn't lose a regular-season game by double digits.
Note from VJ; He did not lose by double digits during his first three years, not until ALL OF HOWLANDS recruits were GONE
This year, after you take away bad losses to Hawaii, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, Pitt lost 11 other times by an average of 11.9 points.
The Panthers used to pride themselves on football-like defense.
Note from VJ; My God , I wish he would not have typed this. Now we have a football coach that has no expierence, but is a defensive co-ordinator. Somehow I pray that history does not come full circle in a merre four years when it comes to PITT FOOTBALL, a team that is good at D, but con not get it done otherwise
I suppose it's true this year, too, but only if you compare them to the Steelers' secondary. This is Dixon's worst defensive team and the worst in the ACC in terms of field-goal percentage.
Opposing teams are shooting 45 percent against Pitt, highest since Ralph Willard's last team. Conference opponents are shooting 46.9 percent. Usually, the Panthers have some presence down low, even if it's a just-adequate big body such as Gary McGhee. This season, there was no such thing.
Note from VJ; Gary was more than just adequate. He was one of the most intimidating forwards in the Big East. And opponents knew it, and it helped PITT very much.
It feels like we're witnessing an identity crisis. All Dixon talks about is defense, yet he has been recruiting more of an offensive type. As former assistant coach Barry Rohrssen told me last year, when I asked if Dixon was looking for a different kind of player in Rohrssen's second stint with the program, "Right away, he told me he wants to score the basketball more."
So score. Ramp it up. Dixon seems to be caught between bleeding possessions and pushing the ball.
Note from VJ; PITT basketball is the version of the NHL Penguins. When a team scores at a 45% clip, it slows down the game. You simply have to take the ball and bring it in bounds. Thus your opponent gets back in defense. I agree that PITT was good at transition, much like the PENS are unbeatable when the can score OFF THE RUSH. Just don't ask the PENS, nor PITT basketball, to score off of set offensive possessions. They suck!
Pitt was very good offensively at times this season but not nearly good enough to make up for its woeful defense.
Pitt prides itself on fishing strong. This team folded. Dixon cited fatigue as a factor. If that was the case, it's his fault. Maybe he needs to back off on those legendarily rough practices. Maybe he didn't dole out minutes properly.
Note from VJ; Back off practices? try again. How about backing in some recruits that can actually give a very average team some depth. There is no depth, there is no real talent, there is no chemistry, there are no prospects, there ARE season tickets available. So much for the move to the ACC "improving recruiting". LOL
The season's not over, of course.
Note from VJ; UNFORTUNATELY. Now all you apologists can claim the "practice time is good, for next year" and now we can be even more embarrassed with sideline behavior.
The NIT could lay ahead, as Dixon looks to secure his 20th win.
Note from VJ; LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE and where the wins came from, every DOG has its day.
Maybe it would represent a chance to build something going into next year,
Note from VJ; And here you have it, oh yeas, practicing bad habits certainly makes you better, but at what? Bad habits, that is what!
when Durand Johnson is expected back to complement the likes of Jamel Artis and Michael Young. I think the Panthers have a chance to be pretty good.
For now, though, they're pretty ordinary.
Joe Starkey co-hosts a show 2 to 6 p.m. w
Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/-topstories/7934287-74/pitt-dixon-season#ixzz3UGxTRSDQ
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IT IS REALLY TIME FOR A CHANGE!
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This post was edited on 3/13 10:06 AM by VJPITT
