Miami Game & Other Dribbles ...

[DT_PITT]

** I thought trying to make sense of this game is going to be a difficult task. After all, it was one of the stranger Pitt contests I’ve ever watched.

** I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a 16-0 lead to start the game erased within the first half followed by a 20 point lead knocked down to 4 in the second half.

** And who else would have predicted that we wouldn’t even see Johnson or Lykes at all for the second half of the second period?

** But then, if one ignores the runs and the point guard minutes, the final box score of the game tells a fairly typical tale.

** At the end of this one, an 8 point loss at Miami seems about right for the Panthers at this point.

** It also seems about right that when we shoot 36% from the floor and 3-16 from three, that we are going to score in the 50’s. That’s not enough.

** That’s the story to this game in my opinion. One could look at many reasons why we lost. Deficits, turnovers, bad shots, and getting stops in the final minutes -- they all mattered. But the one that mattered most is the simplest and most obvious. We just can’t hit enough shots.

** Before looking further into that reality, let give some real credit where credit is due. Terrell Brown and Au’Diese Toney both played really, really well.

** AD scrapped and fought during every second he was on the court. He made a couple of plays that displayed a certain sense of desperation for the Panther win.

** And when did Terrell become such a stellar finisher in the paint?

** Those two made up the Panther bench contributions for the day. The starters shot a combined 12-51 from the floor. That’s 23.5% for those who don’t want to do the math. That’s how a team loses.

** Sure, I would have liked to see what would have happened had Trey had passed to Ryan open on the wing when the Panthers were only down four at the five minute mark. Instead, Trey over penetrated and made a terrible pass out for a turnover and an easy Miami bucket.

** In fact, it wasn’t just a turnover. It was the turning point.

** But to completely see it as such, it means an assumption that Ryan’s going to hit that shot. And it’s not as if Ryan was sizzling with his jump shot.

** Trey made another play down the stretch when he took it himself when looking for others. He does that too often, but I find it hard to call out Trey to loudly. With his 18 points and 7 assists, Trey’s efforts resulted in 33 Panther points, well over half of our output.

** Trey shot a not-very-good 6-16 from the floor. That means a dismal 6-35 from Champagnie, Johnson, Murphy and Hamilton.

** I just don’t know what to say about Justin. He’s started out other games this year but missing chunks of jump shots, only to hit some that really mattered down the stretch. But 3-16 really hurt the team today. We need him to be an aggressive scorer. But he also needs to learn how to pass. He’s got just 7 assists all season long.

** I’ll lay off Xavier. My only comment is that Coach Capel made the right substitutions in the final 14 minutes of the game.

** And I’ll lay off the Panthers from for any further criticism. This isn’t a bad loss. But it also feels a little like something of a lost opportunity.

** For the Panthers to make anything out of this season, they are running out of opportunities to lose.

 

[balboa10]

** I thought trying to make sense of this game is going to be a difficult task. After all, it was one of the stranger Pitt contests I’ve ever watched.

** I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a 16-0 lead to start the game which was them erased within the half. Or a 20 point lead knocked down to 4 in the second half.

** And who else would have predicted that we wouldn’t even see Johnson or Lykes at all for the second half of the second period?

** But then, if one ignores the runs and the point guard minutes, the final box score of the game tells a fairly typical tale.

** At the end of this one, an 8 point loss at Miami seems about right for the Panthers at this point.

** It also seems about right that when we shoot 36% from the floor and 3-16 from three, that we are going to score in the 50’s. That’s not enough.

** That’s the story to this game in my opinion. One could look at many reasons why we lost. Deficits, turnovers, bad shots, and getting stops in the final minutes -- they all mattered. But the one that mattered most is the simplest and most obvious. We just can’t hit enough shots.

** Before looking further into that reality, let give some real credit where credit is due. Terrell Brown and Au’Diese Toney both played really, really well.

** AD scrapped and fought during every second he was on the court. He made a couple of plays that displayed a certain sense of desperation for the Panther win.

** And when did Terrell become such a stellar finisher in the paint?

** Those two made up the Panther bench contributions for the day. The starters shot a combined 12-51 from the floor. That’s 23.5% for those who don’t want to do the math. That’s how a team loses.

** Sure, I would have like to see what would have happened had Trey had passed to Ryan open on the wing when the Panthers were only down four at the five minute mark. Instead, Trey over penetrated and made a terrible pass out for a turnover and an easy Miami bucket.

** In fact, it wasn’t just a turnover. It was the turning point.

** But to completely see it as such, it means an assumption that Ryan’s going to hit that shot. And it’s not as if Ryan was sizzling with his jump shot.

** Trey made another play down the stretch when he took it himself when looking for others. He does that too often, but I find it hard to call out Trey to loudly. With his 18 points and 7 assists, Trey’s efforts resulted in 33 Panther points, well over half of our output.

** Trey shot a not-very-good 6-16 from the floor. That means a dismal 6-35 from Champaigne, Johnson, Murphy and Hamilton.

** I just don’t know what to say about Justin. He’s started out other games this year but missing chunks of jump shots, only to hit some that really mattered down the stretch. But 3-16 really hurt the team today. We need him to be an aggressive scorer. But he also needs to learn how to pass. He’s got just 7 assists all season long.

** I’ll lay off Xavier. My only comment is that Coach Capel made the right substitutions in the final 14 minutes of the game.

** And I’ll lay off the Panthers from this point. This isn’t a bad loss. But it also feels a little like something of a lost opportunity.

** But for the Panthers to make anything out of this season, they are running out of opportunities to lose.

Justine can be very bad but he is a freshman. Where does hamilton go at times I don’t know. We lack the ability to make solid passes a lot of the time. We miss layups than make a nice steal miss another lay up than hit a three than miss 5 threes. It’s where we are at. No consistency but we will win some games. We are not an ncaa team could be nit maybe but probably not either. Just need Capel to keep having some good moments with the team to make sure team is not lost.

 

[DT_PITT]

Justine can be very bad but he is a freshman. Where does hamilton go at times I don’t know. We lack the ability to make solid passes a lot of the time. We miss layups than make a nice steal miss another lay up than hit a three than miss 5 threes. It’s where we are at. No consistency but we will win some games. We are not an ncaa team could be nit maybe but probably not either. Just need Capel to keep having some good moments with the team to make sure team is not lost.

Don't get me wrong … I love Justin. But he needs to start learning soon about when to shoot.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

Don't get me wrong … I love Justin. But he needs to start learning soon about when to shoot.

Maybe he’s been told to shoot whenever he’s open , especially since no one else really is very good at knocking down a 3 .

 

[DT_PITT]

Maybe he’s been told to shoot whenever he’s open , especially since no one else really is very good at knocking down a 3 .

I have no doubt this is the case.

 

[Franb]

Maybe he’s been told to shoot whenever he’s open , especially since no one else really is very good at knocking down a 3 .

He is shooting 3’s at 27%, which is 4th on the team.

 

[pittjas]

** I thought trying to make sense of this game is going to be a difficult task. After all, it was one of the stranger Pitt contests I’ve ever watched.

** I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a 16-0 lead to start the game erased within the first half followed by a 20 point lead knocked down to 4 in the second half.

** And who else would have predicted that we wouldn’t even see Johnson or Lykes at all for the second half of the second period?

** But then, if one ignores the runs and the point guard minutes, the final box score of the game tells a fairly typical tale.

** At the end of this one, an 8 point loss at Miami seems about right for the Panthers at this point.

** It also seems about right that when we shoot 36% from the floor and 3-16 from three, that we are going to score in the 50’s. That’s not enough.

** That’s the story to this game in my opinion. One could look at many reasons why we lost. Deficits, turnovers, bad shots, and getting stops in the final minutes -- they all mattered. But the one that mattered most is the simplest and most obvious. We just can’t hit enough shots.

** Before looking further into that reality, let give some real credit where credit is due. Terrell Brown and Au’Diese Toney both played really, really well.

** AD scrapped and fought during every second he was on the court. He made a couple of plays that displayed a certain sense of desperation for the Panther win.

** And when did Terrell become such a stellar finisher in the paint?

** Those two made up the Panther bench contributions for the day. The starters shot a combined 12-51 from the floor. That’s 23.5% for those who don’t want to do the math. That’s how a team loses.

** Sure, I would have liked to see what would have happened had Trey had passed to Ryan open on the wing when the Panthers were only down four at the five minute mark. Instead, Trey over penetrated and made a terrible pass out for a turnover and an easy Miami bucket.

** In fact, it wasn’t just a turnover. It was the turning point.

** But to completely see it as such, it means an assumption that Ryan’s going to hit that shot. And it’s not as if Ryan was sizzling with his jump shot.

** Trey made another play down the stretch when he took it himself when looking for others. He does that too often, but I find it hard to call out Trey to loudly. With his 18 points and 7 assists, Trey’s efforts resulted in 33 Panther points, well over half of our output.

** Trey shot a not-very-good 6-16 from the floor. That means a dismal 6-35 from Champagnie, Johnson, Murphy and Hamilton.

** I just don’t know what to say about Justin. He’s started out other games this year but missing chunks of jump shots, only to hit some that really mattered down the stretch. But 3-16 really hurt the team today. We need him to be an aggressive scorer. But he also needs to learn how to pass. He’s got just 7 assists all season long.

** I’ll lay off Xavier. My only comment is that Coach Capel made the right substitutions in the final 14 minutes of the game.

** And I’ll lay off the Panthers from for any further criticism. This isn’t a bad loss. But it also feels a little like something of a lost opportunity.

** But for the Panthers to make anything out of this season, they are running out of opportunities to lose.

Very on point today.

Like that you brought up Justin. He’s far exceeded ALL of our expectations of what he’d be this year and even has been the key to a few victories.

But he needs to find a way to still bring value on the nights his jumper isn’t falling or he isn’t getting passes leading to open dunks.

He gets beat too much defensively for someone with his athleticism and can’t create much for others right now.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

He is shooting 3’s at 27%, which is 4th on the team.

He’s a streaky shooter and if he gets in rhythm he’s the only one who can carry the team .

 

[DT_PITT]

He’s a streaky shooter and if he gets in rhythm he’s the only one who can carry the team .

Trey also.

 

[gary2]

Forgetting about talent for the momement:

We do not move or share the ball enough. Selfish or poor vision, it needs to improve.

We dribble too much, often ending in a dead end.

We take too many shots off balance, at strange angles that it is hard to envision them having a chance at going in. Work for and recognize a good shot.

We need to score off our defense. Sometimes our coach doesn't seem to realize that.

We have guys playing too many consecutive minutes. Coach needs to do a better job at stealing a breather now and then.

 

[gary2]

** I thought trying to make sense of this game is going to be a difficult task. After all, it was one of the stranger Pitt contests I’ve ever watched.

** I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a 16-0 lead to start the game erased within the first half followed by a 20 point lead knocked down to 4 in the second half.

** And who else would have predicted that we wouldn’t even see Johnson or Lykes at all for the second half of the second period?

** But then, if one ignores the runs and the point guard minutes, the final box score of the game tells a fairly typical tale.

** At the end of this one, an 8 point loss at Miami seems about right for the Panthers at this point.

** It also seems about right that when we shoot 36% from the floor and 3-16 from three, that we are going to score in the 50’s. That’s not enough.

** That’s the story to this game in my opinion. One could look at many reasons why we lost. Deficits, turnovers, bad shots, and getting stops in the final minutes -- they all mattered. But the one that mattered most is the simplest and most obvious. We just can’t hit enough shots.

** Before looking further into that reality, let give some real credit where credit is due. Terrell Brown and Au’Diese Toney both played really, really well.

** AD scrapped and fought during every second he was on the court. He made a couple of plays that displayed a certain sense of desperation for the Panther win.

** And when did Terrell become such a stellar finisher in the paint?

** Those two made up the Panther bench contributions for the day. The starters shot a combined 12-51 from the floor. That’s 23.5% for those who don’t want to do the math. That’s how a team loses.

** Sure, I would have liked to see what would have happened had Trey had passed to Ryan open on the wing when the Panthers were only down four at the five minute mark. Instead, Trey over penetrated and made a terrible pass out for a turnover and an easy Miami bucket.

** In fact, it wasn’t just a turnover. It was the turning point.

** But to completely see it as such, it means an assumption that Ryan’s going to hit that shot. And it’s not as if Ryan was sizzling with his jump shot.

** Trey made another play down the stretch when he took it himself when looking for others. He does that too often, but I find it hard to call out Trey to loudly. With his 18 points and 7 assists, Trey’s efforts resulted in 33 Panther points, well over half of our output.

** Trey shot a not-very-good 6-16 from the floor. That means a dismal 6-35 from Champagnie, Johnson, Murphy and Hamilton.

** I just don’t know what to say about Justin. He’s started out other games this year but missing chunks of jump shots, only to hit some that really mattered down the stretch. But 3-16 really hurt the team today. We need him to be an aggressive scorer. But he also needs to learn how to pass. He’s got just 7 assists all season long.

** I’ll lay off Xavier. My only comment is that Coach Capel made the right substitutions in the final 14 minutes of the game.

** And I’ll lay off the Panthers from for any further criticism. This isn’t a bad loss. But it also feels a little like something of a lost opportunity.

** For the Panthers to make anything out of this season, they are running out of opportunities to lose.

We had a real chance when Lykes went out as early as he did.

I didn't feel our coaching did enough to take advantage of it.

Miami has a couple of guys that are not all that quick or athletic. Couple that with Lykes out and you have a lot to work with.

 

[JD1976]

I know DT didn’t get into X today, but for everyone wishing him away just be careful what you wish for. I still see a highly talented, dynamic point guard who is just having a bad season. He is still young and has a ton of pressure on him as guy who has to play well or his team doesn’t have a chance to win most nights. That said, I along with everyone else had huge hopes for X this season so it’s no doubt disappointing the way he is playing.

 

[DT_PITT]

I know DT didn’t get into X today, but for everyone wishing him away just be careful what you wish for. I still see a highly talented, dynamic point guard who is just having a bad season. He is still young and has a ton of pressure on him as guy who has to play well or his team doesn’t have a chance to win most nights. That said, I along with everyone else had huge hopes for X this season so it’s no doubt disappointing the way he is playing.

Completely agree.

 

[Pav9870]

As always, your points are on target. I think we need to look at Pitt's defense as well. Why, I don't know, but I looked at Ken Pomeroy to see how Pitt's ACC opponents offenses have done compared to the other ACC teams they have played. We've only played 5 games, but everyone but UNC has set their ACC best offensive efficiency against our defense. That's not much of an accomplishment. Like Jason Capel said in the post game, defense has to travel.

 

[pittjas]

I know DT didn’t get into X today, but for everyone wishing him away just be careful what you wish for. I still see a highly talented, dynamic point guard who is just having a bad season. He is still young and has a ton of pressure on him as guy who has to play well or his team doesn’t have a chance to win most nights. That said, I along with everyone else had huge hopes for X this season so it’s no doubt disappointing the way he is playing.

Perfectly stated.

 

[DT_PITT]

We had a real chance when Lykes went out as early as he did.

I didn't feel our coaching did enough to take advantage of it.

Overall, everything is coaching, and Capel needs to work on getting his team to play better (buy into moving the ball and playing a team game) … but I don't believe there were any tactical moves that the coaching staff needed to make to take advantage of Lykes being out.

 

[docpanther26]

I have no problems with Justin, this is part of the learning curve and he is going to have a stellar career at Pitt. Terrell should have been on the floor more today, he was the X factor that Miami didn’t have the answer too.

If they played to their capabilities and performed their roles as they are asked to, we should win this game. Granted sports are like that, your not going to get everyone’s A game each night, but that is where teams are built.

 

[gary2]

Overall, everything is coaching, and Capel needs to work on getting his team to play better (buy into moving the ball and playing a team game) … but I don't believe there were any tactical moves that the coaching staff needed to make to take advantage of Lykes being out.

Miami has a couple of players not that quick or athletic.

How about not playing zone and over playing Beverly to keep the ball out of his hands, force McGusty to be the primary ball handler and speed them up.

It would have to be better than being picked apart for layup after layup.

Miami didn't need to take many shots outside the Paint at crunch time.

 

[DT_PITT]

Miami has a couple of players not that quick or athletic.

How about not playing zone and over playing Beverly to keep the ball out of his hands, force McGusty to be the primary ball handler and speed them up.

It would have to be better than being picked apart for layup after layup.

Miami didn't need to take many shots outside the Paint at crunch time.

You need to become a little more "subliminal" with your thoughts about Capel.

 

[Bethlehemjohn]

** I thought trying to make sense of this game is going to be a difficult task. After all, it was one of the stranger Pitt contests I’ve ever watched.

** I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a 16-0 lead to start the game erased within the first half followed by a 20 point lead knocked down to 4 in the second half.

** And who else would have predicted that we wouldn’t even see Johnson or Lykes at all for the second half of the second period?

** But then, if one ignores the runs and the point guard minutes, the final box score of the game tells a fairly typical tale.

** At the end of this one, an 8 point loss at Miami seems about right for the Panthers at this point.

** It also seems about right that when we shoot 36% from the floor and 3-16 from three, that we are going to score in the 50’s. That’s not enough.

** That’s the story to this game in my opinion. One could look at many reasons why we lost. Deficits, turnovers, bad shots, and getting stops in the final minutes -- they all mattered. But the one that mattered most is the simplest and most obvious. We just can’t hit enough shots.

** Before looking further into that reality, let give some real credit where credit is due. Terrell Brown and Au’Diese Toney both played really, really well.

** AD scrapped and fought during every second he was on the court. He made a couple of plays that displayed a certain sense of desperation for the Panther win.

** And when did Terrell become such a stellar finisher in the paint?

** Those two made up the Panther bench contributions for the day. The starters shot a combined 12-51 from the floor. That’s 23.5% for those who don’t want to do the math. That’s how a team loses.

** Sure, I would have liked to see what would have happened had Trey had passed to Ryan open on the wing when the Panthers were only down four at the five minute mark. Instead, Trey over penetrated and made a terrible pass out for a turnover and an easy Miami bucket.

** In fact, it wasn’t just a turnover. It was the turning point.

** But to completely see it as such, it means an assumption that Ryan’s going to hit that shot. And it’s not as if Ryan was sizzling with his jump shot.

** Trey made another play down the stretch when he took it himself when looking for others. He does that too often, but I find it hard to call out Trey to loudly. With his 18 points and 7 assists, Trey’s efforts resulted in 33 Panther points, well over half of our output.

** Trey shot a not-very-good 6-16 from the floor. That means a dismal 6-35 from Champagnie, Johnson, Murphy and Hamilton.

** I just don’t know what to say about Justin. He’s started out other games this year but missing chunks of jump shots, only to hit some that really mattered down the stretch. But 3-16 really hurt the team today. We need him to be an aggressive scorer. But he also needs to learn how to pass. He’s got just 7 assists all season long.

** I’ll lay off Xavier. My only comment is that Coach Capel made the right substitutions in the final 14 minutes of the game.

** And I’ll lay off the Panthers from for any further criticism. This isn’t a bad loss. But it also feels a little like something of a lost opportunity.

** For the Panthers to make anything out of this season, they are running out of opportunities to lose.

Let's face it, we are a bod offensive team. When we hit shots, we can hang with or beat just about everyone. When we don't, we aren't going to win many games.

You are correct that it wasn't a bad loss, just a lost opportunity.

I think Capel blew a great opportunity to give the defense a chance to win this for us. We should have had an all out press the last 8 minutes of the game. I can't believe he only used token pressure.

 

[DT_PITT]

Let's face it, we are a bod offensive team. When we hit shots, we can hang with or beat just about everyone. When we don't, we aren't going to win many games.

You are correct that it wasn't a bad loss, just a lost opportunity.

I think Capel blew a great opportunity to give the defense a chance to win this for us. We should have had an all out press the last 8 minutes of the game. I can't believe he only used token pressure.

We did press a fair amount and Miami kept getting it to their big at half court.

 

[docpanther26]

I have kind of hit at this already, we were better defensively with Terrell in the floor tonight. He did things I wasn’t expecting to see from him, and I’m not sure where they came from...

 

[DT_PITT]

I have kind of hit at this already, we were better defensively with Terrell in the floor tonight. He did things I wasn’t expecting to see from him, and I’m not sure where they came from...

This is why Terrell is so maddening. He made a couple tough plays look pretty easy tonight. Then for his next game, he'll make some easy plays look so hard.

 

[docpanther26]

Yes, but he changed the game tonight, not something we can count on him to do. He stepped up in press, was underneath when we needed him and seemed to just generally be around the ball.

It is absolutely frustrating to not know what you will get from him each night...but that’s also the FUN of coaching.

 

[gary2]

You need to become a little more "subliminal" with your thoughts about Capel.

Your little joke aside

What do you think of what I suggested?

Do you think many other opposing coaches may have addressed Lykes being out much differently than what Capel decided on?

 

[pittjas]

Your like joke aside

What do you think of what I suggested?

Do you think many other opposing coaches may have addressed Lykes being out differently?

I don’t really see anything wrong with what we did. We switched to the zone and they had trouble and we got back into the game. Who knows what happens if Trey doesn’t turn it over and we score and it becomes a 2 point game?

But it’s tough to be perfect for that long. Going on a run like that takes a lot of energy out of you.

This team simply HAS to make some of the open looks it had in the 1st half.

 

[DT_PITT]

Your like joke aside

What do you think of what I suggested?

Do you think many other opposing coaches may have addressed Lykes being out differently?

When Lykes went out with his 5th foul in the 2nd half, Miami was up by 17 points, and we cut the lead down to 4 over the next 5+ minutes, so it appears to me that the Panthers took advantage of his absence.

 

[gary2]

I don’t really see anything wrong with what we did. We switched to the zone and they had trouble and we got back into the game. Who knows what happens if Trey doesn’t turn it over and we score and it becomes a 2 point game?

But it’s tough to be perfect for that long. Going on a run like that takes a lot of energy out of you.

This team simply HAS to make some of the open looks it had in the 1st half.

I turned the game on down 10-18. I saw Murphy missed two threes badly. One wide open and one he made more difficult by faking. I saw Justin miss an open three I didn't want him to take. He missed it shorty after missing a open bunny at the front of the rim.

That's four good shots. I don't remember many others. Hamilton had a make able jumper, but I wouldn't call it a good shot. He was not on balance.

 

[rockypanther]

Don't get me wrong … I love Justin. But he needs to start learning soon about when to shoot.

Do you think he is playing out of position

 

[gary2]

When Lykes went out with his 5th foul in the 2nd half, Miami was up by 17 points, and we cut the lead down to 4 over the next 5+ minutes, so it appears to me that the Panthers took advantage of his absence.

I know that.

Perhaps Miami made an adjustment after that run. Perhaps we backed off after we closed the gap.

Anyway that is not what I asked. I asked about denying Beverly the ball, forcing McGusty to be the primary ball handler and speeding them up.

I asked if you thought other coaches might have been more aggressive than Capel and gone all in for the kill.

Any merit in any of that?

 

[DT_PITT]

I know that.

Perhaps Miami made an adjustment after that run. Perhaps we backed off after we closed the gap.

Anyway that is not what I asked. I asked about denying Beverly the ball, forcing McGusty to be the primary ball handler and speeding them up.

I asked if you though other coaches might have been more aggressive than Capel and gone all in for the kill.

It seems to me that you are reaching here.

 

[gary2]

It seems to me that you are reaching here.

It appears I am not going to reach you here. So be it.

 

[rockypanther]

I know DT didn’t get into X today, but for everyone wishing him away just be careful what you wish for. I still see a highly talented, dynamic point guard who is just having a bad season. He is still young and has a ton of pressure on him as guy who has to play well or his team doesn’t have a chance to win most nights. That said, I along with everyone else had huge hopes for X this season so it’s no doubt disappointing the way he is playing.

I have no idea how X will finish this season. I think he wasn't as hungry in the off-season and took things for granted this season. I also think losing JWF really hurt X because JWF could light it up from the top which meant the defense had to extend. That gave more space for X to drive last year.

I watched and read about the workouts X was doing with a very highly regarded skills trainer on YouTube before even starting at Pitt. X was very hungry and worked himself to exhaustion. I think the kid has a lot of pride and it's killing him how he is playing this year. My hope and guess he will get back to that hungry grinder mentality this off season and play at a much higher level next year. It's crazy to write him off after last year.

 

[DT_PITT]

Do you think he is playing out of position

Not at all. The fact that he's getting the number of shots he is, as easily as he is says so in my opinion.

I guess the only question I see is whether he should have as much of a green light as he does from three.

 

[rockypanther]

I don’t really see anything wrong with what we did. We switched to the zone and they had trouble and we got back into the game. Who knows what happens if Trey doesn’t turn it over and we score and it becomes a 2 point game?

But it’s tough to be perfect for that long. Going on a run like that takes a lot of energy out of you.

This team simply HAS to make some of the open looks it had in the 1st half.

I liked Capels more aggressive attacking defense when Lyke went out.

 

[rockypanther]

Not at all. The fact that he's getting the number of shots he is, as easily as he is says so in my opinion.

I guess the only question I see is whether he should have as much of a green light as he does from three.

Totally agree. Do you see him as being a stretch 4 during his career at Pitt? I would really like that. Especially if Drumgoole could capture the 3 spot at some point. I think Drumgoole is going to surprise ppl next year.

 

[Protes]

I know DT didn’t get into X today, but for everyone wishing him away just be careful what you wish for. I still see a highly talented, dynamic point guard who is just having a bad season. He is still young and has a ton of pressure on him as guy who has to play well or his team doesn’t have a chance to win most nights. That said, I along with everyone else had huge hopes for X this season so it’s no doubt disappointing the way he is playing.

I don't think anybody is wishing him away. I think the school of thought coming into this season was that a) he'd improve and b) if he did, he'd probably be gone. I see a darn good college player who would be best served playing out his 4 years of eligibility.

 

[DT_PITT]

It appears I am not going to reach you here. So be it.

You are reaching to come up with Capel criticisms.

Offering criticism of Capel is pretty easy. His team is terribly inconsistent and does not move the ball well on offense. Because of this, they do not execute well, especially when they need to.

However, to try to come up with some shortcoming in his coaching after Lykes went down seems a little silly to me.

Heck, if anything, why not try to figure out what he did wrong to start the game to let Miami take a 16-0 lead? Or perhaps, what went wrong to let Miami go up by 20.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

He’s a streaky shooter and if he gets in rhythm he’s the only one who can carry the team .

It's not even that he's really "streaky" though. "Streaky" implies that he can go through bad stretches and then good stretches often within the same game. Champagnie simply does not do that, at least so far this season. This season he either makes a lot or he misses pretty much all of them, and there is no middle ground. In four games, Florida State, Northwestern, Canisius and North Carolina he is 14-29, 48.3% on threes. In all the other games this season combined he is 1-31, 3.2% on threes.

What that really looks like isn't "streaky" so much as a bad shooter who on rare occasions gets hot and makes a few. And then the next game he goes right back to being a bad shooter.

 

[gary2]

You are reaching to come up with Capel criticisms.

Offering criticism of Capel is pretty easy. His team is terribly inconsistent and does not move the ball well on offense. Because of this, they do not execute well, especially when they need to.

However, to try to come up with some shortcoming in his coaching after Lykes went down seems a little silly to me.

Heck, if anything, why not try to figure out what he did wrong to start the game to let Miami take a 16-0 lead? Or perhaps, what went wrong to let Miami go up by 20.

I find it strange that you seem to want to discuss everything except the details of what I asked you about.