I was afraid of this. Thought some of the other Panthers would struggle but Blake would show up. Ended up being more of the opposite. Syracuse is not a very good team, but they have some dogs. Some tough dudes that just play and are fearless. I watched them storm back from like 25 at home against Cornell earlier this month. They feed off of that crowd and if you can't avoid making mistakes, it becomes difficult.
With how disappointing it was, I would not make too many sweeping predictions or evaluations. Each of these games is unique and I hesitate to overreact. This team certainly has issues. They are soft, struggle at the line, and get nothing inside. Part of the softness is due to style. When you rely on the three like they do, that can be part of it. You typically don't have it all.
Thought Bub was good. Was slightly worried about his first appearance up there after how he had been playing, but he was better than I expected. A couple of the turnovers were ridiculous but I would take those if he is playing fast and aggressive with confidence. If he maintains this, I think Pitt will be fine.
Th
Rough night for Blake. If he shoots 1-7 from three, I don't think they have much of a chance. The deep three attempt was rough and seemed to really deflate the vibe. Felt like he should have gotten more attempts actually. Just kind of a strange game for him. He looked engaged and made the first one. Then kind of disappeared, and then it got rough.
Also a tough one for Leggett. He has been so solid and consistent that he almost became an afterthought. Him having one of these games seemed so unlikely. Pitt just cannot go that long with Ish out of the mix too. If two of the three have an off game, it is basically lights out for this team.
Thought everyone else played well really. The three spot got a perfect platoon. Will brought the rebounding and defense, and Zack brought the offense. Guillermo was pretty good. Thought Jaland was really good off the bench. He was a bit lucky to avoid a turnover somehow, but he created a lot and was very efficient. I would like to see the ball in his hands a lot more. It would be really small, but I wouldn't mind seeing a three-guard lineup with Ish at the three.
This one hurts because they had them right where they wanted them, and they kind of let their foot off the gas. This team lost control of the boards and could not convert at the free throw line. They also could not lock down on the defensive end. Syracuse is not a great outside shooting team, and I felt like they didn't take advantage of that. Allowed way too much penetration and got killed with backdoor action. Now the hole is bigger. You are staring down a potential 0-3 hole with a lot of work to do. That is not curtains because this team still has some talent. But they have to stick together and figure out how to make more winning plays. This conference is wide open and down again.
With how disappointing it was, I would not make too many sweeping predictions or evaluations. Each of these games is unique and I hesitate to overreact. This team certainly has issues. They are soft, struggle at the line, and get nothing inside. Part of the softness is due to style. When you rely on the three like they do, that can be part of it. You typically don't have it all.
Thought Bub was good. Was slightly worried about his first appearance up there after how he had been playing, but he was better than I expected. A couple of the turnovers were ridiculous but I would take those if he is playing fast and aggressive with confidence. If he maintains this, I think Pitt will be fine.
Th
Rough night for Blake. If he shoots 1-7 from three, I don't think they have much of a chance. The deep three attempt was rough and seemed to really deflate the vibe. Felt like he should have gotten more attempts actually. Just kind of a strange game for him. He looked engaged and made the first one. Then kind of disappeared, and then it got rough.
Also a tough one for Leggett. He has been so solid and consistent that he almost became an afterthought. Him having one of these games seemed so unlikely. Pitt just cannot go that long with Ish out of the mix too. If two of the three have an off game, it is basically lights out for this team.
Thought everyone else played well really. The three spot got a perfect platoon. Will brought the rebounding and defense, and Zack brought the offense. Guillermo was pretty good. Thought Jaland was really good off the bench. He was a bit lucky to avoid a turnover somehow, but he created a lot and was very efficient. I would like to see the ball in his hands a lot more. It would be really small, but I wouldn't mind seeing a three-guard lineup with Ish at the three.
This one hurts because they had them right where they wanted them, and they kind of let their foot off the gas. This team lost control of the boards and could not convert at the free throw line. They also could not lock down on the defensive end. Syracuse is not a great outside shooting team, and I felt like they didn't take advantage of that. Allowed way too much penetration and got killed with backdoor action. Now the hole is bigger. You are staring down a potential 0-3 hole with a lot of work to do. That is not curtains because this team still has some talent. But they have to stick together and figure out how to make more winning plays. This conference is wide open and down again.
