- That first half was certainly tough to watch. Northwestern is not a good team, and their shooting allowed Pitt to hang around just enough. Even during the first ten minutes, I felt like Pitt would win if they could just hang onto the ball. As ugly as it was, you can see that this team didn't get discouraged. After the one missed lay up, you could see the frustration from Xavier. Several teammates gestured for him to move on and forget it. No matter how ugly it gets with him at times, he does not hide. That is for sure. He could get past any Northwestern defender at any time, so it was just a matter of him settling down and finishing.
- The big three ended up putting on a show, and Pitt needed every bit of it. When I watch them play, it feels like there is chemistry between Xavier and Justin. The two look for each other a lot, and there is trust there. For whatever reason, it just seems like Au'diese is an isolated scorer. It has been amazing just how efficient he has been this year. When these three are playing well together, they have a chance to beat most teams in the conference. If one of them is off or Xavier is turning it over, it is going to be very difficult. The supporting cast will develop over the course of the season due to the youth, but there won't be the consistency there yet.
- The lack of shooting, and specifically the shooting guard spot, is a concern to me. When Ithiel is not knocking down shots, he does not add much. The foot speed appears to be lacking and it is a serious problem. I would expect Nike to get cleared and move into the starting spot there, moving Ithiel into a specialized shooting reserve role. I know it is only four games and I'm not writing him off, but I just think we should temper expectations at this point. Getting shots and stopping penetration at this level is much different. This team needs his outside shooting, so it will be interesting to see how the rotation changes and develops if/when Sibande gets cleared.
- It was a rough night for the center spot, but I think they will be better than that. Karim could not get into rhythm at all and the fouling was out of control. It is clear that Terrell Brown is third in line and not much has changed there with his activity level. It will be a struggle here all season, with some highs and lows. This will be a group effort, and they are going to need Terrell at times.
- I like this freshmen class. It is going to take time, but I really like the trio of Jeffress, Hugley, and Odukale. You saw flashes from each, and I believe all three should have a significant spot in the rotation. I wouldn't overreact to William's effort last night. He is going to be good but the scoring will come and go. I think his role will develop into the perfect sixth man that can play multiple positions. I may be in the minority, but I also really like Femi. I think he has a chance to be special. Thought he made a handful of small plays last night that proved to be big. The turnover was an experience issue where he got a big lazy. But he made a really nice drive where he got hammered without a call. The three assists in 7 minutes were huge.
- Collier has a chance as well. In certain matchups where the opponent doesn't have a true center, I would like to see him as the undersized five in an uptempo and athletic look. At this point, he is just an athlete sort of stuck between positions right now. His length and athleticism intrigues me. This team does not have a lot of athleticism, so I think the staff can find some ways to use him.
- Thought the officiating was terrible last night. Not saying either team got an edge from it, but it was just bad. They did not let them play at all. There were stretches where any contact at all was blown. Then they went stretches were guys got hammered around the rim. It was very difficult to get a feel for what was going to be called.
- It is going to take time with this team. We are only now getting a feel for who they might be able to become. We don't see them in two exhibitions and a bunch of non-conference games this year. Everything is day to day this season, and we have to start evaluating and making judgements based on what we see with limited information. The trio they have is pretty good. There is still inconsistency there, but they can all score and have short memories. The lack of outside shooting concerns me, and the team doesn't look to be athletic overall. I think they can overcome some of that with length. I think the center spot will be a group effort and be just okay. You don't get killed at the center position in college. So the biggest concern for me is the shooting. Everything else should get better as the freshmen learn and develop. Once again, this team will live and die with Xavier Johnson. When he is on, they are dangerous. When he isn't playing well, they are vulnerable. It is that simple. They do have some more depth this year. And the league is down once again. Going to be a wild year, but what else would you expect?
- The big three ended up putting on a show, and Pitt needed every bit of it. When I watch them play, it feels like there is chemistry between Xavier and Justin. The two look for each other a lot, and there is trust there. For whatever reason, it just seems like Au'diese is an isolated scorer. It has been amazing just how efficient he has been this year. When these three are playing well together, they have a chance to beat most teams in the conference. If one of them is off or Xavier is turning it over, it is going to be very difficult. The supporting cast will develop over the course of the season due to the youth, but there won't be the consistency there yet.
- The lack of shooting, and specifically the shooting guard spot, is a concern to me. When Ithiel is not knocking down shots, he does not add much. The foot speed appears to be lacking and it is a serious problem. I would expect Nike to get cleared and move into the starting spot there, moving Ithiel into a specialized shooting reserve role. I know it is only four games and I'm not writing him off, but I just think we should temper expectations at this point. Getting shots and stopping penetration at this level is much different. This team needs his outside shooting, so it will be interesting to see how the rotation changes and develops if/when Sibande gets cleared.
- It was a rough night for the center spot, but I think they will be better than that. Karim could not get into rhythm at all and the fouling was out of control. It is clear that Terrell Brown is third in line and not much has changed there with his activity level. It will be a struggle here all season, with some highs and lows. This will be a group effort, and they are going to need Terrell at times.
- I like this freshmen class. It is going to take time, but I really like the trio of Jeffress, Hugley, and Odukale. You saw flashes from each, and I believe all three should have a significant spot in the rotation. I wouldn't overreact to William's effort last night. He is going to be good but the scoring will come and go. I think his role will develop into the perfect sixth man that can play multiple positions. I may be in the minority, but I also really like Femi. I think he has a chance to be special. Thought he made a handful of small plays last night that proved to be big. The turnover was an experience issue where he got a big lazy. But he made a really nice drive where he got hammered without a call. The three assists in 7 minutes were huge.
- Collier has a chance as well. In certain matchups where the opponent doesn't have a true center, I would like to see him as the undersized five in an uptempo and athletic look. At this point, he is just an athlete sort of stuck between positions right now. His length and athleticism intrigues me. This team does not have a lot of athleticism, so I think the staff can find some ways to use him.
- Thought the officiating was terrible last night. Not saying either team got an edge from it, but it was just bad. They did not let them play at all. There were stretches where any contact at all was blown. Then they went stretches were guys got hammered around the rim. It was very difficult to get a feel for what was going to be called.
- It is going to take time with this team. We are only now getting a feel for who they might be able to become. We don't see them in two exhibitions and a bunch of non-conference games this year. Everything is day to day this season, and we have to start evaluating and making judgements based on what we see with limited information. The trio they have is pretty good. There is still inconsistency there, but they can all score and have short memories. The lack of outside shooting concerns me, and the team doesn't look to be athletic overall. I think they can overcome some of that with length. I think the center spot will be a group effort and be just okay. You don't get killed at the center position in college. So the biggest concern for me is the shooting. Everything else should get better as the freshmen learn and develop. Once again, this team will live and die with Xavier Johnson. When he is on, they are dangerous. When he isn't playing well, they are vulnerable. It is that simple. They do have some more depth this year. And the league is down once again. Going to be a wild year, but what else would you expect?
