WVU Game & Other Dribbles ...

[DT_PITT]

** Back in the fall of 2000, when “Midnight Madness” was still a thing, I remember seeing Brandin Knight and Julius Page first play alongside each other. I recall remaking later that night that it just somehow felt like the pair “belonged together.”

** It took a little while for this partnership to gel, but these two, more than any other pair, should be viewed as the duo who sparked the great run of Pitt Hoops.

** Late in the second half of today’s tough loss, watching Xavier Johnson and Trey McGowens line up next to each other to press the Hoopies in an effort to get back into the game, once again I got that feeling of two players who belonged together.

** Keep in mind that the feeling of players “belonging together” hasn’t always yielded top level success. Early in their careers, I felt Vonteego Cummings and Kelli Taylor belonged together and we know that didn’t work out very well.

** X and T made plenty of freshman mistakes this day. But for each and every moment, this pair played with fearlessness and passion.

** Once the Hoopies took control in the second half of the first half of today’s contest, it was mostly evident that this was their day. But X and T made certain the battle never ended. And battle the Panthers did. This wasn’t a pleasing effort today. But it was a respectable one.

** Going back to the aforementioned Midnight Madness of nearly two decades ago, what must be noted that a couple of talented seniors with the names of Greer and Hawkins were also on the court, not to mention a few others by the name of Zavackas and Brown.

** In the next few years, the Knight-Page pair was joined by guys named Krauser and Lett and Troutman.

** While there are many things which can be taken away from today’s game, the underlying notion for me is the work HCJC still needs to do to add to Xavier and Trey who scored two thirds of today’s Panther points.

** Without a doubt, Au’Diese Toney belongs, and once he emerged from the specter of his foul trouble, he too made important contributions down the stretch. Add his points to those of X and T, and that’s now 76% of what we scored today.

** I’ll toss in Kene to the plus, not necessarily as a legitimate piece of the Panther puzzle, but one who is at least playing with passion above talent.

** Like the rest of the Panthers, these four didn’t do well taking care of ball, totaling 12 turnovers. X especially has significant work to do avoiding charges when driving the basket. At least twice today, he had legit passing options, but drove instead, resulting in the turnover.

** I look forward to the rewatch of this game, but it appeared to me on the first run that X played some of his best point guard of the year when eventually faced with the caution of four fouls.

** But these guys need some help.

** Sidy will help on some days, but today wasn’t one of them. His slam in transition was awesome, especially considering he was clubbed on the head for an “and one” that wasn’t called.

** But as a senior, he needs to lead with smarts, especially when breaking the press, and he didn’t offer such today.

** I wished Malik would offer more help this season too, but I fear it isn’t in him.

** I never had high expectations for Terrell, but he’s got work to do to even get back to the point where he was last year. With a year under his belt, he looks more tentative and confused that he even did during rough points last year.

** And then there is JWF. I can’t quite figure out what is going on with him, but he’s not performing near his capabilities presently.

** I’ve often stated that JWF plays a “lead dog” kind of game, even if he doesn’t really have “lead dog talent.”

** Before last season began, it was reported to me that Jared came to the team and was an immediate leader. I heard similar reports before this season.

** I wonder if JWF is struggling with confidence knowing that this is now Xavier’s team, or that the future is all about the three freshman. Despite his best efforts at trying, I wonder if he knows how to play a supporting role.

** Regardless, for the Panthers to become the best team they can be this year, JWF needs to be at his best.

** And I really don’t know what “the best team they can be” actually means this year.

** I certainly agree with Fran Frachilla’s color comments that the Panthers are still near the bottom of the ACC in talent.

** If this is true, does this mean the deep down purpose of this season is for the experience it will provide for X and T and A? Is our only real hope that HCJC can add three or four legit pieces for the next campaign?

** We will see of course. And this doesn’t mean that this season should be considered a wash. Despite all of the struggles shown by the Panthers today, I also greatly enjoyed the junkyard dog attitude they brought to the game, even to the last minute.

** The Panthers never played a moment without passion. They were always in there battling.

** But they clearly need a few more guys to bring to the battle, beyond the delectable duo of Xavier and Trey, and their sidekick Au’Diese.

 

[ratking17]

Could you imagine the damage Johnson could do at the point with a legit pick and roll big?

 

[TIGER-PAUL]

Was the game sold out?

 

[Pittx9]

Could you imagine the damage Johnson could do at the point with a legit pick and roll big?

We’ll know Thursday if Wahab will be joining him. Honestly I don’t know why elite big men aren’t lining up to play here already. Pitt has some serious, serious talent but none of it is at the 4 or 5. You’re almost guaranteed to be the starter from day 1 and you’re joining a team with a great back court.

 

[PittPoker]

** Back in the fall of 2000, when “Midnight Madness” was still a thing, I remember seeing Brandin Knight and Julius Page first play alongside each other. I recall remaking later that night that it just somehow felt like the pair “belonged together.”

** It took a little while for this partnership to gel, but these two, more than any other pair, should be viewed as the duo who sparked the great run of Pitt Hoops.

** Late in the second half of today’s tough loss, watching Xavier Johnson and Trey McGowens line up next to each other on to press the Hoopies in an effort to get back into the game, once again I had that feeling of two players who belonged together.

** Keep in mind that the feeling of players “belonging together” hasn’t always yielded top level success. Early in their careers, I felt Vonteego Cummings and Kelli Taylor belonged together and we know that didn’t work out very well.

** X and T made plenty of freshman mistakes this day. But for each and every moment, this pair played with fearlessness and passion.

** Once the Hoopies took control in the second half of the first half of today’s contest, it was mostly evident that this was their day. But X and T made certain the battle never ended. And battle that Panthers did. This wasn’t a pleasing effort today. But it was a respectable one.

** Going back to the aforementioned Midnight Madness of nearly two decades ago, what must be noted that a couple of talented seniors with the names of Greer and Hawkins were also on the court, not to mention a few others by the name of Zavackas and Brown.

** In the next few years, the Knight-Page pair was joined by guys named Krauser and Lett and Troutman.

** While there are many things which can be taken away from today’s game, the underlying notion for me is the work HCJC still needs to do to add to Xavier and Trey who scored two thirds of today’s Panther points.

** Without a doubt, Au’Diese Toney belongs, and once he emerged from the specter of his foul trouble, he too made important contributions down the stretch. Add his points to those of X and T, and that’s now 76% of what we scored today.

** I’ll toss in Kene to the plus, not necessarily as a legitimate piece of the Panther puzzle, but one who is at least playing with passion above talent.

** Like the rest of the Panthers, these four didn’t do well taking care of ball, totaling 12 turnovers. X especially has significant work to do avoiding charges when driving the basket. At least twice today, he had legit passing options, but drove instead, resulting in the turnover.

** I look forward to the rewatch of this game, but it appeared to me on the first run that X played some of his best point guard of the year when eventually faced with the caution of four fouls.

** But these guys need some help.

** Sidy will help on some days, but today wasn’t one of them. His slam in transition was awesome, especially considering he was clubbed on the head for an “and one” that wasn’t called.

** But as a senior, he needs to lead with smarts, especially when breaking the press, and he didn’t offer such today.

** I wished Malik would offer more help this season too, but I fear it isn’t in him.

** I never had high expectations for Terrell, but he’s got work to do to even get back to the point where he was last year. With a year under his belt, he looks more tentative and confused that he even did during rough points last year.

** And then there is JWF. I can’t quite figure out what is going on with him, but he’s not performing near his capabilities presently.

** I’ve often stated that JWF plays a “lead dog” kind of game, even if he doesn’t really have “lead dog talent.”

** Before last season began, it was reported to me that Jared came to the team and was an immediate leader. I heard similar reports before this season.

** I wonder if JWF is struggling with confidence knowing that this is now Xavier’s team, or that the future is all about the three freshman. Despite his best efforts at trying, I wonder if he knows how to play a supporting role.

** Regardless, for the Panthers to become the best team they can be this year, JWF needs to be at his best.

** And I really don’t know what “the best team they can be” actually means this year.

** I certainly agree with Fran Frachilla’s color comments that the Panthers are still near the bottom of the ACC in talent.

** If this is true, does this mean the deep down purpose of this season is for the experience it will provide for X and T and A? Is our only real hope that HCJC can add three or four legit pieces for the next campaign?

** We will see of course. And this doesn’t mean that this season should be considered a wash. Despite all of the struggles shown by the Panthers today, I also greatly enjoyed the junkyard dog attitude they brought to the game, even to the last minute.

** The Panthers never played a moment without passion. They were always in there battling.

** But they clearly need a few more guys to bring to the battle, beyond the delectable duo of Xavier and Trey, and their sidekick Au’Diese.

Can't believe you didn't mention the officiating at all. Not using it as a cop out but let's be real, we lost by 10 when it seemed like we were getting physically hammered by West Virginia and no call after no call. But the slightest little hand check or push off or little touch and whistle on us. Totally biased officiating and if this was a fair crew we maybe could have hung around to pull the upset. I truly believe that. Sure we need some more ACC caliber players, but the referees didn't give us a fair shot. And that matters.

 

[GomerTV]

We’ll know Thursday if Wahab will be joining him. Honestly I don’t know why elite big men aren’t lining up to play here already. Pitt has some serious, serious talent but none of it is at the 4 or 5. You’re almost guaranteed to be the starter from day 1 and you’re joining a team with a great back court.

Agree and if your goal is Pro ball you get to show your skills even more...although I guess scouts find you regardless.

 

[DT_PITT]

Can't believe you didn't mention the officiating at all. Not using it as a cop out but let's be real, we lost by 10 when it seemed like we were getting physically hammered by West Virginia and no call after no call. But the slightest little hand check or push off or little touch and whistle on us. Totally biased officiating and if this was a fair crew we maybe could have hung around to pull the upset. I truly believe that. Sure we need some more ACC caliber players, but the referees didn't give us a fair shot. And that matters.

I did mention the refs, noteably the missed call on Sidy's slam which was a pretty bad miss.

But the simple reality of college hoops is that refs miss calls. They do. Refs always miss calls. They miss them both ways. It was a physical game and as is often the case, the stronger team gets a little better of the calls. And make absolutely NO mistake that Pitt got away with their fair share as well. There was several times I cringed that Pitt would get whistled for a critical foul, but that whistle was not blown.

But there was nothing "unfair" about the officiating. Nor would I disagree that on the whole WVU got a little better of the calls. That happens. It's an imperfect, subjective system. But in no way did the refs "try" to "favor" WVU.

Nonetheless, officiating was far down on the list of the things that did us in (as it almost always is). At the top of that list was turnovers, particularly unforced ones, forced drives following some slow ball movement, and NUMEROUS missed opportunities on the fast break. And of course, that WVU is better than us.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

** Back in the fall of 2000, when “Midnight Madness” was still a thing, I remember seeing Brandin Knight and Julius Page first play alongside each other. I recall remaking later that night that it just somehow felt like the pair “belonged together.”

** It took a little while for this partnership to gel, but these two, more than any other pair, should be viewed as the duo who sparked the great run of Pitt Hoops.

** Late in the second half of today’s tough loss, watching Xavier Johnson and Trey McGowens line up next to each other on to press the Hoopies in an effort to get back into the game, once again I had that feeling of two players who belonged together.

** Keep in mind that the feeling of players “belonging together” hasn’t always yielded top level success. Early in their careers, I felt Vonteego Cummings and Kelli Taylor belonged together and we know that didn’t work out very well.

** X and T made plenty of freshman mistakes this day. But for each and every moment, this pair played with fearlessness and passion.

** Once the Hoopies took control in the second half of the first half of today’s contest, it was mostly evident that this was their day. But X and T made certain the battle never ended. And battle that Panthers did. This wasn’t a pleasing effort today. But it was a respectable one.

** Going back to the aforementioned Midnight Madness of nearly two decades ago, what must be noted that a couple of talented seniors with the names of Greer and Hawkins were also on the court, not to mention a few others by the name of Zavackas and Brown.

** In the next few years, the Knight-Page pair was joined by guys named Krauser and Lett and Troutman.

** While there are many things which can be taken away from today’s game, the underlying notion for me is the work HCJC still needs to do to add to Xavier and Trey who scored two thirds of today’s Panther points.

** Without a doubt, Au’Diese Toney belongs, and once he emerged from the specter of his foul trouble, he too made important contributions down the stretch. Add his points to those of X and T, and that’s now 76% of what we scored today.

** I’ll toss in Kene to the plus, not necessarily as a legitimate piece of the Panther puzzle, but one who is at least playing with passion above talent.

** Like the rest of the Panthers, these four didn’t do well taking care of ball, totaling 12 turnovers. X especially has significant work to do avoiding charges when driving the basket. At least twice today, he had legit passing options, but drove instead, resulting in the turnover.

** I look forward to the rewatch of this game, but it appeared to me on the first run that X played some of his best point guard of the year when eventually faced with the caution of four fouls.

** But these guys need some help.

** Sidy will help on some days, but today wasn’t one of them. His slam in transition was awesome, especially considering he was clubbed on the head for an “and one” that wasn’t called.

** But as a senior, he needs to lead with smarts, especially when breaking the press, and he didn’t offer such today.

** I wished Malik would offer more help this season too, but I fear it isn’t in him.

** I never had high expectations for Terrell, but he’s got work to do to even get back to the point where he was last year. With a year under his belt, he looks more tentative and confused that he even did during rough points last year.

** And then there is JWF. I can’t quite figure out what is going on with him, but he’s not performing near his capabilities presently.

** I’ve often stated that JWF plays a “lead dog” kind of game, even if he doesn’t really have “lead dog talent.”

** Before last season began, it was reported to me that Jared came to the team and was an immediate leader. I heard similar reports before this season.

** I wonder if JWF is struggling with confidence knowing that this is now Xavier’s team, or that the future is all about the three freshman. Despite his best efforts at trying, I wonder if he knows how to play a supporting role.

** Regardless, for the Panthers to become the best team they can be this year, JWF needs to be at his best.

** And I really don’t know what “the best team they can be” actually means this year.

** I certainly agree with Fran Frachilla’s color comments that the Panthers are still near the bottom of the ACC in talent.

** If this is true, does this mean the deep down purpose of this season is for the experience it will provide for X and T and A? Is our only real hope that HCJC can add three or four legit pieces for the next campaign?

** We will see of course. And this doesn’t mean that this season should be considered a wash. Despite all of the struggles shown by the Panthers today, I also greatly enjoyed the junkyard dog attitude they brought to the game, even to the last minute.

** The Panthers never played a moment without passion. They were always in there battling.

** But they clearly need a few more guys to bring to the battle, beyond the delectable duo of Xavier and Trey, and their sidekick Au’Diese.

Wow. Was waiting for yours until I post mine, and I will, but I can't argue or debate with anything you wrote. Well done.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I did mention the refs, noteably the missed call on Sidy's slam which was a pretty bad miss.

But the simple reality of college hoops is that refs miss calls. They do. Refs always miss calls. They miss them both ways. It was a physical game and as is often the case, the stronger team gets a little better of the calls. And make absolutely NO mistake that Pitt got away with their fair share as well. There was several times I cringed that Pitt would get whistled for a critical foul, but that whistle was not blown.

But there was nothing "unfair" about the officiating. Nor would I disagree that on the whole WVU got a little better of the calls. That happens. It's an imperfect, subjective system. But in no way did the refs "try" to "favor" WVU.

Nonetheless, officiating was far down on the list of the things that did us in (as it almost always is). At the top of that list was turnovers, particularly unforced ones, forced drives following some slow ball movement, and NUMEROUS missed opportunities on the fast break. And of course, that WVU is better than us.

Except for the refs of course.

 

[PittPoker]

I did mention the refs, noteably the missed call on Sidy's slam which was a pretty bad miss.

But the simple reality of college hoops is that refs miss calls. They do. Refs always miss calls. They miss them both ways. It was a physical game and as is often the case, the stronger team gets a little better of the calls. And make absolutely NO mistake that Pitt got away with their fair share as well. There was several times I cringed that Pitt would get whistled for a critical foul, but that whistle was not blown.

But there was nothing "unfair" about the officiating. Nor would I disagree that on the whole WVU got a little better of the calls. That happens. It's an imperfect, subjective system. But in no way did the refs "try" to "favor" WVU.

Nonetheless, officiating was far down on the list of the things that did us in (as it almost always is). At the top of that list was turnovers, particularly unforced ones, forced drives following some slow ball movement, and NUMEROUS missed opportunities on the fast break. And of course, that WVU is better than us.

Well we can agree to disagree on the officials. When literally everyone on here in the game thread was complaining about them over and over, Capel was so pissed he got T'd up, I think this game was extremely biased against Pitt. It was very very obvious and surprised you don't see it.

 

[PittIsIt1995]

The issue with JWF is simply he is a step too slow. Same as last year, he was decent at the beginning of year but then tailed off once we played talented teams that played tough man to man. This year he had good games against lesser teams. But the second we play any team that is tough man to man, he can’t get open. And he can’t create his own shot because he is just too slow.

 

[PittIsIt1995]

Blaming refs is poppycock. Those hat always whine about refs usually are always looking for excuses

 

[DT_PITT]

Well we can agree to disagree on the officials. When literally everyone on here in the game thread was complaining about them over and over, Capel was so pissed he got T'd up, I think this game was extremely biased against Pitt. It was very very obvious and surprised you don't see it.

Of course everyone was complaining in the game thread. Even I was complaining during the game. During the emotion of a game, you want things to go your way, and you want to get all the calls to go to you. It's what fans do. I do it as well.

It's from rewatching games as I often do, after the outcome is decided, that I've come to learn for the most part, games are rarely biased against any team.

I've rewatched this one once already, and the rewatch makes me feel even stronger in my viewpoint.

I would think that someone who plays poker as you do would understand the statistical reality of how sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don't, but for the most part, they even out
.
Again, there were missed calls both ways. There always are. Of course Capel got a T. That's what coaches do. If nothing else, he was sticking up for his team. But he was down and frustrated too, just like fans. Capel getting a T proves nothing.

WVU may have gotten a little better of the calls today. But they also won this game because they were the stronger and better team. It's as simple as that.

 

[DT_PITT]

The issue with JWF is simply he is a step too slow. Same as last year, he was decent at the beginning of year but then tailed off once we played talented teams that played tough man to man. This year he had good games against lesser teams. But the second we play any team that is tough man to man, he can’t get open. And he can’t create his own shot because he is just too slow.

You know what's kind of funny ... I was thinking something similar during the game today -- that JWF looked a step slow.

I didn't necessarily think so last year, but I even noticed early this year that he "seemed" a little quicker. But today, he "seemed" kinda stuck in the mud.

Now ... in both of these cases, I have not idea for certain if my perception is reality. Still, it just somehow feels if there is something missing with him.

 

[SouthSidePanther]

Konate bodied up on practically every blocked shot. Never called. I'm not sure if Pitt would have won if the game was properly officiated, but it would have been a hell of a lot closer.

 

[PittIsIt1995]

You know what's kind of funny ... I was thinking something similar during the game today -- that JWF looked a step slow.

I didn't necessarily think so last year, but I even noticed early this year that he "seemed" a little quicker. But today, he "seemed" kinda stuck in the mud.

Now ... in both of these cases, I have not idea for certain if my perception is reality. Still, it just somehow feels if there is something missing with him.

I really noticed it the last 3 games as we played scrappy man to man teams. My kids were laughingly playing along during the Niagara game because every time he would touch the ball they would say “slow Wilson-fra”.

I think last year was not as noticeable because he was the only guy that would try to get to the rim. And he started chucking up really bad shots in acc play. But of course I stopped watching by the middle of conference play so I could be wrong!

It just is so more noticeable this year now that you have actual athletes playing alongside him

 

[Bethlehemjohn]

Well we can agree to disagree on the officials. When literally everyone on here in the game thread was complaining about them over and over, Capel was so pissed he got T'd up, I think this game was extremely biased against Pitt. It was very very obvious and surprised you don't see it.

I didn't see it either. They may have got the benefit of some calls, but we got a few too. The agressor usually gains the advantage in a physical game and WVU was the agressor. Losing this game had very little to do with the refs and everything to do with a young team that played too fast and too loose with the ball. The game was there for the taking and unfortunately we weren't tough enough to take it.

When you get doubled, especially at half court, you need to be strong with the ball till you find the open man. We had too many soft, weak passes that got intercepted under these circumstances.

 

[Bethlehemjohn]

** Back in the fall of 2000, when “Midnight Madness” was still a thing, I remember seeing Brandin Knight and Julius Page first play alongside each other. I recall remaking later that night that it just somehow felt like the pair “belonged together.”

** It took a little while for this partnership to gel, but these two, more than any other pair, should be viewed as the duo who sparked the great run of Pitt Hoops.

** Late in the second half of today’s tough loss, watching Xavier Johnson and Trey McGowens line up next to each other to press the Hoopies in an effort to get back into the game, once again I got that feeling of two players who belonged together.

** Keep in mind that the feeling of players “belonging together” hasn’t always yielded top level success. Early in their careers, I felt Vonteego Cummings and Kelli Taylor belonged together and we know that didn’t work out very well.

** X and T made plenty of freshman mistakes this day. But for each and every moment, this pair played with fearlessness and passion.

** Once the Hoopies took control in the second half of the first half of today’s contest, it was mostly evident that this was their day. But X and T made certain the battle never ended. And battle the Panthers did. This wasn’t a pleasing effort today. But it was a respectable one.

** Going back to the aforementioned Midnight Madness of nearly two decades ago, what must be noted that a couple of talented seniors with the names of Greer and Hawkins were also on the court, not to mention a few others by the name of Zavackas and Brown.

** In the next few years, the Knight-Page pair was joined by guys named Krauser and Lett and Troutman.

** While there are many things which can be taken away from today’s game, the underlying notion for me is the work HCJC still needs to do to add to Xavier and Trey who scored two thirds of today’s Panther points.

** Without a doubt, Au’Diese Toney belongs, and once he emerged from the specter of his foul trouble, he too made important contributions down the stretch. Add his points to those of X and T, and that’s now 76% of what we scored today.

** I’ll toss in Kene to the plus, not necessarily as a legitimate piece of the Panther puzzle, but one who is at least playing with passion above talent.

** Like the rest of the Panthers, these four didn’t do well taking care of ball, totaling 12 turnovers. X especially has significant work to do avoiding charges when driving the basket. At least twice today, he had legit passing options, but drove instead, resulting in the turnover.

** I look forward to the rewatch of this game, but it appeared to me on the first run that X played some of his best point guard of the year when eventually faced with the caution of four fouls.

** But these guys need some help.

** Sidy will help on some days, but today wasn’t one of them. His slam in transition was awesome, especially considering he was clubbed on the head for an “and one” that wasn’t called.

** But as a senior, he needs to lead with smarts, especially when breaking the press, and he didn’t offer such today.

** I wished Malik would offer more help this season too, but I fear it isn’t in him.

** I never had high expectations for Terrell, but he’s got work to do to even get back to the point where he was last year. With a year under his belt, he looks more tentative and confused that he even did during rough points last year.

** And then there is JWF. I can’t quite figure out what is going on with him, but he’s not performing near his capabilities presently.

** I’ve often stated that JWF plays a “lead dog” kind of game, even if he doesn’t really have “lead dog talent.”

** Before last season began, it was reported to me that Jared came to the team and was an immediate leader. I heard similar reports before this season.

** I wonder if JWF is struggling with confidence knowing that this is now Xavier’s team, or that the future is all about the three freshman. Despite his best efforts at trying, I wonder if he knows how to play a supporting role.

** Regardless, for the Panthers to become the best team they can be this year, JWF needs to be at his best.

** And I really don’t know what “the best team they can be” actually means this year.

** I certainly agree with Fran Frachilla’s color comments that the Panthers are still near the bottom of the ACC in talent.

** If this is true, does this mean the deep down purpose of this season is for the experience it will provide for X and T and A? Is our only real hope that HCJC can add three or four legit pieces for the next campaign?

** We will see of course. And this doesn’t mean that this season should be considered a wash. Despite all of the struggles shown by the Panthers today, I also greatly enjoyed the junkyard dog attitude they brought to the game, even to the last minute.

** The Panthers never played a moment without passion. They were always in there battling.

** But they clearly need a few more guys to bring to the battle, beyond the delectable duo of Xavier and Trey, and their sidekick Au’Diese.

-Great job, DT!
-Love both Trey and X. Trey needs to get much stronger and tougher and he is too loose with the ball and needs to work on his handle. X just forces too much and needs to stay on the floor. WVU broke this game open when we went a few minutes with Sidy running the show against the press and he was really weak with the ball.
-We need Au'Diese to stay out of foul trouble. He is our Jaron Brown and does all the little things teams need to win tough games.
-Malik doesn't have the shot or the confidence to be a real difference maker.
-Terrell just doesn't play with any motor or urgency. Got pissed when he brought the ball down after a rebound and got tied up.
-JWF seems to lack confidence right now and not sure why. Last year he shot any chance he had. I think he has bought into the team thing so much that he doesn't want to force things. We need him to be a consistent 13-15 ppg guy to be as good as we can be. He looked super the first few games, but hasn't looked that way lately. I don't think it has much to do with the competition either. He had a bunch of good looks today, but just didn't look like he thought he was going to make them.

 

[Franb]

-Great job, DT!
-Love both Trey and X. Trey needs to get much stronger and tougher and he is too loose with the ball and needs to work on his handle. X just forces too much and needs to stay on the floor. WVU broke this game open when we went a few minutes with Sidy running the show against the press and he was really weak with the ball.
-We need Au'Diese to stay out of foul trouble. He is our Jaron Brown and does all the little things teams need to win tough games.
-Malik doesn't have the shot or the confidence to be a real difference maker.
-Terrell just doesn't play with any motor or urgency. Got pissed when he brought the ball down after a rebound and got tied up.
-JWF seems to lack confidence right now and not sure why. Last year he shot any chance he had. I think he has bought into the team thing so much that he doesn't want to force things. We need him to be a consistent 13-15 ppg guy to be as good as we can be. He looked super the first few games, but hasn't looked that way lately. I don't think it has much to do with the competition either. He had a bunch of good looks today, but just didn't look like he thought he was going to make them.

That play by Terrell was so bad. Of course, it was very typical of his entire game, fouling out in 16 minutes with no points and 4 rebounds - including the one he then lost on the tie up.

 

[bwh05]

I did mention the refs, noteably the missed call on Sidy's slam which was a pretty bad miss.

But the simple reality of college hoops is that refs miss calls. They do. Refs always miss calls. They miss them both ways. It was a physical game and as is often the case, the stronger team gets a little better of the calls. And make absolutely NO mistake that Pitt got away with their fair share as well. There was several times I cringed that Pitt would get whistled for a critical foul, but that whistle was not blown.

But there was nothing "unfair" about the officiating. Nor would I disagree that on the whole WVU got a little better of the calls. That happens. It's an imperfect, subjective system. But in no way did the refs "try" to "favor" WVU.

Nonetheless, officiating was far down on the list of the things that did us in (as it almost always is). At the top of that list was turnovers, particularly unforced ones, forced drives following some slow ball movement, and NUMEROUS missed opportunities on the fast break. And of course, that WVU is better than us.

The refs were terrible today and I think WVU definitely benefitted more. That said, the better team won today without a doubt.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

** I certainly agree with Fran Frachilla’s color comments that the Panthers are still near the bottom of the ACC in talent.

** If this is true, does this mean the deep down purpose of this season is for the experience it will provide for X and T and A? Is our only real hope that HCJC can add three or four legit pieces for the next campaign?

Uhhh. Yea. What else is this season for? We aren't going to make the NIT. That has beem universally accepted. This is a team that could win the A10 and finish in the Top 4 or so in the American and sniff an NCAAT bid but we aren't in those leagues. We have the lowest talent level in the ACC right now and will need 7 ACC wins (including ACCT) now to even be on the NIT bubble. 10-3, 6-12, 1-1 gets us to 17-16 and being that the NIT is so hard to get into now, that might not even do it. BTW, please expand the NIT to 48 or 64. There's a lot of good teams out there that cant make it now that dont want to buy CBI games

 

[TreesHero]

The issue with JWF is simply he is a step too slow. Same as last year, he was decent at the beginning of year but then tailed off once we played talented teams that played tough man to man. This year he had good games against lesser teams. But the second we play any team that is tough man to man, he can’t get open. And he can’t create his own shot because he is just too slow.

I posted this last year and my thoughts about JWF haven't changed. He's one of those guys who never got beyond hot and cold-cold. Why? His shot mechanics, particularly his body lean and speed at which he goes through the mechanics, are very inconsistent. Some good leaders and nice athletes work hard at it yet never develop develop the consistency.

 

[Pittx9]

Agree and if your goal is Pro ball you get to show your skills even more...although I guess scouts find you regardless.

They will but I mean I can see why elite players wouldn’t want to play in dixon’s “Wait your turn and develop” system. Capel is going after the best players he can get, regardless of how long they’ll be in school. So I don’t think anyone will steer clear of pitt fearing the year or 2 they plan on staying school wont provide them the advantage to.

 

[SoufOaklin4Life]

Even I mentioned the refs in the game thread-
Not because they were biased , but because they were so disruptive in the first half.

Also noted that we were killing ourselves, with fouls and turnovers.

 

[pittbb80]

Love how the young guys are feerless and don’t back Down.

Once JC gets some help for them this team will be the type of team that cam make deep runs in March because it’s dominated by guard play other than the top few ACC teams Pitt already has a significant advantage at the 1 and 2 over most teams they will play and that includes the eers last night

Tomey is also a stud bit is still green. Kene is now serviceable and provides solid minutes. Sidy had his first overall bad game last night

The problem is they have zero help from the others on the team Frame has never made big shots, generally doesn’t work to get open and can’t create his shot. If he were to catch fire he’d be a difference maker for this team. Had he hit his shots last nite and not made the dumb plays Pitt beats WVU

Never expected this team to do anything this year so just seeing the team be competitive and play an entertaining brand of hoops is awsome It’s fun thinking about how good this team will be as early as next yeat

 

[gary2]

I posted this last year and my thoughts about JWF haven't changed. He's one of those guys who never got beyond hot and cold-cold. Why? His shot mechanics, particularly his body lean and speed at which he goes through the mechanics, are very inconsistent. Some good leaders and nice athletes work hard at it yet never develop develop the consistency.

you are right. He does not shoot on balance. He drifts to the side or slightly forward. We need him hitting threes.

 

[Somerset Panther]

Could you imagine the damage Johnson could do at the point with a legit pick and roll big?

Absolutely correct. Out guards are attacking the lane with no pass option available no wonder they get stuffed. Capel better be the recruiter we all hope he is.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Some Owt Takes......

! Our freshmen trio are fearless and so athletic. The reason why they are at Pitt and not a blueblood is they are far from finished players, but they definitely have the athleticism we have lacked for years.

! They played, especially X and T way too fast yesterday. And in some cases, they were trying to one up Konate and go at him too much, they wanted to dunk over him. I have seen Konate erase NBA lottery pick's dunk attempts, he is just really good at shot blocking.

! The refs didn't cost us the game for sure. But I do believe a good home crowd can influence a ref into calls. Also, I do believe a team that is physical and aggressive will get some benefits of calls, just based on the fact "you can't call everything".

! JWF cost us more than the refs did. That was a game where we needed him knocking down shots and giving senior leadership. We did not get that.

! Kene is really growing on me. His effort and fearlessness is admirable. He definitely has a role on my team until he graduates.

! We desperately lack a strong big with athleticism.

! Terrell Brown has ability but not sure of his will.

! My god, what were we recruiting under Stallings?

! I still can't believe the previous previous staff didn't recruit Konate hard. What sucks, he has been horrible all year, trying to boost his NBA stock by shooting 3's and playing on the perimeter. He even started out playing like that yesterday, something lit a fire and he took the game over when he decided to be the post player he is.

! Xavier and Trey are going to be really good. I don't wish my life away, but I can't wait to see what they are going to be like a year from now. I think we have special seasons coming up.

! We really lack a shooter. We need one. I think the three freshmen will become competent outside threats, but adding a real threat will really give this team a nice balance. Especially if we get a post presence.

! Pray for Wahab on Thursday. He would really make this club better next year.

 

[levance2]

Well we can agree to disagree on the officials. When literally everyone on here in the game thread was complaining about them over and over, Capel was so pissed he got T'd up, I think this game was extremely biased against Pitt. It was very very obvious and surprised you don't see it.

The refs are going to be "biased" in every game this season because we're the worse, physically weaker, less talented, less disciplined, more naive team on the court. If people want to flip out about it every time, it will be an awfully long season.

 

[levance2]

Uhhh. Yea. What else is this season for? We aren't going to make the NIT. That has beem universally accepted. This is a team that could win the A10 and finish in the Top 4 or so in the American and sniff an NCAAT bid but we aren't in those leagues. We have the lowest talent level in the ACC right now and will need 7 ACC wins (including ACCT) now to even be on the NIT bubble. 10-3, 6-12, 1-1 gets us to 17-16 and being that the NIT is so hard to get into now, that might not even do it. BTW, please expand the NIT to 48 or 64. There's a lot of good teams out there that cant make it now that dont want to buy CBI games

Pitt will beat the next three significantly weaker opponents and the wildly inflated expectations on this board will return.

 

[Chescat]

Of course everyone was complaining in the game thread. Even I was complaining during the game. During the emotion of a game, you want things to go your way, and you want to get all the calls to go to you. It's what fans do. I do it as well.

It's from rewatching games as I often do, after the outcome is decided, that I've come to learn for the most part, games are rarely biased against any team.

I've rewatched this one once already, and the rewatch makes me feel even stronger in my viewpoint.

I would think that someone who plays poker as you do would understand the statistical reality of how sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don't, but for the most part, they even out
.
Again, there were missed calls both ways. There always are. Of course Capel got a T. That's what coaches do. If nothing else, he was sticking up for his team. But he was down and frustrated too, just like fans. Capel getting a T proves nothing.

WVU may have gotten a little better of the calls today. But they also won this game because they were the stronger and better team. It's as simple as that.

I did mention the refs, noteably the missed call on Sidy's slam which was a pretty bad miss.

But the simple reality of college hoops is that refs miss calls. They do. Refs always miss calls. They miss them both ways. It was a physical game and as is often the case, the stronger team gets a little better of the calls. And make absolutely NO mistake that Pitt got away with their fair share as well. There was several times I cringed that Pitt would get whistled for a critical foul, but that whistle was not blown.

But there was nothing "unfair" about the officiating. Nor would I disagree that on the whole WVU got a little better of the calls. That happens. It's an imperfect, subjective system. But in no way did the refs "try" to "favor" WVU.

Nonetheless, officiating was far down on the list of the things that did us in (as it almost always is). At the top of that list was turnovers, particularly unforced ones, forced drives following some slow ball movement, and NUMEROUS missed opportunities on the fast break. And of course, that WVU is better than us.

Good response, I think you hit the key points about the aggressive play
and the role of the refs. One other thing, refs often establish the tone of
the game by what they call early. It was obvious from the start that this
was going to be an overly physical game for two main reasons IMO.
The first reason obviously was the aggressive play of the WVU players.
The second, and more important was that the refs were going to let
a lot of bumping, pushing, over the back no calls, and physical blocks
on layups and dunks, go without calling anything in this game.
Anyone who follows college Bball knows that Huggy's teams are going
to come at you hard, and physically play you all over the court. When
the refs let this stuff go on without whistling it, you better know what
you're in for. I feel our guys fought back and were pretty damn physical
as well...to the point of forcing it against Konate on purpose..."hey big
guy, we ain't backing down from you." I see that attitude in Johnson
and McGowens. I wish I saw it in Brown LOL.
Anyway, we also got away with a lot of physical "stuff." WVU is better
at it, and they're older, more experienced, more physically mature
and coached to play that way.
What would have really pissed me off about the refs, would have been
if they suddenly started calling it tight at the end. That unfortunately happens
a lot. These guys at least stayed consistent with letting things go.
With all that said, I think they called a lousy game, but that's sometimes
how it goes, and you sometimes have to adjust.

 

[Atch]

I did mention the refs, noteably the missed call on Sidy's slam which was a pretty bad miss.

But the simple reality of college hoops is that refs miss calls. They do. Refs always miss calls. They miss them both ways. It was a physical game and as is often the case, the stronger team gets a little better of the calls. And make absolutely NO mistake that Pitt got away with their fair share as well. There was several times I cringed that Pitt would get whistled for a critical foul, but that whistle was not blown.

But there was nothing "unfair" about the officiating. Nor would I disagree that on the whole WVU got a little better of the calls. That happens. It's an imperfect, subjective system. But in no way did the refs "try" to "favor" WVU.

Nonetheless, officiating was far down on the list of the things that did us in (as it almost always is). At the top of that list was turnovers, particularly unforced ones, forced drives following some slow ball movement, and NUMEROUS missed opportunities on the fast break. And of course, that WVU is better than us.

Great answer, DT. It hits the nail on the head. Thanks for the great work.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

This is year one of the JC era , give him time to build up relationships . Duke and Coach K type recruits are not coming to Pitt in the near future . He'll get his big guys just be patient .

What has JWF done in his tenure here for people to expect more out him . He's either hot or he's not and that's just the way that it is .


Watching Koate makes me wonder what JD was thinking in not putting the full court press on for him .

 

[Chescat]

This is year one of the JC era , give him time to build up relationships . Duke and Coach K type recruits are not coming to Pitt in the near future . He'll get his big guys just be patient .

What has JWF done in his tenure here for people to expect more out him . He's either hot or he's not and that's just the way that it is .


Watching Koate makes me wonder what JD was thinking in not putting the full court press on for him .

I agree...."give him time."
As far as JWF, given what he had as team mates last
year may have given some people higher expectations then warranted. He can
hit the open J...but then again, he didn't yesterday when needed. Last year he
occasionally took it to the hoop and scored. On this team there are players
who are better at that than he is. As you said...."he's either hot or he's not."

What did you mean about Koate and a full court press?

 

[rockypanther]

This is year one of the JC era , give him time to build up relationships . Duke and Coach K type recruits are not coming to Pitt in the near future . He'll get his big guys just be patient .

What has JWF done in his tenure here for people to expect more out him . He's either hot or he's not and that's just the way that it is .


Watching Koate makes me wonder what JD was thinking in not putting the full court press on for him .

And Duke has other benefit$ that Pitt doesn't have.

 

[Fsgolfdr]

I agree...."give him time."
As far as JWF, given what he had as team mates last
year may have given some people higher expectations then warranted. He can
hit the open J...but then again, he didn't yesterday when needed. Last year he
occasionally took it to the hoop and scored. On this team there are players
who are better at that than he is. As you said...."he's either hot or he's not."

What did you mean about Koate and a full court press?

JD should have presued him with vigor !

 

[MarshallGoldberg]

Konate bodied up on practically every blocked shot. Never called. I'm not sure if Pitt would have won if the game was properly officiated, but it would have been a hell of a lot closer.

Mostly he went up vertically. The verticality rule is that you can have body contact, even substantial, by maintaining a largely cylindrical posture. I think that's been the NCAA rule for two or three seasons now as the rules move closer to the NBA step by step.

There were a couple of calls I thought we should have gotten though.

Going to be a good or bad week or so as we find out about Wahab. Though Kofi Cockburn could be the biggest fish in this sea.

 

[Chescat]

Mostly he went up vertically. The verticality rule is that you can have body contact, even substantial, by maintaining a largely cylindrical posture. I think that's been the NCAA rule for two or three seasons now as the rules move closer to the NBA step by step.

There were a couple of calls I thought we should have gotten though.

Going to be a good or bad week or so as we find out about Wahab. Though Kofi Cockburn could be the biggest fish in this sea.

The vertical rule and the charging rule are probably the two most difficult
for refs. So much of it is subjective..... in other words, how the ref actually
views the contact. It's not subjective in the rule book, but in the reality of
a fast moving game it often becomes very subjective. Where the ref is
standing when he makes the call also affects his viewpoint.
We've all seen over the back fouls called when there was nothing but
incidental vertical contact between two players going for the rebound.
Speaking of subjectivity.....imagine viewing that game with a WVU fan....
they would undoubtedly interpret many of the calls opposite of how we
would see the same call. No hoopie jokes please. LOL

With all that said, I thought the refs let WVU play their overly physical
game and left a lot of fouls uncalled. We in turn were physical, and got
away with plenty too. The difference IMO, was that WVU was bigger,
stronger, and more experienced. The game played into their wheelhouse,
but not ours.

 

[ThatNehlenFeelin]

Pitt is sure as hell better now than it was under that clown Stallings. Lots of damage to fix. Next year's Brawl should be fun.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

Pitt is sure as hell better now than it was under that clown Stallings. Lots of damage to fix. Next year's Brawl should be fun.

Yep