Syracuse Game @ the Pete & Other Dribbles ...

[DT_PITT]

** Through much of second half on this contest, my Son did his fair share fretting about the referees and the calls they made in this one. I reminded him that after rewatching games as I often do, it most often turns out that the calls we complained about were right.

** Soon after, Trey gets called for an offensive foul on his made three pointer and I went nuts.

** A few second later, a most seasoned of refs, Roger Ayers, stops play when the Panthers had a 5-4 advantage. I went nuts again.

** But alas, after rewatching both calls, they weren’t nearly the terrible calls I thought they were when watching the game. I think Ayers made a mistake calling the play dead, but perhaps an understandable one.

** Still, I can’t help but to be satisfied somehow that this game made me want to scream at the refs.

** We didn’t play well today. We missed plenty of opportunities that could have allowed us to swing this game in our favor. Those two "plays" from the refs, right or wrong, didn't help. But the Panthers just didn't do enough to help themselves.

** I can say I was pleased and even impressed with the effort and intensity that Panthers used to claw their way back into this game.

** We actually played some pretty good defense all game long. But after going down by 15, there were some moments of some pretty special defense.

** And there was a significant improvement in our execution against the zone from our contest against the Orange in the Dome.

** It wasn’t good execution, but better.

** We may never know exactly why Coach Capel chose to only play Terrell Brown just 4 minutes against Clemson. Maybe it was just a tactical choice. Or maybe he was unhappy about something within Terrell and Capel was making a point. If it was the latter, then it appears, at least for now, that Brown got some of the message.

** Before the game, Julius Page was taking about how good he thinks the Panthers can be in two years. He suggested they could be a Final Four team if they can add a McD’s All-American type player at the wing. He thinks this is possible because he thinks Brown will be a really good player in two years.

** I can’t say that I agree with Julius, but I was at least very encouraged that Brown demonstrated that he’s certainly a legit ACC player.

** I’m not sure anyone will ever be convinced the Malik Ellison will be a legit ACC player. But I was pleased to see him contribute today. He still made his share of misplays, but he helped the Panthers cause more than hurt it. We haven’t been able to say that as of late.

** What hurt the Panthers cause the most today however, was that Trey McGowens didn’t do nearly enough to help the Panthers’ cause of the offensive end. I hope we don’t get too far down on Trey. This is still very typical freshman inconsistency.

** The key for Trey is to stop this from becoming an extended offensive slump. If this team is going to go anywhere such as the NIT this year, we will need lots more offense from Trey.

** Speaking of the NIT, it would seem to me that we need five more ACC wins (including the ACC tournament) to get there. We’ve got some winnable games coming up. The Panthers absolutely need to get 2 of their next 3.

** To make some of these dreams come true, we need offense contributions from just about everyone. Too often, we get only get 3 or 4 players to play well offensively in the same game.

** But our guys have some experience under their belt now. It time for our Panthers to start playing their best basketball. All of them.

** I still think they can do it. And if they don’t, bad calls by refs won’t even be worth getting sore about.

 

[BFo8]

As always thank you for posting these.

Disagree with a Page, as encouraging as some of these guys are there’s just not that kind of talent even with an added big time recruit. I’d be happy if this team stuck together and was able to put together a Sweet 16 run. None of these guys are NBA players, a FF is just not in their capability.

Brown is a legitimate ACC player. Never going to be a star but could really be a solid contributor, especially if he was playing alongside a good center.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

** But alas, after rewatching both calls, they weren’t nearly the terrible calls I thought they were when watching the game. I think Ayers made a mistake calling the play dead, but perhaps an understandable one.

Why do you think that wasn't terrible? Refs simply do not blow the whistle when a defensive player is down behind the play and the offense is in the process of passing the ball to a guy who is wide open for a dunk under the basket. The one and only way that's an understandable whistle is if that guy got hit in the head and they thought it was a serious head injury. As it was, the injury was so bad that he got up and walked to the bench and a couple minutes later was back in the game showing no ill affects.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Disagree with a Page, as encouraging as some of these guys are there’s just not that kind of talent even with an added big time recruit. I’d be happy if this team stuck together and was able to put together a Sweet 16 run. None of these guys are NBA players, a FF is just not in their capability.

Yeah, unless the big time recruit we are bring in is someone like Zion Williamson I don't think one high level guy is going to be enough. We have some building blocks, but we need a lot more talent to even be thinking about being a long shot for a Final Four.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Why do you think that wasn't terrible? Refs simply do not blow the whistle when a defensive player is down behind the play and the offense is in the process of passing the ball to a guy who is wide open for a dunk under the basket. The one and only way that's an understandable whistle is if that guy got hit in the head and they thought it was a serious head injury. As it was, the injury was so bad that he got up and walked to the bench and a couple minutes later was back in the game showing no ill affects.

I dont think they should ever blow the play dead unless its almost a life or death situation. An ankle sprain can wait 20 seconds. This goes for soccer also. Teams play the ball out when an opponent goes down. Keep playing.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

** Through much of second half on this contest, my Son did his fair share fretting about the referees and the calls they made in this one. I reminded him that after rewatching games as I often do, it most often turns out that the calls we complained about were right.

** Soon after, Trey gets called for an offensive foul on his made three pointer and I went nuts.

** A few second later, a most seasoned of refs, Roger Ayers, stops play when the Panthers had a 5-4 advantage. I went nuts again.

** But alas, after rewatching both calls, they weren’t nearly the terrible calls I thought they were when watching the game. I think Ayers made a mistake calling the play dead, but perhaps an understandable one.

** Still, I can’t help but to be satisfied somehow that this game made me want to scream at the refs.

** We didn’t play well today. We missed plenty of opportunities that could have allowed us to swing this game in our favor. Those two "plays" from the refs, right or wrong, didn't help. But the Panthers just didn't do enough to help themselves.

** I can say I was pleased and even impressed with the effort and intensity that Panthers used to claw their way back into this game.

** We actually played some pretty good defense all game long. But after going down by 15, there were some moments of some pretty special defense.

** And there was a significant improvement in our execution against the zone from our contest against the Orange in the Dome.

** It wasn’t good execution, but better.

** We may never know exactly why Coach Capel chose to only play Terrell Brown just 4 minutes against Clemson. Maybe it was just a tactical choice. Or maybe he was unhappy about something within Terrell and Capel was making a point. If it was the latter, then it appears, at least for now, that Brown got some of the message.

** Before the game, Julius Page was taking about how good he thinks the Panthers can be in two years. He suggested they could be a Final Four team if they can add a McD’s All-American type player at the wing. He thinks this is possible because he thinks Brown will be a really good player in two years.

** I can’t say that I agree with Julius, but I was at least very encouraged that Brown demonstrated that he’s certainly a legit ACC player.

** I’m not sure anyone will ever be convinced the Malik Ellison will be a legit ACC player. But I was pleased to see him contribute today. He still made his share of misplays, but he helped the Panthers cause more than hurt it. We haven’t been able to say that as of late.

** What hurt the Panthers cause the most today however, was that Trey McGowens didn’t do nearly enough to help the Panthers’ cause of the offensive end. I hope we don’t get too far down on Trey. This is still very typical freshman inconsistency.

** The key for Trey is to stop this from becoming an extended offensive slump. If this team is going to go anywhere such as the NIT this year, we will need lots more offense from Trey.

** Speaking of the NIT, it would seem to me that we need five more ACC wins (including the ACC tournament) to get there. We’ve got some winnable games coming up. The Panthers absolutely need to get 2 of their next 3.

** To make some of these dreams come true, we need offense contributions from just about everyone. Too often, we get only get 3 or 4 players to play well offensively in the same game.

** But our guys have some experience under their belt now. It time for our Panthers to start playing their basketball. All of them.

** I still think they can do it. And if they don’t, bad calls by refs won’t even be worth getting sore about.

Need 5 more for NIT. 4 + 1 in ACCT

Best chances
Clemson
ND
@ Wake
@ Boston College

I will take being 4-12 heading into the last week. We could win at Miami and ND to go 6-12 and beat like BC in the ACCT to get to 7.

 

[BFo8]

I dont think they should ever blow the play dead unless its almost a life or death situation. An ankle sprain can wait 20 seconds. This goes for soccer also. Teams play the ball out when an opponent goes down. Keep playing.

Always felt like this was dubious as well.

At least let the team with possession have their shot. If the ball subsequently comes back up the court where the injured player is then blow the whistle.

 

[DT_PITT]

Why do you think that wasn't terrible? Refs simply do not blow the whistle when a defensive player is down behind the play and the offense is in the process of passing the ball to a guy who is wide open for a dunk under the basket. The one and only way that's an understandable whistle is if that guy got hit in the head and they thought it was a serious head injury. As it was, the injury was so bad that he got up and walked to the bench and a couple minutes later was back in the game showing no ill affects.

I do agree that this was a clear mistake by Ayers. And not a mistake that should be expected from a ref in the class of Roger Ayers. But if you watch the way the player went down, it almost kinda looks like he was woozy or something. So maybe Ayres saw this more seriously than it was. Yet knowing the guy got back in the game so soon validates how much of a mistake it was.

I should say that I've never seen a play blown dead with a 5-4 advantage. And it shouldn't have been blown dead this time. But it wasn't a call outside of what is legit, especially if Ayers had any belief in his head that something was really wrong with him.

My bigger point though is that it was at least fun to be mad at the refs, but in reality, both calls were closer to legit than originally thought, and actually weren't serious factors in the game.

 

[pitt-girl]

** Through much of second half on this contest, my Son did his fair share fretting about the referees and the calls they made in this one. I reminded him that after rewatching games as I often do, it most often turns out that the calls we complained about were right.

** Soon after, Trey gets called for an offensive foul on his made three pointer and I went nuts.

** A few second later, a most seasoned of refs, Roger Ayers, stops play when the Panthers had a 5-4 advantage. I went nuts again.

** But alas, after rewatching both calls, they weren’t nearly the terrible calls I thought they were when watching the game. I think Ayers made a mistake calling the play dead, but perhaps an understandable one.

** Still, I can’t help but to be satisfied somehow that this game made me want to scream at the refs.

** We didn’t play well today. We missed plenty of opportunities that could have allowed us to swing this game in our favor. Those two "plays" from the refs, right or wrong, didn't help. But the Panthers just didn't do enough to help themselves.

** I can say I was pleased and even impressed with the effort and intensity that Panthers used to claw their way back into this game.

** We actually played some pretty good defense all game long. But after going down by 15, there were some moments of some pretty special defense.

** And there was a significant improvement in our execution against the zone from our contest against the Orange in the Dome.

** It wasn’t good execution, but better.

** We may never know exactly why Coach Capel chose to only play Terrell Brown just 4 minutes against Clemson. Maybe it was just a tactical choice. Or maybe he was unhappy about something within Terrell and Capel was making a point. If it was the latter, then it appears, at least for now, that Brown got some of the message.

** Before the game, Julius Page was taking about how good he thinks the Panthers can be in two years. He suggested they could be a Final Four team if they can add a McD’s All-American type player at the wing. He thinks this is possible because he thinks Brown will be a really good player in two years.

** I can’t say that I agree with Julius, but I was at least very encouraged that Brown demonstrated that he’s certainly a legit ACC player.

** I’m not sure anyone will ever be convinced the Malik Ellison will be a legit ACC player. But I was pleased to see him contribute today. He still made his share of misplays, but he helped the Panthers cause more than hurt it. We haven’t been able to say that as of late.

** What hurt the Panthers cause the most today however, was that Trey McGowens didn’t do nearly enough to help the Panthers’ cause of the offensive end. I hope we don’t get too far down on Trey. This is still very typical freshman inconsistency.

** The key for Trey is to stop this from becoming an extended offensive slump. If this team is going to go anywhere such as the NIT this year, we will need lots more offense from Trey.

** Speaking of the NIT, it would seem to me that we need five more ACC wins (including the ACC tournament) to get there. We’ve got some winnable games coming up. The Panthers absolutely need to get 2 of their next 3.

** To make some of these dreams come true, we need offense contributions from just about everyone. Too often, we get only get 3 or 4 players to play well offensively in the same game.

** But our guys have some experience under their belt now. It time for our Panthers to start playing their basketball. All of them.

** I still think they can do it. And if they don’t, bad calls by refs won’t even be worth getting sore about.

I get post season being the goal in college basketball, but going into this season and even after the two wins against L'ville and FSU, I never expected it. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I'm cool with seeing these kids continue to play hard, albeit it if it results in a loss.

I continue to be optimistic going forward. I can feel the change and growth of the program. Hail to Pitt!

(Oh and I completely disagree that the whistle being blown to stop the 5-4 was even remotely legit. It just doesn't happen.)

 

[H2P 2003]

Even if the call on trey was technically correct, it is literally NEVER called. It would be like in baseball if an umpire started calling curveballs in the dirt that cross at the knees strikes..technically they are strikes, but they are never called.

Also, I have never seen a 5 on 4 stopped. Play continues until possession changes or there is a basket. It was inexplicable.

I also understand pitt is undersized, but FAR too often I see bugs on other teams going over the back of pitt players and getting away with it because pitt is giving up 6 inches.

I don’t know if pitt wins, and honestly I think they still lose..I think the real defined turning point was x’s two missed fts that would have made it a one point game.and then cuse went down and hit two. That sucked the air out of the building a bit...but those plays were mind boggling.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Even if the call on trey was technically correct, it is literally NEVER called. It would be like in baseball if an umpire started calling curveballs in the dirt that cross at the knees strikes..technically they are strikes, but they are never called.

Also, I have never seen a 5 on 4 stopped. Play continues until possession changes or there is a basket. It was inexplicable.

I also understand pitt is undersized, but FAR too often I see bugs on other teams going over the back of pitt players and getting away with it because pitt is giving up 6 inches.

I don’t know if pitt wins, and honestly I think they still lose..I think the real defined turning point was x’s two missed fts that would have made it a one point game.and then cuse went down and hit two. That sucked the air out of the building a bit...but those plays were mind boggling.

Trey does kick the leg out and he clearly did on the first one and Boeheim made it CLEAR to the ref to look for it next time. Its like Narduzzi alerting refs for offensive PI on VT's fade ball offense or alerting refs on illegal players downfield on RPOs. So the ref was looking for the leg kick but the thing is, the 2nd time he did it, it was ever so slight and shouldnt have been called.

 

[Bethlehemjohn]

** Through much of second half on this contest, my Son did his fair share fretting about the referees and the calls they made in this one. I reminded him that after rewatching games as I often do, it most often turns out that the calls we complained about were right.

** Soon after, Trey gets called for an offensive foul on his made three pointer and I went nuts.

** A few second later, a most seasoned of refs, Roger Ayers, stops play when the Panthers had a 5-4 advantage. I went nuts again.

** But alas, after rewatching both calls, they weren’t nearly the terrible calls I thought they were when watching the game. I think Ayers made a mistake calling the play dead, but perhaps an understandable one.

** Still, I can’t help but to be satisfied somehow that this game made me want to scream at the refs.

** We didn’t play well today. We missed plenty of opportunities that could have allowed us to swing this game in our favor. Those two "plays" from the refs, right or wrong, didn't help. But the Panthers just didn't do enough to help themselves.

** I can say I was pleased and even impressed with the effort and intensity that Panthers used to claw their way back into this game.

** We actually played some pretty good defense all game long. But after going down by 15, there were some moments of some pretty special defense.

** And there was a significant improvement in our execution against the zone from our contest against the Orange in the Dome.

** It wasn’t good execution, but better.

** We may never know exactly why Coach Capel chose to only play Terrell Brown just 4 minutes against Clemson. Maybe it was just a tactical choice. Or maybe he was unhappy about something within Terrell and Capel was making a point. If it was the latter, then it appears, at least for now, that Brown got some of the message.

** Before the game, Julius Page was taking about how good he thinks the Panthers can be in two years. He suggested they could be a Final Four team if they can add a McD’s All-American type player at the wing. He thinks this is possible because he thinks Brown will be a really good player in two years.

** I can’t say that I agree with Julius, but I was at least very encouraged that Brown demonstrated that he’s certainly a legit ACC player.

** I’m not sure anyone will ever be convinced the Malik Ellison will be a legit ACC player. But I was pleased to see him contribute today. He still made his share of misplays, but he helped the Panthers cause more than hurt it. We haven’t been able to say that as of late.

** What hurt the Panthers cause the most today however, was that Trey McGowens didn’t do nearly enough to help the Panthers’ cause of the offensive end. I hope we don’t get too far down on Trey. This is still very typical freshman inconsistency.

** The key for Trey is to stop this from becoming an extended offensive slump. If this team is going to go anywhere such as the NIT this year, we will need lots more offense from Trey.

** Speaking of the NIT, it would seem to me that we need five more ACC wins (including the ACC tournament) to get there. We’ve got some winnable games coming up. The Panthers absolutely need to get 2 of their next 3.

** To make some of these dreams come true, we need offense contributions from just about everyone. Too often, we get only get 3 or 4 players to play well offensively in the same game.

** But our guys have some experience under their belt now. It time for our Panthers to start playing their basketball. All of them.

** I still think they can do it. And if they don’t, bad calls by refs won’t even be worth getting sore about.

-The McGowens foul was a ref trying to be bigger then the game. It was a bad call.
-The stoppage with Chukwa down was fine. It is at the discretion of the ref. I've seen it called both ways. Usually you give the offense the break before you stop play. However, if you feel the downed guy is in peril, you can call it.
-Terrell played very little against Clemson because he was sick and had a fever. He missed practice on Wed and Thur.
-I still think we beat WF, NC St, Clemson, ND and at least one more on the road for 5 more.

 

[pitt-girl]

-The McGowens foul was a ref trying to be bigger then the game. It was a bad call.
-The stoppage with Chukwa down was fine. It is at the discretion of the ref. I've seen it called both ways. Usually you fine the offense the break and then stop it. However, if you feel the downed guy is in peril, you can call it.
-Terrell played very little against Clemson because he was sick and had a fever. He missed practice on Wed and Thur.
-I still think we beat WF, NC St, Clemson, ND and at least one more on the road for 5 more.

The question is, have you ever seen it called?

 

[H2P 2003]

The question is, have you ever seen it called?

I haven’t. It’s like when I see a ref all of a sudden out of the blue make a three second call. You could literally call it almost every possessio but they don’t.

 

[Protes]

Fyi...

 

[Bethlehemjohn]

The question is, have you ever seen it called?

Yes, I have.

 

[FordhamIII]

*Scrap the zone
*Scrap the zone
*Scrap the zone

* This loss is on Capel and the coaching staff for continually going to zone when we don't play well with it.

*We allow open looks from 3 and if there is a miss we can't get the defensive rebound.

*Down only 3 after 8 minutes of play and with Syracuse 0-4 from 3 against our man defense the coaches decided to switch to zone and before you know it were down by 11

*Positive note Brown was able to catch the ball and scored the 16 points tonight if we can get Trey back on track would go a long way in trying to win the next few games.

*Poor sportsmanship of the year award goes to Greenville College fouling continually leading by 51 points in order to score 200 points in the game. No need for this in college athletics and I applaud the opponent for not taking a cheap shot a player for trying to set such a record.

 

[PittMBA]

*Scrap the zone
*Scrap the zone
*Scrap the zone

* This loss is on Capel and the coaching staff for continually going to zone when we don't play well with it.

*We allow open looks from 3 and if there is a miss we can't get the defensive rebound.

*Down only 3 after 8 minutes of play and with Syracuse 0-4 from 3 against our man defense the coaches decided to switch to zone and before you know it were down by 11

*Positive note Brown was able to catch the ball and scored the 16 points tonight if we can get Trey back on track would go a long way in trying to win the next few games.

*Poor sportsmanship of the year award goes to Greenville College fouling continually leading by 51 points in order to score 200 points in the game. No need for this in college athletics and I applaud the opponent for not taking a cheap shot a player for trying to set such a record.

I agree zone v man vs Syracuse. I hated the switch to zone. Our man d was very effective- our quickness bothered them - but they carved the zone for easy look after easy look. I presume part of he strategy is to save fouls and energy in the zone- but it really hurt us.

 

[jfk6668]

I assumed Brown sat against Clemson because the Strep was probably already setting in but he didn't have a diagnosis.......

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

Someone (CaP?) commented the other day that Trey is a borderline dirty player with kicking out with his legs and Capel should put an end to it. I replied that it could mess Trey's entire game up if that was how he had always played--so don't do anything unless the refs are blowing the whistle on it. Well maybe that has started ?

I like the continued optimism on winning 5 more games. However, i don't believe it will happen. I see 2-3 more wins tops.

 

[mo cheeks]

Pitt can potentially win 3 4 or 5 more. If we could beat Florida stars nd Louisville, we can win a lot more. We need to have several players have good games and somebody to have a great game.

2 weeks ago, several posters were concerned our freshman were all going to declare for the nba next year.

This team is much better than last year, I see progress, but we have a lot of work to do to get to the middle/ upper half of the acc.

 

[CAPitt]

I made the comment about Trey leaning towards the dirty side. Has nothing to do with the fact that he has simply stopped being aggressive on the offensive end. He seems to struggle with getting a first move going but when he does he's a load to handle. He's struggling to get a first step going, maybe it's the defense that has figured him out, it's up to him to get better at figuring out how to make it happen.

Refs didn't lose this game, there are always bad calls in every game. I don't see a conspiracy here.

Capel has these guys playing good defense, we just suck at offense. Lots of turnovers , missed "easier" shots, bad passes, spacing, lack of taking an open shot, and just bad decisions have our offense struggling all year. The one saving grace has been the ability to drive and for the most part the teams we play have figured that out. X did a great job today getting in there and taking some fouls, so that is encouraging. Trey needs to find a way to become a force on offense because we need him. Brown played above his average today I enjoyed watching him have that success. Ellison is still just a 150% effort wrecking machine. If there is any chance something can go wrong it's gonna go wrong with him. If half of his mishaps are turned into our favor we have 2 more wins than we do now IMO.

Either way, I'm enjoying watching these guys fight, and that is what they do every game. Capel likes the culture word, I just appreciate the effort even when they are down by double digits. This team with all the issues is always giving effort regardless of the score.

 

[HailToPitt1985]

Yeah, unless the big time recruit we are bring in is someone like Zion Williamson I don't think one high level guy is going to be enough. We have some building blocks, but we need a lot more talent to even be thinking about being a long shot for a Final Four.

Yeah, 1 McDAA isn't going to make us get a sniff at a Final 4. It might help us get into the NCAA's and maybe get past the first weekend. We need a few of those top 50 or top 100 guys to be able to hope for deep runs in the NCAA's.

I hope we can get a few wins in the coming weeks against the lesser teams in the ACC. I still don't see us getting more than 2 or 3 more total wins the rest of the year realistically, and that won't be near enough to get an NIT bid. But that's not what this year is about. This team is making significant progress, especially defensively. I love the way they can play defense. If they keep making this kind of progress, I could see them pulling off an upset before the end of the year and surprising people.

 

[HailToPitt1985]

Someone, Cap(?) commented the other day that Trey is a borderline dirty player with kicking out with his legs and Capel should put an end to it. i replied that it could mess Trey's entire game up if that was how he had always played--so don't do anything unless the refs are blowing the whistle on it. Well maybe that is starting?

I like the continued optimism on winning 5 more games. However, i don't believe it will happen. I see 2-3 more wins tops.

Same for me. If we win 2 or 3 more games this year, that would be the expectation with this young team at this time. Winning any more than that isn't realistic to expect yet. If we can include an upset in there against an NCState, just icing on the cake. Road wins will be practically impossible to get, including against WF, and we shouldn't count on them. We'll have to count on getting home wins to add to our win total.

 

[PittMan 72]

-The McGowens foul was a ref trying to be bigger then the game. It was a bad call.
-The stoppage with Chukwa down was fine. It is at the discretion of the ref. I've seen it called both ways. Usually you give the offense the break before you stop play. However, if you feel the downed guy is in peril, you can call it.
-Terrell played very little against Clemson because he was sick and had a fever. He missed practice on Wed and Thur.
-I still think we beat WF, NC St, Clemson, ND and at least one more on the road for 5 more.

Yeah, Brown reportedly had a case of strep throat at Clemson.

Those 2 calls yesterday were tough ones for Pitt. But thought the 2 missed FT's by XJ that could have cut the lead to 1 were a big momentum changer. As has been pointed out frequently by many posters, the current roster make-up of this Pitt team has created a razor thin margin for error. If just about everything doesn't go right, it's going to be difficult for Pitt to win. Xavier is a very fine FT shooter, too. But those 2 misses at that point really hurt.

So they'll need to keep working hard and trying to put it all together to get some more wins. Agree with you they can do it, though. And hopefully the calls will even out some, too.

 

[NCanton Panther]

Yeah, Brown reportedly had a case of strep throat at Clemson.

Those 2 calls yesterday were tough ones for Pitt. But thought the 2 missed FT's by XJ that could have cut the lead to 1 were a big momentum changer. As has been pointed out frequently by many posters, the current roster make-up of this Pitt team has created a razor thin margin for error. If just about everything doesn't go right, it's going to be difficult for Pitt to win. Xavier is a very fine FT shooter, too. But those 2 misses at that point really hurt.

So they'll need to keep working hard and trying to put it all together to get some more wins. Agree with you they can do it, though. And hopefully the calls will even out some, too.

I agree, thought those 2 FT misses were critical. Instead of maintaining or building the momentum, things got deflated when Cuse went down and made 2 FTs, we had another empty possession and Cuse made another 2 or 3 pet. After cutting the margin down to 3 with a chance to make it 1, it instead was quickly back up to 7 or 8.

 

[PittMan 72]

I agree, thought those 2 FT misses were critical. Instead of maintaining or building the momentum, things got deflated when Cuse went down and made 2 FTs, we had another empty possession and Cuse made another 2 or 3 pet. After cutting the margin down to 3 with a chance to make it 1, it instead was quickly back up to 7 or 8.

Momentum can be so important. When a team is on the road and the crowd gets going, momentum can morph into pressure. Each empty possession can cause it to build. Then if Pitt scores after the SU fails to, it can compound.

Pitt had cut a 15 point deficit early in the 2H (22-37) to 3 and were in the midst of an 11 point run when X stepped to the line there. Instead of cutting the lead to 1 or 2 it stayed at 3 and the Orange were able to stem the tide. Honestly X is the exact guy Pitt would want to have at the FT line, too. I know I was already counting them as good. Can't ever take anything for granted, though.

 

[gary2]

I do agree that this was a clear mistake by Ayers. And not a mistake that should be expected from a ref in the class of Roger Ayers. But if you watch the way the player went down, it almost kinda looks like he was woozy or something. So maybe Ayres saw this more seriously than it was. Yet knowing the guy got back in the game so soon validates how much of a mistake it was.

I should say that I've never seen a play blown dead with a 5-4 advantage. And it shouldn't have been blown dead this time. But it wasn't a call outside of what is legit, especially if Ayers had any belief in his head that something was really wrong with him.

My bigger point though is that it was at least fun to be mad at the refs, but in reality, both calls were closer to legit than originally thought, and actually weren't serious factors in the game.

Agree that the 2 calls were probably not serious factors in the game.

 

[gary2]

Fyi...

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IMO - Not a good look or strategy

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

Fyi...

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This isn't about biased officiating vs Pitt. This is typically what happens every season. Officials are instructed to be calling things with a certain emphasis on more freedom of movement. They do so during the first part of the season; but, then gradually revert to past habits and "swallow the whistle" much more frequently. Unfortunately this trend is to Pitt's detriment this season given the makeup of the roster.

 

[DT_PITT]

Even if the call on trey was technically correct, it is literally NEVER called. It would be like in baseball if an umpire started calling curveballs in the dirt that cross at the knees strikes..technically they are strikes, but they are never called.

The stoppage with Chukwa down was fine. It is at the discretion of the ref. I've seen it called both ways. Usually you give the offense the break before you stop play. However, if you feel the downed guy is in peril, you can call it.

Why do you think that wasn't terrible? Refs simply do not blow the whistle when a defensive player is down behind the play and the offense is in the process of passing the ball to a guy who is wide open for a dunk under the basket.

These different quotes simply remind me why I always do my best to not let the calls by referees get too much into my head. Because it's NEVER black or white despite how much everyone wants them to be,

I always point to a game between Maryland and UNC about 10 years ago. There was a crucial call with about 40 seconds to go. (It was a block/charge situation, and I don't recall what was actually called but it doesn't really matter).

The play was replayed and replayed all day long on ESPN as the critical call. At one point, the three talking heads in the studio got into something of a passionate (heated) debate about it.

One guy was absolutely adamant that it was a charge.

The next was positively certain that it was a block.

The third argued and argued that it should have been a "no-call."

 

[X2win]

As always thank you for posting these.

Disagree with a Page, as encouraging as some of these guys are there’s just not that kind of talent even with an added big time recruit. I’d be happy if this team stuck together and was able to put together a Sweet 16 run. None of these guys are NBA players, a FF is just not in their capability.

Brown is a legitimate ACC player. Never going to be a star but could really be a solid contributor, especially if he was playing alongside a good center.

Disagee 100%. When Brandin Knight was a freshmen, Pitt went 13-15 with an easy schedule. The following year, 19 wins and the nit. In Knights junior season, Pitt was the Big East Champion and went to the sweet 16, losing in overtime. Knight was the player of the year and an all American. Pitt won the big east again the next year and went to the sweet 16, losing in the last minute. Yea, if Capel signs zero players in the next 2+ years, you could make a legit comment like that. Who predicted that when Knight wad a Freshmen and Howland was new here?

Making the final 4 is hard for anyone. There is way too much chalk talk here, cant do this, cant do that, no chance, etc.... Loyola Chicago went to the Final 4 and beat 1 seed Virginia and Kentucky as a 16 seed. Every bpi, sagarin, pomeroy, vegas, and bracket lost in the first round. Thank goodness the game is actually played and not awarded on pure stat analysis.

How are you seriously pegging future judgement on true freshmen with very little help? Brad Wanamaker is the perfect example of throwing in the towel to early. What if Timberlake, Dickinson, Hugley, Coulibaly, Christian Brown, Drumgoole, etc.. all come to Pitt. What then? Johnson is the best Pitt freshmen guard in probably 30 years.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

I always point to a game between Maryland and UNC about 10 years ago. There was a crucial call with about 40 seconds to go. (It was a block/charge situation, and I don't recall what was actually called but it doesn't really matter).

The play was replayed and replayed all day long on ESPN as the critical call. At one point, the three talking heads in the studio got into something of a passionate (heated) debate about it.

One guy was absolutely adamant that it was a charge.

The next was positively certain that it was a block.

The third argued and argued that it should have been a "no-call."

But those are two completely different things. The UNC - Maryland call was a judgement call on a play where the action was obviously as close to the line as possible. Stopping the game yesterday a second or so before we had an uncontested dunk is something that is NOT normally called. It's not a call that was a close thing that could go either way. Might you be able to point to one or two other scenarios where it was called that way? Sure, you probably can. But for every one of those you can point to there are dozens and dozens of times when it is not called that way.

And the real kicker is that if the ref was worried about the player being seriously injured the simple solution since the guy was right in front of the Syracuse bench was to simply motion the Syracuse trainer onto the court to help the player, knowing that the second that Syracuse got the ball (or even if Pitt stopped attacking and started running a normal set) he was going to blow the play dead anyway.

 

[DT_PITT]

But those are two completely different things. The UNC - Maryland call was a judgement call on a play where the action was obviously as close to the line as possible. Stopping the game yesterday a second or so before we had an uncontested dunk is something that is NOT normally called. It's not a call that was a close thing that could go either way. Might you be able to point to one or two other scenarios where it was called that way? Sure, you probably can. But for every one of those you can point to there are dozens and dozens of times when it is not called that way.

And the real kicker is that if the ref was worried about the player being seriously injured the simple solution since the guy was right in front of the Syracuse bench was to simply motion the Syracuse trainer onto the court to help the player, knowing that the second that Syracuse got the ball (or even if Pitt stopped attacking and started running a normal set) he was going to blow the play dead anyway.

Hey! I already agree it was an error!!

My point was there is always someone who sees it the other way as @Bethlehemjohn did.

 

[DT_PITT]

But those are two completely different things. The UNC - Maryland call was a judgement call on a play where the action was obviously as close to the line as possible. Stopping the game yesterday a second or so before we had an uncontested dunk is something that is NOT normally called. It's not a call that was a close thing that could go either way. Might you be able to point to one or two other scenarios where it was called that way? Sure, you probably can. But for every one of those you can point to there are dozens and dozens of times when it is not called that way.

And the real kicker is that if the ref was worried about the player being seriously injured the simple solution since the guy was right in front of the Syracuse bench was to simply motion the Syracuse trainer onto the court to help the player, knowing that the second that Syracuse got the ball (or even if Pitt stopped attacking and started running a normal set) he was going to blow the play dead anyway.

See @gary2 ... not only does Joe embrace being oppositional ... he makes it a religion.

But then again, he has no friends! Correlation?

 

[KGSB Panther]

I don't know whether the call on Trey was bad or not, but in my opinion not having the basket count is the bigger error there. The ball left his hand before his foot made contact with the defender. I would actually have been ok with an offensive foul and a made basket.

 

[King Of All Message Boards]

I don't know whether the call on Trey was bad or not, but in my opinion not having the basket count is the bigger error there. The ball left his hand before his foot made contact with the defender. I would actually have been ok with an offensive foul and a made basket.

Rules changed as pointed out by others in some other threads. Baskets no longer count on an offensive foul and haven’t for a while.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

Rules changed as pointed out by others in some other threads. Baskets no longer count on an offensive foul and haven’t for a while.

True. Personally speaking I never liked that rule change. Wish they would reverse it.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

See @gary2 ... not only does Joe embrace being oppositional ... he makes it a religion.

But then again, he has no friends! Correlation?

Not correlation. Causation!

 

[Wilver Dornell]

Pitt has struggled offensively ever since the first meeting with Syracuse and the infamous zone. McGowens has certainly lost confidence against these long zone teams.

Against teams such as the Cuse, Frame got to take open 3 point jumpers. Several times he passed wide open, admittedly slightly longer 3s early in the shot clock, only for Pitt to never get a good look again

Really like Capel’s focus on coaching his players during timeouts and breaks. I do wonder if he works the officials enough at times. On the 50/50 calls, it seems most games we get 30% of those. I do think our yong guards are getting a "rep."

I believe under the last three coaching regimes, Pitt has not been able to run aggressive in bounds plays on the offensive end. Way too many times passing the ball into the backcourt.