Solid win when you consider they basically did it without Hugley and Odukale. Towson is okay, and Holden can really play and be a matchup problem. Felt like Towson really blew a chance inside of the last minute, but Pitt also had players step up and make plays. Winning by 4 points over this team is not going to stand out to many people, but it can be significant for this team without its two top producers. Now, there is a fine line here. It can help this team as long as Femi and John learn from it and it rallies them. I think Femi handled it the right way. Not sure I can say the same about John. During a few of Pitt's runs, I watched for his demeanor on the bench and it wasn't great. It will be interesting to see how these players respond, especially John.
Nate Santos is a keeper. I continue to be very impressed by him. The form on his shot is beautiful. It is also a quick release that is completely vertical with decent lift too. Everything is tight and duplicated each time. There is a little more to him than just the shooting as well. He will mix it up and rebound. He has good size. This is all while being thrust into a role no one was expecting either. There will be some up inconsistency for him this season, but consider me a big fan.
Jamarius was pretty good himself. He showed up in crunch time and they needed every bit of it. His play enabled them to keep Femi on the sideline while still winning the game. There is nothing that jumps out at you, but the kid is just rock solid. Strong, has some tricks to his game, and provides much needed ball handling. Femi may be a bit more up and down than we expected this season, and this is where Burton is so important.
This was probably Collier's best game. He got his opportunity and made the most of it with just simple energy and confidence. He just looked different last night. Noah is basically a power forward, but it seems like his best chance is as the reserve 5 behind John. It is a much different look for teams. I have no doubt that he can produce around the paint area on offense. The question moving forward is how much better can he rebound and defend?
Oladapo was the other player that stood out to me. After a rough start, he is starting to come on and at least show that he has a role on this team. Along with John, he brings a real physical element to the game.
Jeffress is starting to play better and impact the game in more ways. He is still so far away and I think the shooting issues will remain, but he is contributing in several areas now. The one concern is that teams are already basically begging him to shoot the ball from three. Defenses are going to really pack it in and just tag Santos. That puts a lot of pressure on the penetration game, clogging so many of the passing lanes. The five made threes last night felt like an outburst.
Now they can get some rest and Femi can rehab that ankles for a few days. They also get a very beatable SEC team in Vanderbilt, who just scored 37 points in an entire game against VCU. The same concerns and issues are still there obviously, but it's nice to see some of these kids step up and start to figure some things out. If the leaders can stay engaged and motivated, last night could provide a boost to the team as a whole.
Nate Santos is a keeper. I continue to be very impressed by him. The form on his shot is beautiful. It is also a quick release that is completely vertical with decent lift too. Everything is tight and duplicated each time. There is a little more to him than just the shooting as well. He will mix it up and rebound. He has good size. This is all while being thrust into a role no one was expecting either. There will be some up inconsistency for him this season, but consider me a big fan.
Jamarius was pretty good himself. He showed up in crunch time and they needed every bit of it. His play enabled them to keep Femi on the sideline while still winning the game. There is nothing that jumps out at you, but the kid is just rock solid. Strong, has some tricks to his game, and provides much needed ball handling. Femi may be a bit more up and down than we expected this season, and this is where Burton is so important.
This was probably Collier's best game. He got his opportunity and made the most of it with just simple energy and confidence. He just looked different last night. Noah is basically a power forward, but it seems like his best chance is as the reserve 5 behind John. It is a much different look for teams. I have no doubt that he can produce around the paint area on offense. The question moving forward is how much better can he rebound and defend?
Oladapo was the other player that stood out to me. After a rough start, he is starting to come on and at least show that he has a role on this team. Along with John, he brings a real physical element to the game.
Jeffress is starting to play better and impact the game in more ways. He is still so far away and I think the shooting issues will remain, but he is contributing in several areas now. The one concern is that teams are already basically begging him to shoot the ball from three. Defenses are going to really pack it in and just tag Santos. That puts a lot of pressure on the penetration game, clogging so many of the passing lanes. The five made threes last night felt like an outburst.
Now they can get some rest and Femi can rehab that ankles for a few days. They also get a very beatable SEC team in Vanderbilt, who just scored 37 points in an entire game against VCU. The same concerns and issues are still there obviously, but it's nice to see some of these kids step up and start to figure some things out. If the leaders can stay engaged and motivated, last night could provide a boost to the team as a whole.
