Well, that was basically a perfect game. Virginia played well at home and the Panthers just dominated. They kind of played the same way and answered every time. Virginia was really good I thought, with the exception of outside shooting. That was the difference in the game. Basically that simple. When you outscore a team by 30 from three, I like the odds. But what was even more impressive to me was how they took care of the ball and were almost 2:1 in that category. They defended well and played together. That was basically two good teams that played well and looked mature. Pitt just made outside shots and Virginia didn't. Pitt made a lot of them. When they shoot it like that, they can probably beat just about any team in the country outside of a few maybe.
The three guard lineup is just to difficult to defend. All three guys can handle the ball and have some level of game at all three levels. That takes so much pressure off of each of them and seem to enjoy playing together. When we look back on this season, I think this lineup is basically what saved the season.
They still have a lot of work to do, but what a win. At Duke and at Virginia is big time. That will really help the cause. They still have a couple of terrible losses that are going to be worrisome, but they control their own destiny.
Owe Blake an apology. Earlier in the season, I was critical of his drives. I wanted that element of his game to completely disappear. It was ugly and ineffective. Exposed him to offensive fouls. And yet somehow, it has all of a sudden become efficient and productive in the middle of ACC play. I'm still amazed at how much they let him get away with on these drives, but until they call something. It sure seems like he often travels and gets overly physical, but until they call it.... He was really good last night. 27 points and 0 turnovers. That is who they need him to be in these environments.
Bub had a nice game as well. There were three turnovers but he doubled the assist number and 8 big rebounds. That is what he does best right now. Use his size to rebound, draw fouls, and create. The two early threes were huge. He needs to be careful with some of these drives. Often times, he is so out of control and when he gets the whistle like last night, it works out. There is a fine line here.
Jaland had a really rough start, but of course he responded. Those two threes were so clutch and needed. Kid is just a gamer. Think he will develop into the most clutch player on this team with Blake.
Ish had a rough shooting night but two big threes for him as well, and the eight rebounds and three steals were huge. What an advantage to be able to bring him off the bench. That last sequence of the half was huge, where he got the steal and foul. That was a big swing and set the tone for the second session.
Guillermo also deserves credit. The best game he has had in a long time. Shot it well and looked like the speed and pace was comfortable for him. That was encouraging. Four rebounds were also impressive for him.
Federiko did not have the stats, but he played better than the numbers to me. He also looked completely comfortable and had a bigger impact on the game than the stats. He was not a liability at all last night. Other than the one lazy turnover.
All of this is encouraging. Other than Blake, these are younger kids that are growing and developing now. We can all play the schedule game but it comes down to 1 game if they are going to do this. It is Louisville on Saturday. Biggest game of the year. They just got maybe the toughest game left on their schedule, so they are getting towards the top of the hill. Winning 6 of 7 have them alive at least. Seven left with four of them at home. 5-2 is probably the minimum. This team was 1-5 less than a month ago....
The three guard lineup is just to difficult to defend. All three guys can handle the ball and have some level of game at all three levels. That takes so much pressure off of each of them and seem to enjoy playing together. When we look back on this season, I think this lineup is basically what saved the season.
They still have a lot of work to do, but what a win. At Duke and at Virginia is big time. That will really help the cause. They still have a couple of terrible losses that are going to be worrisome, but they control their own destiny.
Owe Blake an apology. Earlier in the season, I was critical of his drives. I wanted that element of his game to completely disappear. It was ugly and ineffective. Exposed him to offensive fouls. And yet somehow, it has all of a sudden become efficient and productive in the middle of ACC play. I'm still amazed at how much they let him get away with on these drives, but until they call something. It sure seems like he often travels and gets overly physical, but until they call it.... He was really good last night. 27 points and 0 turnovers. That is who they need him to be in these environments.
Bub had a nice game as well. There were three turnovers but he doubled the assist number and 8 big rebounds. That is what he does best right now. Use his size to rebound, draw fouls, and create. The two early threes were huge. He needs to be careful with some of these drives. Often times, he is so out of control and when he gets the whistle like last night, it works out. There is a fine line here.
Jaland had a really rough start, but of course he responded. Those two threes were so clutch and needed. Kid is just a gamer. Think he will develop into the most clutch player on this team with Blake.
Ish had a rough shooting night but two big threes for him as well, and the eight rebounds and three steals were huge. What an advantage to be able to bring him off the bench. That last sequence of the half was huge, where he got the steal and foul. That was a big swing and set the tone for the second session.
Guillermo also deserves credit. The best game he has had in a long time. Shot it well and looked like the speed and pace was comfortable for him. That was encouraging. Four rebounds were also impressive for him.
Federiko did not have the stats, but he played better than the numbers to me. He also looked completely comfortable and had a bigger impact on the game than the stats. He was not a liability at all last night. Other than the one lazy turnover.
All of this is encouraging. Other than Blake, these are younger kids that are growing and developing now. We can all play the schedule game but it comes down to 1 game if they are going to do this. It is Louisville on Saturday. Biggest game of the year. They just got maybe the toughest game left on their schedule, so they are getting towards the top of the hill. Winning 6 of 7 have them alive at least. Seven left with four of them at home. 5-2 is probably the minimum. This team was 1-5 less than a month ago....
