Pitt fell to 12-9 last night - 2-6 in the ACC. That's 4 losses in a row, and this one is certainly the most crushing one. Sitting at 2-2 in the ACC, most of us would have been happy with winning one out of the next four.
@Syracuse - I thought we had a chance if Frame was on, and he was for the most part. The issue was that Syracuse was making more shots + we turned the ball over way too much. The fact of the matter is that we won't beat teams that run a zone against us. At least not this year.
Duke - It was great to see the Pete packed and everyone excited, but if you expected a win you're insane.
@L'ville - Beating a team twice in one year is tough, especially a conference foe that has owned you the last 10 years. Pitt played well and it was certainly a game they could have won but they went on a typical Pitt drought and the game got away in the 2nd half. It was upsetting to see it get away, but nobody could've realistically expected a different result in this one.
@Clemson - The most winnable game of the bunch, although Clemson is an older team. Simms didn't make much of an impact, but he's someone that could certainly help us this year. Any road ACC game is tough, but with Clemson coming off of a heart breaking loss @ NC St. i thought we had a chance if we jumped them off of the bat. Instead, they jumped us. I'm glad we don't quit but I'm not going to give these kids credit for trying. You're playing ACC basketball on National TV - trying should never be in question.
Season Stats (pts-reb-assists)
Xavier Johnson: 17-4-4 - what more do you want? He's turning it over 4 times per game, but that's what comes with a Freshman guard who has nobody to pass the ball to. Shooting 83% from the line and 42% from deep is ELITE. Those numbers are incredible and aren't talked about nearly enough. He's been tremendous this year.
Trey Mcgowens: 13-4-2 - Trey has fallen off a bit since the FSU game, but that's understandable. Going to the charity stripe 20 times per game isn't realistic, but since that game (4 game span) he's been to the foul line 4 times total. He hasn't been getting the calls he was vs. FSU although refs aren't going to award a player for being out of control. That's mostly what it's been. Him driving to the hoop looking for the contact, rather than trying to finish. He's a fantastic prospect and we all should expect big things from him in the future, although I would like to see that 3pt % creep up to the mid 30's. He's currently at 30%. I don't think he'll ever be a knock down three point shooter, but he will certainly be someone you have to respect around the arc. Who knows though, this kid works hard and it wouldn't surprise me to see him develop into a 40% + shooter from deep.
Jared Wilson-Frame: 12-5-2 - He's having a very nice season. He gets so much crap on this board and I'm not too sure why. He plays hard and has been a consistent threat from deep all year (besides NC St.) 41% from the field isn't good, but he's a volume scorer. Most of his shots are from deep, where he's shooting 38% which is very solid. He's also 88% from the line. Frame's averages last year were 13-4-2, although he's gotten much better from last year to this. He was asked to do way too much last year. He shot 38% from the field and 32% from deep. His shot is much more consistent this year and he's shown that with his percentages. He's ideally a 6th or 7th man on a tournament team. Again, way too much flack about this kid. He's been playing well this season.
Au'diese Toney: 9-6-0 - Toney is a unique player, but one that fits the "Pitt" mold. Hes' tough, high motor, hard nosed and a good defender. He's a typical Dixon prospect that will take that "leap" from year 2 to year 3. I still expect him to get better next year, but he's still very young. He's an elite rebounder for his size and that's only going to improve when he adds strength. He's already a player that will lock down the opponents top scorer. Granted, he hasn't always been successful, but he has that DNA in him. As he gets older, he's going to be LOCKDOWN. He hasn't shot the ball well this year, but the stroke is there. He has a pretty shot, it just hasn't been falling. 25% from three is bad, no other way to put it. You need him to be at least 30% from deep. At that point, the defense has to respect him. Ideally he's a 35% 3pt shooter by his Junior season and is a double-double machine. All in all, he's a junkyard dog. He's a Demare Carroll type player - he's a great prospect and we should all be excited about his potential.
Malik Ellison: 7-3-1 - Everyone is down on Malik, and most of it is warranted. He has given Pitt some quality minutes, although without a jump shot he's over matched on offense. He's shooting 15% from three and 50% from the line. Even if he draws contact underneath, he's only making half of his free throws. That being said, we shouldn't give up on this kid. We won't see much improvement from now until the end of the year, but I think we see a different player next year. He shot 35% from thee as a Sophmore at SJU. If we watch his SJU highlights on Youtube, he looks like a different player. His shot is drastically different. He tried changing his shot in the off season and it's not put together. It's not there. The kid has a high motor and works hard, therefore his shot will be fixed by next year. I think the bar was set high this year for him, which wasn't fair to him. We expected him to be an impact player based on what we heard from the previous staff, but it's clear they were doing/saying whatever they needed to preserve their job's. Malik is ideally the 2nd or 3rd guy off of your bench, and I think he'll be that guy next year. It's been a rough season for him, but I'm confident he'll be a different player next season.
Terrell Brown: 6-5-0 - Lets also mention the 2 blocks per game. Brown is full of potential and you see him flash his ability as a shot blocker and scorer every now and again. Rebounding needs to improve and so does his strength underneath, but he's still a good prospect. Tim O'toole has already helped Brown improve his game and that's evident. I find it interesting that they allow him to shoot from 3. They obviously want him to be able to stretch the floor. He has a nice shot - not much to it. He has good touch and that'll improve over time. The tools to be a good scorer underneath as well as a stretch 5 are there, it's just whether or not the motor/work ethic is. The percentages aren't great, but big men always develop slower than guards. Hopefully he sticks around for the majority of the summer and works on his game. If he does, I expect a big leap from him.
Sidy N'dir: 5-2-2 - Sidy has been fine this year. He's forced to do too much on offense because of the lack of scoring options, but there's not much to complain about. We knew what we were getting in him. 19% from three is terrible, but with the injury and lack of volume those numbers aren't entirely true. Nothing else to discuss.
Kene Chukwuka: 4-4-0 - Again, another guy we knew what we were getting. I was hoping to see some improvement from three, but it's not there. He has a nice shot (based on his FT% being 76), it just doesn't fall. I think he'll be around next year, although I expect him to be recruited over - if that's what you call it. The kid works hard and I don't want to bash him, but he is what he is. Ideally the 4th-5th big off of your bench in emergency minutes.
Kham Davis: 3-3-0 - Personally, I wish Kham would get more minutes. There are more minutes to give him and I'm not too sure why they don't. He can improve in a lot of areas, but he's shooting a respectable 33% from three and is long enough/athletic enough to play solid defense. He's not going to create his own shot or drive the hoop and score, but he's a prototypical "3 and D" type player. This off season, he should do nothing but shoot threes. The potential for him to be a 38% + 3pt shooter and good defender is there. He could be a nice weapon to have off of the bench. I think it can happen and I don't think we consider this enough.
Remaining Schedule/Predictions:
Syracuse - W
@Wake - W
NC ST. - L
@BC - L
VT - L
@GT - L
Clemson - W
@UVA - L
@Miami - L
ND - W
16-15 (6-12)
The stretch they just went though was very tough. Not many teams have anything even close to that. That being said, 16-15 + NIT bid would be HUGE for this team. I think it can happen and I don't think we should lose hope because we just went through murderers row.
H2P
@Syracuse - I thought we had a chance if Frame was on, and he was for the most part. The issue was that Syracuse was making more shots + we turned the ball over way too much. The fact of the matter is that we won't beat teams that run a zone against us. At least not this year.
Duke - It was great to see the Pete packed and everyone excited, but if you expected a win you're insane.
@L'ville - Beating a team twice in one year is tough, especially a conference foe that has owned you the last 10 years. Pitt played well and it was certainly a game they could have won but they went on a typical Pitt drought and the game got away in the 2nd half. It was upsetting to see it get away, but nobody could've realistically expected a different result in this one.
@Clemson - The most winnable game of the bunch, although Clemson is an older team. Simms didn't make much of an impact, but he's someone that could certainly help us this year. Any road ACC game is tough, but with Clemson coming off of a heart breaking loss @ NC St. i thought we had a chance if we jumped them off of the bat. Instead, they jumped us. I'm glad we don't quit but I'm not going to give these kids credit for trying. You're playing ACC basketball on National TV - trying should never be in question.
Season Stats (pts-reb-assists)
Xavier Johnson: 17-4-4 - what more do you want? He's turning it over 4 times per game, but that's what comes with a Freshman guard who has nobody to pass the ball to. Shooting 83% from the line and 42% from deep is ELITE. Those numbers are incredible and aren't talked about nearly enough. He's been tremendous this year.
Trey Mcgowens: 13-4-2 - Trey has fallen off a bit since the FSU game, but that's understandable. Going to the charity stripe 20 times per game isn't realistic, but since that game (4 game span) he's been to the foul line 4 times total. He hasn't been getting the calls he was vs. FSU although refs aren't going to award a player for being out of control. That's mostly what it's been. Him driving to the hoop looking for the contact, rather than trying to finish. He's a fantastic prospect and we all should expect big things from him in the future, although I would like to see that 3pt % creep up to the mid 30's. He's currently at 30%. I don't think he'll ever be a knock down three point shooter, but he will certainly be someone you have to respect around the arc. Who knows though, this kid works hard and it wouldn't surprise me to see him develop into a 40% + shooter from deep.
Jared Wilson-Frame: 12-5-2 - He's having a very nice season. He gets so much crap on this board and I'm not too sure why. He plays hard and has been a consistent threat from deep all year (besides NC St.) 41% from the field isn't good, but he's a volume scorer. Most of his shots are from deep, where he's shooting 38% which is very solid. He's also 88% from the line. Frame's averages last year were 13-4-2, although he's gotten much better from last year to this. He was asked to do way too much last year. He shot 38% from the field and 32% from deep. His shot is much more consistent this year and he's shown that with his percentages. He's ideally a 6th or 7th man on a tournament team. Again, way too much flack about this kid. He's been playing well this season.
Au'diese Toney: 9-6-0 - Toney is a unique player, but one that fits the "Pitt" mold. Hes' tough, high motor, hard nosed and a good defender. He's a typical Dixon prospect that will take that "leap" from year 2 to year 3. I still expect him to get better next year, but he's still very young. He's an elite rebounder for his size and that's only going to improve when he adds strength. He's already a player that will lock down the opponents top scorer. Granted, he hasn't always been successful, but he has that DNA in him. As he gets older, he's going to be LOCKDOWN. He hasn't shot the ball well this year, but the stroke is there. He has a pretty shot, it just hasn't been falling. 25% from three is bad, no other way to put it. You need him to be at least 30% from deep. At that point, the defense has to respect him. Ideally he's a 35% 3pt shooter by his Junior season and is a double-double machine. All in all, he's a junkyard dog. He's a Demare Carroll type player - he's a great prospect and we should all be excited about his potential.
Malik Ellison: 7-3-1 - Everyone is down on Malik, and most of it is warranted. He has given Pitt some quality minutes, although without a jump shot he's over matched on offense. He's shooting 15% from three and 50% from the line. Even if he draws contact underneath, he's only making half of his free throws. That being said, we shouldn't give up on this kid. We won't see much improvement from now until the end of the year, but I think we see a different player next year. He shot 35% from thee as a Sophmore at SJU. If we watch his SJU highlights on Youtube, he looks like a different player. His shot is drastically different. He tried changing his shot in the off season and it's not put together. It's not there. The kid has a high motor and works hard, therefore his shot will be fixed by next year. I think the bar was set high this year for him, which wasn't fair to him. We expected him to be an impact player based on what we heard from the previous staff, but it's clear they were doing/saying whatever they needed to preserve their job's. Malik is ideally the 2nd or 3rd guy off of your bench, and I think he'll be that guy next year. It's been a rough season for him, but I'm confident he'll be a different player next season.
Terrell Brown: 6-5-0 - Lets also mention the 2 blocks per game. Brown is full of potential and you see him flash his ability as a shot blocker and scorer every now and again. Rebounding needs to improve and so does his strength underneath, but he's still a good prospect. Tim O'toole has already helped Brown improve his game and that's evident. I find it interesting that they allow him to shoot from 3. They obviously want him to be able to stretch the floor. He has a nice shot - not much to it. He has good touch and that'll improve over time. The tools to be a good scorer underneath as well as a stretch 5 are there, it's just whether or not the motor/work ethic is. The percentages aren't great, but big men always develop slower than guards. Hopefully he sticks around for the majority of the summer and works on his game. If he does, I expect a big leap from him.
Sidy N'dir: 5-2-2 - Sidy has been fine this year. He's forced to do too much on offense because of the lack of scoring options, but there's not much to complain about. We knew what we were getting in him. 19% from three is terrible, but with the injury and lack of volume those numbers aren't entirely true. Nothing else to discuss.
Kene Chukwuka: 4-4-0 - Again, another guy we knew what we were getting. I was hoping to see some improvement from three, but it's not there. He has a nice shot (based on his FT% being 76), it just doesn't fall. I think he'll be around next year, although I expect him to be recruited over - if that's what you call it. The kid works hard and I don't want to bash him, but he is what he is. Ideally the 4th-5th big off of your bench in emergency minutes.
Kham Davis: 3-3-0 - Personally, I wish Kham would get more minutes. There are more minutes to give him and I'm not too sure why they don't. He can improve in a lot of areas, but he's shooting a respectable 33% from three and is long enough/athletic enough to play solid defense. He's not going to create his own shot or drive the hoop and score, but he's a prototypical "3 and D" type player. This off season, he should do nothing but shoot threes. The potential for him to be a 38% + 3pt shooter and good defender is there. He could be a nice weapon to have off of the bench. I think it can happen and I don't think we consider this enough.
Remaining Schedule/Predictions:
Syracuse - W
@Wake - W
NC ST. - L
@BC - L
VT - L
@GT - L
Clemson - W
@UVA - L
@Miami - L
ND - W
16-15 (6-12)
The stretch they just went though was very tough. Not many teams have anything even close to that. That being said, 16-15 + NIT bid would be HUGE for this team. I think it can happen and I don't think we should lose hope because we just went through murderers row.
H2P
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