What is the difference between this year and 2011 ish time frame?

[MorningCoffee13]

It “FEELS” like we have quite a few ridiculous to good shooters on this team. We ”MAY” have the best guard play that Pitt has ever had.

I would include last year but you can’t because really it is a different team, but why are we fighting to be in the top 5 of the conference and praying we make the tournament?

Back in the era of #1 seeding and Sweet Sixteen, we sometimes had a pretty good shooter and maybe a great shooter in Sam. We usually had one pretty decent guard but not necessarily as adept at scoring as J-Lowe and Bub.

Our secondary starters and guys off the bench don’t seem inherently different then as compared to today.

Our 5s were “PROBABLY” more impactful back then.

The competition that we face is a bit watered down compared to some of those heady days.

I am thrilled where we are rising from the ashes but once in a while I wonder with the tools and equipment we have why we are not like we were back then?

Are things more over hyped today with social media and maybe the reflection I am seeing of this team is not truly reality?

Thoughts?

 

[pittchagg]

I think there’s a lot more parity throughout college basketball, especially in the handful of conferences a step below the high majors. The Mountain West, A10 (kinda), WAC, American, and maybe one or two others are all better and more talented from top to bottom than they were then. You had a small number of good teams (Butler pre-Big East, Gonzaga, a handful of others) but there are a lot more now.

 

[LGP1989]

Lowe and Bub are exciting, but every player 1-5, minus Hinson were much more developed on both ends of the floor on the 2011 squad. Wanamaker, Robinson, McGhee, Gibbs, Brown would destroy our current team.

The difference is that a seasoned team with cohesion makes all the difference in College Basketball and may never be a common thing again.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I think there’s a lot more parity throughout college basketball, especially in the handful of conferences a step below the high majors. The Mountain West, A10 (kinda), WAC, American, and maybe one or two others are all better and more talented from top to bottom than they were then. You had a small number of good teams (Butler pre-Big East, Gonzaga, a handful of others) but there are a lot more now.

I wouldn't say that. They are just better at gaming the NET. Those MWC teams blow.

 

[Vader_Storm]

It “FEELS” like we have quite a few ridiculous to good shooters on this team. We ”MAY” have the best guard play that Pitt has ever had.

I would include last year but you can’t because really it is a different team, but why are we fighting to be in the top 5 of the conference and praying we make the tournament?

Back in the era of #1 seeding and Sweet Sixteen, we sometimes had a pretty good shooter and maybe a great shooter in Sam. We usually had one pretty decent guard but not necessarily as adept at scoring as J-Lowe and Bub.

Our secondary starters and guys off the bench don’t seem inherently different then as compared to today.

Our 5s were “PROBABLY” more impactful back then.

The competition that we face is a bit watered down compared to some of those heady days.

I am thrilled where we are rising from the ashes but once in a while I wonder with the tools and equipment we have why we are not like we were back then?

Are things more over hyped today with social media and maybe the reflection I am seeing of this team is not truly reality?

Thoughts?

The 2010-2011 team was really good on defense and was the best power 6 team in the entire country in rebound rate, something our forwards and centers simply aren't good at. And the rebound rate was by a significant margin in 2011. Our rebound rate was pushing 60% that year, which would still be #1 in the country today.

The team this year is not even close to being as good on defense as that team, is not even close to being able to rebound as good, and is not even close to playing anywhere near as difficult a schedule as the 2011 team played.


Our offense, led by Brad Wanamaker in 2011, was also ranked #4 in the entire country in offensive efficiency. Our offense this year playing a weak schedule is ranked 36th in the country in offensive efficiency. In other words, it isnt remotely close here either.


So to recap, the 2011 team was far better on offense, defense, and rebounding, thus it earned a #1 seed, won the best conference in college basketball, and was a a legit national championship contender. To get anywhere near that level next year, we need forwards and a center that are much better on defense and much better rebounding the ball.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

It “FEELS” like we have quite a few ridiculous to good shooters on this team. We ”MAY” have the best guard play that Pitt has ever had.

I would include last year but you can’t because really it is a different team, but why are we fighting to be in the top 5 of the conference and praying we make the tournament?

Back in the era of #1 seeding and Sweet Sixteen, we sometimes had a pretty good shooter and maybe a great shooter in Sam. We usually had one pretty decent guard but not necessarily as adept at scoring as J-Lowe and Bub.

Our secondary starters and guys off the bench don’t seem inherently different then as compared to today.

Our 5s were “PROBABLY” more impactful back then.

The competition that we face is a bit watered down compared to some of those heady days.

I am thrilled where we are rising from the ashes but once in a while I wonder with the tools and equipment we have why we are not like we were back then?

Are things more over hyped today with social media and maybe the reflection I am seeing of this team is not truly reality?

Thoughts?

Don't confuse this team's volume of three point shots with them being really good at actually making them. The 11 team shot 39.5% on threes for the season. This team is shooting 35.6% on threes. 35.6% is pretty good. Not great, but pretty good. 39.5% is great. We are 88th in three point percentage this year. The 11 team finished 12th. If a team was shooting the same percentage this year that the 11 team shot, they would be 7th in the country.

An example of that is the two leading three point shooters on those teams. Blake Hinson has made two more threes so far this season than Ashton Gibbs did in 11. But he's had to take 36 more shots to get those two extra makes. Hinson's 42.6% this year is really good. Gibbs made 49.0% in 11.

 

[Vader_Storm]

This is the 2011 Pitt mens basketball team against #3 team in the country Syracuse. I encourage everyone to watch the first 15 minutes of this video where Pitt opened up a 19-0 lead against the #3 team in the country. You will notice 3 things.


1) Shut down defense, shots contested, and steals created. No sagging on shooters.

2) Dominant on the glass, on offense, and on defense. Not giving up 2nd chance points all over the place.

3) Dominant defense and rebounding that gets the transition offense fully running, and watch Wanamaker shred this team in the transition game. You dont need to worry about a dominant 2-3 zone defense like Syracuse when you can consistently beat them and score in the transition game by utilizing your own shut down defense with dominant rebounding.


Outside of Wanamaker in 2011 and with the 3 point firepower from Gibbs, Gary Mcghee was a huge part of this as the defensive anchor in the block.

This is why it is critical we either a) Kante be as good as I think he can be next year on defense and rebounding or b) we get another center that is a lot closer to Gary Mcghee instead of Fede.

Enjoy, this is what a great team and great crowd looks like.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

I encourage everyone to watch the first 15 minutes of this video where Pitt opened up a 19-0 lead against the #3 team in the country.

They should then immediately skip ahead over the next 15 minutes, when Syracuse went on a 17-0 run to get right back into the game.

 

[Vader_Storm]

They should then immediately skip ahead over the next 15 minutes, when Syracuse went on a 17-0 run to get right back into the game.

That wasnt the point because we won the game.

The point was when you are really good at defense and rebounding, offense generated becomes much easier especially transition points. And this is an area that this years team has severely struggled with in different parts of the season.

 

[caleco's]

I think there’s a lot more parity throughout college basketball, especially in the handful of conferences a step below the high majors. The Mountain West, A10 (kinda), WAC, American, and maybe one or two others are all better and more talented from top to bottom than they were then. You had a small number of good teams (Butler pre-Big East, Gonzaga, a handful of others) but there are a lot more now.

20 wins seems to be more.common now

 

[TD_6082]

The short answer is that the 2011 team was really good and this team isn't.

 

[Vader_Storm]

The short answer is that the 2011 team was really good and this team isn't.

To cherry pick a stat.

In our last 10 games of the season with Jaland Lowe starting to look like a future all league player at worst,

Pitt has the 17th best offense in the country and the 77th best defense in the country. If you strip out the Wake Forest game, the offense is pushing top 10 in the country in the last 10 games on offense.

Its the defense that isnt where it needs to be followed by the rebounding. For this team to make any type of run this year starting in the ACC Tournament, the offense needs to sustain what its doing and the defense needs to crank it up multiple levels.

 

[Pitt666]

This team could beat the 2011 tourney team in a one off game. And before you say gtfo, Torvik’s best comparisons to this years team metric include 2011 Butler. https://www.barttorvik.com/profile-compare.php?team=Pittsburgh&year=2024

 

[Vader_Storm]

This team could beat the 2011 tourney team in a one off game. And before you say gtfo, Torvik’s best comparisons to this years team metric include 2011 Butler. https://www.barttorvik.com/profile-compare.php?team=Pittsburgh&year=2024

Well of course they could. Although the odds are heavily stacked against them.

The 2011 team lost 5 games

#11 Tennessee by 7 points
#15 Notre Dame by 5 points
St. Johns by 1 point
Uconn by 2 points on the last shot of the game in the Big East Tournament. Uconn won the National Title
Butler by 1 point who lost to Uconn in the National Title game. And it was a fluke loss.


I made a prediction about this team current team a long time ago. I said if Jaland Lowe started to surge, this team will start to surge this year. And it did starting with Louisville

I dont think our defense and rebounding has another level this year, I just dont. But there is 1 thing I think has another level this year.

Bub Carrington's 3 point firepower. Bub is shooting 50% from 3 his last 4 games (12-24 from 3). If he gets back on track to being a 40% + 3 point shooter this season for the rest of the year, we are going to be fairly dangerous if Hinson and Lowe continue to play like they have been playing.

 

[Pitt666]

Yes I totally agree. All teams could in theory. That Pitt team was great. The one thing that irks me is the “luck.” Sometimes it’s just a bad matchup or one of those things. Like do I think this years team could as an 11 beat a 6 then 3 then 2 then 1, most likely not. Could they beat a 6, then 3, then 7, then 5 seed to make a final four, yes. But with the Butler comparison, sometimes it’s those teams that the old Pitt teams seemed to struggle with come tourney time that we seem to be this year and last.

 

[Atilla Cosby]

This is the 2011 Pitt mens basketball team against #3 team in the country Syracuse. I encourage everyone to watch the first 15 minutes of this video where Pitt opened up a 19-0 lead against the #3 team in the country. You will notice 3 things.


1) Shut down defense, shots contested, and steals created. No sagging on shooters.

2) Dominant on the glass, on offense, and on defense. Not giving up 2nd chance points all over the place.

3) Dominant defense and rebounding that gets the transition offense fully running, and watch Wanamaker shred this team in the transition game. You dont need to worry about a dominant 2-3 zone defense like Syracuse when you can consistently beat them and score in the transition game by utilizing your own shut down defense with dominant rebounding.


Outside of Wanamaker in 2011 and with the 3 point firepower from Gibbs, Gary Mcghee was a huge part of this as the defensive anchor in the block.

This is why it is critical we either a) Kante be as good as I think he can be next year on defense and rebounding or b) we get another center that is a lot closer to Gary Mcghee instead of Fede.

Enjoy, this is what a great team and great crowd looks like.

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Thanks, I thoroughly enjoyed that. After so long I forgot how good and how deep that team was.