Nothing good comes out of losing. Hard to be confident of the road ahead. Just hope that our making the tournament doesn't delude Dixon from knowing he has some real issues to fix.
Good that we won
- Thread starter Delpanther
- Start date
Im just gong to enjoy the win. Regardless of how they played they did survive when they had the chance to choke big time. Games like this can get a team on a roll, particularly one that relies on shooting as much as Pitt does. If they can collectively regain their shooting touch and maintain it for a few games they can be a tough out.
There are real issues. We need improved guard play, and better defensive play.
I think the guard play should be improved with the addition of Kithcart, Milligan, and Clark.
Johnson, Jones and Wilson should be improved next year.
Defensively, we have been much better as this year progresses. Defensive rotation has improved greatly from the beginning of the season. Hopefully, this improvement continues next year.
I think we will see a smaller lineup next season with Mike Young, Ryan Luther and Sheldon Jeter playing minutes at the 5 and 4. This allows Nix and Manigault time to get comfortable in their roles as backup post players.
Artis, and Johnson will man the wings.
Wilson, Kithcart and Milligan should be able to handle the ball.
I am very interested in seeing what happens with the last scholarship. Do we get a rent a year player or a development player.
We need this - we need that...
Seriously???
We just WON the game for Christ's sake!
Some see the glass as half full and some see it as half empty yet even others ask "What glass?"
If this is your way to suggest that today's win saved Pitt's season, then I only agree with you up to a point and that's precisely the thrust of my post. It's good that we won but to believe that this team is likely to go anywhere after this point or to believe because the win might have ensured an ncaa berth that this program doesn't have issues is delusional. The best 68 teams get in the tournament so that all things considered, it's hard to believe this team wont't be seeded in the mid- forties at best- wahoo! Given where this program was, it still reinforces the point that the program has declined. There are issues/they need to be fixed.
Broken record. You basically say the same thing after every win or loss. We get it.
Getting an at-large bid essentially makes you one of the best 40 teams in the nation since many of the auto-bid teams would never make it if they didn't win their conference tournament.
Best 68 get is false. Auto bids to champs of garbage conferences assures that a decent number of the real top 68 stay home or go to the NIT.
Yes, the program has declined some but, IMHO, we are only a Gary McGee quality level low post defender/rebounders away from returning to the top 15.
You only need to increase scoring margin by about 4 points per game to reach that territory. The gap isn't enormous.
You only need to increase scoring margin by about 4 points per game to reach that territory. The gap isn't enormous.
Dixon isn't perfect to be sure but I can't imagine he'd think there aren't issues that need to be addressed regardless of how the rest of this season goes.
Things do need to be fixed, but we also aren't nearly as bad as many believe. Right now we are a better than average team who should make the tourney, but unlikely to do much if any damage while there. That doesn't mean we suck or Jamie should be fired, but it means he has a lot of work to do to get us back to where he and we want them to be.
The main issues with this team are consistency and playing together as a team. The variance between their best play and worst play is pretty significant. It's anybody's guess whether these issues can be successfully addressed. They're too experienced to be suffering from these problems.
We won so be happy today.
This team hasn't shown thats its a good team due to a lack of consistency.
Beat Duke lose two remember!
The team needs to look interested and have todays energy level every game.
Lets hope for the best.
Jamie get tnem interested since it will save me money on my alcohol bill!
Thank you!
It's good to see that Cam and Ryan good be better building blocks than we might have thought otherwise, though.
At the end of the day, despite the career game from Johnson and decent game from Luther it still took a minor miracle from Robinson to win it. He was the hero. Give him his props.
That said... it came down to that because again they (notice plural) are such poor ball defenders that it's f'n unbelievable. They ball defend like a division 2 team. Absolutely horrid. However, the strange (for them) personnel on the floor during the frantic last 3 minutes probably contributed to the panic and turnovers. Had those 5 been on the floor together against that type of pressure all year? I would say no and hence the struggles.
That said... it came down to that because again they (notice plural) are such poor ball defenders that it's f'n unbelievable. They ball defend like a division 2 team. Absolutely horrid. However, the strange (for them) personnel on the floor during the frantic last 3 minutes probably contributed to the panic and turnovers. Had those 5 been on the floor together against that type of pressure all year? I would say no and hence the struggles.
Totally agree. I said a month ago that JD should go with Cam at the 2 because he has by far the highest ceiling. Dixon still underutilizes Luther.
I'm not sure Dixon is totally committed to Luther as his "5" but he made that commitment in the second half of today's game.
Just start Luther (or Jeter) at the 5....*Please*?
Rotate those two only.
So Maia gets a few rebounds - so does Luther and Jeter!
And, *unlike* Maia, Luther and Jeter can actually score *and* shoot FT's.
What is so difficult to see here coach?
