Some thoughts on the game..

[whirlybird optio]

1) In many ways, I think this was the best game, maybe most important, we have played this season given the adversity in the game and the quality of the opponent. I don't think Ga Tech will end up being an NCAA team, but they might very well win 9 or so games in this league. They also are not a great matchup for us because they can rebound, they have a great shooter, and they have experience. There are teams in this league that are better than Ga Tech that I think we match up better with.

2) At the game I thought the refs were horrible. On replay, they weren't as bad as I had thought (Pitt got the MUCH better of the calls in the second half, some pure bailout calls), but they constant whistles did not add to the flow of the game.

3) I don't love Jamie's substitution patterns sometimes. If you ever watch OKC, some people really criticize Donovan (and Scott Brooks before him) because OKC will at times play w/o both Westbrook and Durant at the same time. The thought being, when you have two players that good, you shouldn't ever sit both of them, stagger their substitutions. I know foul trouble contributed to it some today, but I feel the same way about Artis-Young. I don't really ever want a lineup out there without either one of them, that's how high a level they are playing at right now.

4) Pitt once again separated in the first half when Jones-Jeter come into the game. Other teams just don't have 6th-7th men that good, so when those first set of subs comes in Pitt often times has an advantage, like today.

5) The SG position is just playing so much better this season. Even when Sterling Smith misses shots, at least the shots are being taken, and at least the other team has to respect the shooter.

6) This may be our deepest group during the run. Even today, 11 guys got minutes. That's rare in a league game. Guys like Ododa, Cam Johnson..those are very valuable back of the bench guys. It was nice to see Damon Wilson do some good things in the 2nd half.

7) I think there were 4 grad transfers in the starting lineups today. If you are Dixon, I don't see how you do not add another Grad big man next season. Nix is a total question mark, and Manigault is a frosh. I realize you won't always strike gold like it seems Pitt and GT have this season, but we have immediate needs next season. I do think though that next years recruiting class will be a really good one, Kithcart and Manigault have the potential to be special players, and Clark is a very intriguing SG given his size and athleticism.

HAIL TO PITT

 

[KiwiJeff]

The good thing about grad transfers versus JUCO transfers, is they have a proven track record. Many come from lower D1 schools, but even those schools play top competition OOC, so there is experience and a track record. And some guys just develop later, and it's a shame for the school that developed the kid, but many top D1 schools are taking advantage.

 

[PittPoker]

We should have won by double digits but of course Smith just went nuts from 3 the whole 2nd half. It seems like we really turn it on in the 2nd half and the FT's we made were just awesome. I mean, when has a Pitt team ever shot FT's like that? And that was with Maia missing 3 in the 1st half. Oh and Maia was great wasn't he?

 

[rrig5]

Good point about the importance of grad transfers in college hoops now. Last night the Smiths, Maia, and even ANO were key parts of the game. There used to be Freshman teams- now we might be able to have all Grad School teams.

 

[Delpanther]

1) In many ways, I think this was the best game, maybe most important, we have played this season given the adversity in the game and the quality of the opponent. I don't think Ga Tech will end up being an NCAA team, but they might very well win 9 or so games in this league. They also are not a great matchup for us because they can rebound, they have a great shooter, and they have experience. There are teams in this league that are better than Ga Tech that I think we match up better with.

2) At the game I thought the refs were horrible. On replay, they weren't as bad as I had thought (Pitt got the MUCH better of the calls in the second half, some pure bailout calls), but they constant whistles did not add to the flow of the game.

3) I don't love Jamie's substitution patterns sometimes. If you ever watch OKC, some people really criticize Donovan (and Scott Brooks before him) because OKC will at times play w/o both Westbrook and Durant at the same time. The thought being, when you have two players that good, you shouldn't ever sit both of them, stagger their substitutions. I know foul trouble contributed to it some today, but I feel the same way about Artis-Young. I don't really ever want a lineup out there without either one of them, that's how high a level they are playing at right now.

4) Pitt once again separated in the first half when Jones-Jeter come into the game. Other teams just don't have 6th-7th men that good, so when those first set of subs comes in Pitt often times has an advantage, like today.

5) The SG position is just playing so much better this season. Even when Sterling Smith misses shots, at least the shots are being taken, and at least the other team has to respect the shooter.

6) This may be our deepest group during the run. Even today, 11 guys got minutes. That's rare in a league game. Guys like Ododa, Cam Johnson..those are very valuable back of the bench guys. It was nice to see Damon Wilson do some good things in the 2nd half.

7) I think there were 4 grad transfers in the starting lineups today. If you are Dixon, I don't see how you do not add another Grad big man next season. Nix is a total question mark, and Manigault is a frosh. I realize you won't always strike gold like it seems Pitt and GT have this season, but we have immediate needs next season. I do think though that next years recruiting class will be a really good one, Kithcart and Manigault have the potential to be special players, and Clark is a very intriguing SG given his size and athleticism.

HAIL TO PITT

Agree with you completely on the substitution patterns. Pitt was humming along with a 12 point lead, Young was playing well and even though he had only one foul at that point, Young was pulled for over 4 minutes and during thew time, Artis was also pulled. Before you knew it, GT was back in the game. For the rest of the first half, Pitt never regianed the early momentum they had.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I did like the confidence Jamie has shown in Damon Wilson. He played him after the under 8 TVTO for a couple of minutes during a critical stretch and Wilson didn't turn the ball over. I think he is going to be a good player for us.

 

[Zaratoughda]

I really thought Dixon made some smart moves in having Maia cover Mitchell and Smith on Georges-Hunt with Artis covering Heath. I guess it was a matter of the better defensive player but also a matter of keeping Young and Artis out of foul trouble.

And, Robinson was on Adam Smith and James has been doing a good job on 3 ball shooters.

Other than Young picking up the two fouls, it was working in the first half. Mitchell was kept from dominating and Smith had trouble even getting off a shot.

But, in the end, both Mitchell and Smith went off for career highs.

The thing is, Dixon went away from how he was covering Mitchell and Smith.

I think the problem is that it is very tiring covering Mitchell, because of his size, and very tiring covering Smith, because he runs all over the place and is a good shooter.

So, Dixon had other guys trying to cover Mitchell. Nelson-Ododa, Luther, and Jeter.

And in the second half, after we got the 15 point lead, he decided to give Robinson a break and put Sterling Smith on Adam Smith and that was a disaster. Sterling was covering him too lose and Adam Smith put two three balls in a row right over him. He then put Robinson back on him but James was approaching run-out-of-gas level.

I would guess that Adam Smith scored half his points, or more, in that last stretch.

Hey, we got the W so you can't complain. But, when we go down there and play them at their place at the end of the season, we better do a better job on Adam Smith or we just might come home with an L.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Before you knew it, GT was back in the game. For the rest of the first half, Pitt never regianed the early momentum they had.

Good point. Well, except for that 11-0 run we went on after that. Someone might think that an 11-0 run in about 2-1/2 minutes involves some pretty good momentum, but I guess not.

 

[Delpanther]

Good point. Well, except for that 11-0 run we went on after that. Someone might think that an 11-0 run in about 2-1/2 minutes involves some pretty good momentum, but I guess not.

Well we were up 4 or 6 at the half when maybe it could have been 15. It didn't in the end make a difference in the outcome of this game but a similar move could hurt us in the future. I'm not sure we win this game on the road for a number of different reasons including the substitution patterns. You'll never convince me that pulling Young and Artis with the way the game was being played was a smart move.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Well I'm not saying I agree with the move either. But the notion that when we did that we lost momentum and never got it back again the rest of the half is simply factually incorrect. We turned a 2 point lead into a 13 point lead in less than three minutes. How can you say that we never got momentum back if you know that happened?

 

[UPitt '89]

Games ebb and flow. The lead went from 12 down to 1 in part because of the 4-point play that came from the technical, and then Young immediately getting his second foul after the technical.

There's nothing wrong with a brief period in the first half of a game in which Young and Artis are both out. Jeter and Jones came in during that time and the dropoff was not dramatic.

 

[Delpanther]

Well I'm not saying I agree with the move either. But the notion that when we did that we lost momentum and never got it back again the rest of the half is simply factually incorrect. We turned a 2 point lead into a 13 point lead in less than three minutes. How can you say that we never got momentum back if you know that happened?

Oh, ok, I now see what you're saying-what I was really suggesting was that at the time of the substitutions we were in control of the game and at halftime it was still a close game.