NC State Game @ the Pete & Other Dribbles ...

[DT_PITT]

** What a wonderful night!

** Let’s even go one step more. What a really wonderful season!!

** I’ll also offer that there’s so much more to be determined about the next path of our season in the next six days that I’d rather not include these thoughts about that tonight.

** In short, let’s just appreciate our team and our program to the max that they deserve at the moment. And at the moment, for me, that’s a pretty high level of appreciation.

** This wasn’t a perfect game tonight. But it was a pretty good one. Perhaps even one we might have enjoyed more if we weren’t in a position to strive for a 30 point win to please the gods of the NET.

** But it was a game to appreciate the talents of the gentlemen who rock the court for the Panthers. And each of the seven gentlemen who did so tonight did it so well this game.

** Guillermo was solid and strong and hit some big shots. Fede joined with him to make a solid pair at the five. It’s a big reason we won in fact. We should start feeling better about that. We actually won the paint.

** Ish, Jaland and Zach were solid too. But we already knew that about all of them too.

** But then there’s Bub.

** On November 6, we watched the now somewhat legendary triple double, and every expectation of what Mr. Carrington meant to the Panthers was born.

** Since that time, we’ve learned that Bub isn’t a superhero, but maybe just a mere mortal first team All ACC freshman team performer.

** Perhaps that’s even understating his case a bit. Tonight, Bub performed like a first team All ACC performer, even if his overall ACC year doesn’t put him at this level. But we’ll see where he’ll stack among the best in the league's freshmen. He’s near the top.

** But as we’ve said before, the greatest excitement of this season was built upon the idea that Bub was a first round NBA pick.

** Tonight might have been the closest we’ve seen to the idea that he might be such a pick in quite some time.

** Before wrapping up, allow me to offer thanks to Will and KJ. We all know how much they matter.

** Of course, more than anyone else, tonight was really about Blake.

** I’ll understate things by offering the simple notion that tonight was simply Blake. This is wonderful of course. But the whole story is not yet written.

** There’s been some discussion about whether Blake belongs and the Panther 21st Century Mt. Rushmore alongside Fella, Brandin and Sam.

** If the Panthers somehow end up playing in the NCAA tournament this year, his face might seem to belong here.

** On this particular night, I was impressed with a player who could give us 21 points while only hitting 2 threes.

** Once again, a warrior and a leader.

** If Blake isn’t first team All-ACC, then the designation is pretty pointless.

** But Blake’s work, if not legend, is far from over.

** At 2:30 on Thursday, he has the chance to lead his team into the NCAA tournament.

** I’m sorry I can’t be there in DC to join him. But once I’m done writing these dribbles, I’ll be logging onto my employer’s payroll system to ask for the afternoon off.

** This wonderful night tonight leads us to a wonderful day on Thursday.

** And if I’m reading our team who is 11-3 of late correctly, our wonderful day to end this season should extend beyond a Thursday afternoon in DC.

** But I’m getting too far ahead for now.

** At the moment, congrats to our Panthers for a fine 21-10 season!

 

[Chairman Moe]

DT, you wrote: ** This wasn’t a perfect game tonight. But it was a pretty good one. Perhaps even one we might have enjoyed more if we weren’t in a position more to strive for a 30 point win to please the gods of the NET
*******************
My thoughts exactly. As much as a 20-25 point shellacking of the Wolfpack would have made the NET group happy, I was more pleased that the guys didn't blink when NCST cut a huge gash into our lead

I'm thinking we need at least the Thursday win to feel comfortable about playing in the NCAA tournament

Enjoy your afternoon off!

 

[Chairman Moe]

*Moe-bservations:

*16 assists to 5 turnovers for us; 12 to 10 for the Wolfpack - and DJ Burns led them with 4 assists

*Despite fouling out, Ish had another great performance off the bench with 8 rebounds

*Fede and GDG played much better against Burns last night than they did in Raleigh

*We only played 7 guys; is that a season low?

*Only 11 fouls called on us but 5 of them were on Leggett (1 of which was very questionable - the charging call in the first half)

*I've admired many Pitt players over the years, but what Blake Hinson has done the past two seasons to help turn around a losing program and help make Pitt relevant again, is very special. We Pitt fans will remember #2 for a long time

*Coach Capel's post game comments focused on how much he and his assistants look for recruits who WANT to be at Pitt, who are selfless/team first guys, and then teach them to reach their potential and build confidence ... I'd say he's succeeding

*Good luck to our guys in D.C.!

 

[Sam Bam Clancy]

Zack is averaging only 2.3 shots per game. I doubt that was his expectation when he transferred in. That is one example of the good job that Coach Capel has done with this team. Zack has bought in and contributes in many ways most games without shooting or scoring. Ish has been willing to come off the bench, and often being the fourth option in the offense.

The earlier Capel Pitt teams were the opposite. Another reason it would be a shame for this team to be last team out.

 

[Jeffburgh]

Zack is averaging only 2.3 shots per game. I doubt that was his expectation when he transferred in. That is one example of the good job that Coach Capel has done with this team. Zack has bought in and contributes in many ways most games without shooting or scoring. Ish has been willing to come off the bench, and often being the fourth option in the offense.

The earlier Capel Pitt teams were the opposite. Another reason it would be a shame for this team to be last team out.

The culture difference between the teams the last two years and the first four seasons is like day and night.

He may not get many assists during a game, but in the post game interview with Hinson, Bub and Capel someone asked a question to both Hinson and Bub, and Hinson said, you take it Bub, Bub answered and Hinson pretty much said, what he said.

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

Really good game. Really good atmosphere. Ncst was physical. Pitt’s gotten a lot tougher.

 

[mo cheeks]

The team play has been stellar ! unselfishness ! We can win Thursday, need to be locked in from the start on D. The stellar team play started last year led in part by a guard whose younger brother will be part of the program next year.

 

[PittMan2003]

I really think capel Should win coach of the year again. He has done a really nice job with this team.

 

[Islanderpanther]

Thought the decision to double down on nc st’s big man made a huge difference in the defense last night as compared to the first meeting. In a tight game like last night, I’d still prefer that Lowe, and not Bub, trigger the O. Bub is a shot hunter. Very good season.

 

[Pittisit4me]

I think the only thing missing from this team that could keep it from a special run in the upcoming tournaments is consistently defending hard. We let up tonight and let a guy take some open 3s in the second half. We would have won this game by 20 if we shut him off, but, we continued to leave him open. Defend and clean our defensive glass and we just might find ourselves in the ACC tournament championship.

 

[WillyDavis33]

Great game last night! I was checking out the shirts given to the Zoo and they looked cool! I was trying to snag one but not going to happen!

We let our foot off the gas in the 2nd half but when we needed it we found it! This is a bag dance team!

 

[Pittisit4me]

Thought the decision to double down on nc st’s big man made a huge difference in the defense last night as compared to the first meeting. In a tight game like last night, I’d still prefer that Lowe, and not Bub, trigger the O. Bub is a shot hunter. Very good season.

Thought the same thing. Lowe should have the ball in his hand. Bub is making shots now, but, we get a bit stagnant when he is the point. We tend not to move and watch him dribble. Then we settle for jumpers and that isn't a good thing when we go cold.

 

[PittMBA]

** What a wonderful night!

** Let’s even go one step more. What a really wonderful season!!

** I’ll also offer that there’s so much more to be determined about the next path of our season in the next six days that I’d rather not include these thoughts about that tonight.

** In short, let’s just appreciate our team and our program to the max that they deserve at the moment. And at the moment, for me, that a pretty high level of appreciation.

** This wasn’t a perfect game tonight. But it was a pretty good one. Perhaps even one we might have enjoyed more if we weren’t in a position more to strive for a 30 point win to please the gods of the NET.

** But it was a game to appreciate the talents of the gentlemen who rock the court for the Panthers. And each of the seven gentlemen who did so tonight did so well this game.

** Guillermo was solid and strong and hit some big shots. Fede joined with him to make a solid pair at the five. It’s a big reason we won in fact. We should start feeling better about that. We actually won the paint.

** Ish, Jaland and Zach were solid too. But we already knew that about all of them too.

** But then there’s Bub.

** On November 6, we watched the now somewhat legendary triple double, and every expectation of what Mr. Carrington meant to the Panthers was born.

** Since that time, we’ve learned that Bub isn’t a superhero, but maybe just a mere mortal first team All ACC freshman team performer.

** Perhaps that’s even understating his case a bit. Tonight, Bub performed like a first team All ACC performer, even if his overall ACC year doesn’t put him at this level. But we’ll see where he’ll stack among the best in the league's freshmen. He’s near the top.

** But as we’ve said before, the greatest excitement of this season was built upon the idea that Bub was a first round NBA pick.

** Tonight might have been the closest we’ve seen to the idea that he might be such a pick in quite some time.

** Before wrapping up, allow me to offer thanks to Will and KJ. We all know how much they matter.

** Of course, more than anyone else, tonight was really about Blake.

** I’ll understate things by offering the simple notion that tonight was simply Blake. This is wonderful of course. But the whole story is not yet written.

** There’s been some discussion about whether Blake belongs and the Panther 21st Century Mt. Rushmore alongside Fella, Brandin and Sam.

** If the Panthers somehow end up playing in the NCAA tournament this year, his face might seem to belong here.

** On this particular night, I was impressed with a player who could give us 21 points while only hitting 2 threes.

** Once again, a warrior and a leader.

** If Blake isn’t first team All-ACC, then the designation is pretty pointless.

** But Blake’s work, if not legend, is far from over.

** At 2:30 on Thursday, he has the chance to lead his team into the NCAA tournament.

** I’m sorry I can’t be there in DC to join him. But once I’m done writing these dribbles, I’ll be logging onto my employer’s payroll system to ask for the afternoon off.

** This wonderful night tonight leads us to a wonderful day on Thursday.

** And if I’m reading our team who is 11-3 of late correctly, our wonderful day to end this season should extend beyond a Thursday afternoon in DC.

** But I’m getting too far ahead for now.

** At the moment, congrats to our Panthers for a fine 21-10 season!

Part of me wishes we were in the old days where all of these metrics either didn’t exist or weren’t so front and center - at times seems to be the thief of joy of just watching a very good team have success .

Fede and Diaz-Graham have played markedly better over the past several games. Fede especially seems to have toughened up somehow since Reid embarrassed him at home.

He’s not gonna win every battle - or even most -
possession to possession ; but he’s winning enough . He made their bigs work last night- very little came easy.

Blake is just a pleasure - it’s hard to compare players across generations- we’ve had some great ones . What I will say is Blake took a really young team under his wing and brought joy back to the Pete. I can’t recall the last PItt player with a similarly singular affect on a team and the program. Maybe Fella and of course BK — actually, Greer’s senior season and that magical BET run is an interesting parallel. He didn’t ultimately play on the teams that marked PItt’s amazing run - but he helped show a really young team how to win.

Man- just want to see this team have a shot in the NCAAs. Can’t be more than a few teams playing better than us right now. I can guarantee the top 16 seeds would rather face New Mexico , Colorado , Col St , Utah , Providence, Wake etc. than Pitt on a neutral floor right now.

H2P

 

[Fsgolfdr]

What a season , who could’ve predicted this after such an abysmal start to conference play .

When Pitt went into Cameron 1-5 and beat the hated Blue Devils the naysayers only focused on Dukes injured players . People seem to forget that the guys Duke has sitting on their bench were more highly sought after players than Pitt could ever hope to recruit . Pitts players learned to believe in themselves and their teammates that night .

With the emergence of Jaland and with Ish coming off the bench this is a pretty good bb team and if Blake and Bub are on they can beat just about anyone in the country . I’m still worried about teams that have a strong inside presence although Fede has picked it up recently. if they’re slighted by the NCAA selection committee it will be criminal.

I went to the open practice last yr and watched this big burly guy just bury shot after shot and I realized that this guy was good .. Blake has far exceeded those expectations. Listening to JC post game remarks and how much Blake has meant to this team makes you realize how special a man he is .

I‘ve always thought that JC was a good hire , but at times one had to wonder whether he could ever resurrect Pitt Bb . I always said he’s the kind of coach you’d want your son to play for . He’s finally found the type of players needed to compete in the ACC and he‘s put to rest the notion he and his staff can’t coach .

 

[Jeffburgh]

What a season , who could’ve predicted this after such an abysmal start to conference play .

When Pitt went into Cameron 1-5 and beat the hated Blue Devils the naysayers only focused on Dukes injured players . People seem to forget that the guys Duke has sitting on their bench were more highly sought after players than Pitt could ever hope to recruit . Pitts players learned to believe in themselves and their teammates that night .

With the emergence of Jaland and with Ish coming off the bench this is a pretty good bb team and if Blake and Bub are on they can beat just about anyone in the country . I’m still worried about teams that have a strong inside presence although Fede has picked it up recently. if they’re slighted by the NCAA selection committee it will be criminal.

I went to the open practice last yr and watched this big burly guy just bury shot after shot and I realized that this guy was good .. Blake has far exceeded those expectations. Listening to JC post game remarks and how much Blake has meant to this team makes you realize how special a man he is .

I‘ve always thought that JC was a good hire , but at times one had to wonder whether he could ever resurrect Pitt Bb . I always said he’s the kind of coach you’d want your son to play for . He’s finally found the type of players needed to compete in the ACC and he‘s put to rest the notion he and his staff can’t coach .

I was a huge fan of his hire and felt very good about him on a number of levels. Gotta admit I had given up on him going into last season, but even more so this than last year am incredibly impressed with the job he has done.

This team is a real threat to win the ACC tournament.

 

[Protes]

Thought the same thing. Lowe should have the ball in his hand. Bub is making shots now, but, we get a bit stagnant when he is the point. We tend not to move and watch him dribble. Then we settle for jumpers and that isn't a good thing when we go cold.

Agree with this 100%. Jaland almost became invisible at times in the second half. Clearly, it's a strategic decision by JC, but I don't think it's the ideal way for our offense to be run. Good things happen when Jaland breaks down his defender and gets in the lane.

When we were up 14 at the under 6:00, I was really hoping we'd pull away and win by 20. Instead, it went the other way. We were lucky it didn't totally get away from us.

 

[Franb]

*Moe-bservations:

*16 assists to 5 turnovers for us; 12 to 10 for the Wolfpack - and DJ Burns led them with 4 assists

*Despite fouling out, Ish had another great performance off the bench with 8 rebounds

*Fede and GDG played much better against Burns last night than they did in Raleigh

*We only played 7 guys; is that a season low?

*Only 11 fouls called on us but 5 of them were on Leggett (1 of which was very questionable - the charging call in the first half)

*I've admired many Pitt players over the years, but what Blake Hinson has done the past two seasons to help turn around a losing program and help make Pitt relevant again, is very special. We Pitt fans will remember #2 for a long time

*Coach Capel's post game comments focused on how much he and his assistants look for recruits who WANT to be at Pitt, who are selfless/team first guys, and then teach them to reach their potential and build confidence ... I'd say he's succeeding

*Good luck to our guys in D.C.!

That charging call on Ish was not at all questionable, it was awful.

 

[HailToPitt1985]

Agree with this 100%. Jaland almost became invisible at times in the second half. Clearly, it's a strategic decision by JC, but I don't think it's the ideal way for our offense to be run. Good things happen when Jaland breaks down his defender and gets in the lane.

When we were up 14 at the under 6:00, I was really hoping we'd pull away and win by 20. Instead, it went the other way. We were lucky it didn't totally get away from us.

That was the mistake that Capel made, not letting Jaland run the point more. That's his strength and he creates opportunities for everyone else. He's better at PG than Bub.

 

[Pittisit4me]

I think HCJC is evolving more and more each season and figuring out what it takes to get guys to work as a team. I think many thought last year was a fluke and that we only won because we had older men. Capel has proven that folly. With the exception of Blake, all our players could return next year. Capel is recruiting talent, but not only that, he is recruiting quality people now. Listen to the player interviews. It is easy to tell the culture here is all about team. That is a testament to Jeff and his staff and the message is getting through loud and clear!

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

16 assists to 5 turnovers for us

And none of those turnovers were in the second half.

 

[Chescat]

Agree with this 100%. Jaland almost became invisible at times in the second half. Clearly, it's a strategic decision by JC, but I don't think it's the ideal way for our offense to be run. Good things happen when Jaland breaks down his defender and gets in the lane.

When we were up 14 at the under 6:00, I was really hoping we'd pull away and win by 20. Instead, it went the other way. We were lucky it didn't totally get away from us.

I agree.
We're not in the locker room or the team huddle, so we don't really know if "it's a strategic decision by JC."
However it does remind me of Capel's PG oriented offense that he ran for years with X and Odukale. It's
pretty obvious, when Lowe's at the point we have much better ball movement and just as important
better player movement. Great as Bub is, he doesn't give us what Lowe does at the point. Bub does have
the talent to break his man down and go one on one. Capel had no choice, especially with X because of
the lack of talent around him. This isn't the case with this team. Starting the offense by sometimes breaking
your man down is ok, but not 90+% of the time. I have to believe that Bub can more frequently go pass
first, and get some ball and player movement as a first move.

 

[DrPittfan163]

Zach Austin’s windmill was fantastic!