St. Bonaventure and Pitt can be bad at the same time, but they cannot be good at the same time. The Bonnies made the NCAA tournament in 2000 (losing to Kentucky in the first round). This was two years before Pitt started their run of ten straight tournament appearances (2002-2011). St. Bonaventure sucked during that time. The year Pitt fell off the map, St. Bonaventure had the A10 player of the year (current NBA player Andrew Nicholson) and won its conference tournament. They lost to #3 seed FSU in the first round (I refuse to call the play in games the first round). They've sucked since. So, it turns out Pitt's entire fortunes are tied to a bottom-feeder A10 team not named Duquesne.
The Bonnies came into this game at 6-1 but they've played the equivalent of the 3rd best team at your local YMCA so far. This game was ugly. Pitt played its six best players for almost the entire game (Robinson, Wright, Jones, Young, Artis, Newkirk) and they still only beat St. Friggin Bonaventure by four at home. I hope this team figures it out.
Cameron Wright - Wright returned to the starting lineup after making a cameo appearance against Duquesne. He played 21 minutes. Unfortunately, he forgot how to play offense. For one night, he regressed back into the awful offensive force that was freshman Cam Wright. He was 0-4 from the field and made 1-2 free throws for his first point this season. Thankfully, he remembered how to defend and that's where Pitt needs him the most. He intercepted a 3/4 court pass when the Bonnies could have tied the game with 3 seconds left to clinch the win. Wright has a few more games against cupcakes to find his offense in time for the ACC. That was probably the plan all along.
Grade: C
Michael Young - He only shot 3-10 but he made his free throws (8-12 for the game) in the final two minutes to keep Pitt ahead. With Pitt behind 47-44, Newkirk hit a three and Artis found Young for a dunk to put Pitt ahead for good. Young finished with 14 points and an absurd 17 rebounds
Grade A
Chris Jones - He had 11 points and 3 blocks, but nothing really stood out to me. His biggest play was probably finding Newkirk for the game-tying three. Of course that play only happened because Jones bricked a three and Uchebo had the biggest offensive rebound of his life to give Pitt another possession.
Grade: B
Jamel Artis - Artis had 14 points on 5-8 shooting to go with 4 blocks. It was easily his best game this season. This was probably in response to me tweeting in the first half that he had "regressed so far I couldn't even see him anymore." I am clearly a master motivator. Dixon should hire me to give halftime speeches. After an Artis jumper put Pitt up 44-37, the Bonnies went on a 10-0 run to regain the lead. Artis made the aforementioned pass to Young for the dunk, and he made two clutch free throws with 27 seconds left to put Pitt back up by four.
Grade: A
Josh Newkirk - Newkirk was having a decent game for the first 36 minutes. He hit that tying three as part of his 9 point night. Unfortunately with a minute left to play, Newkirk's head fell off. Somehow there is nothing in the NCAA rulebook preventing a player from competing without a working brain, so Newkirk was allowed to stay in. After Artis made those two free throws to put Pitt UP by 4, Newkirk fouled his guy in the backcourt to send them to the line. I repeat, PITT WAS AHEAD BY FOUR. They made both free throws and used only 2 seconds of time on that possession. Then with 5 seconds left Pitt ahead by only three, Newkirk fouled his guy attempting a three. Thankfully, St. Bonaventure sucks and his man only made 2/3 free throws. That was Newkirk's fifth foul so he couldn't try to ruin this game any further with a Nasir Robinson type foul at the end.
Grade: F for Foul
James Robinson - He had 9 points and 4 assists but wasn't noticeable.
Grade: B-
Joseph Uchebo - One of only three reserves to play for Pitt. He didn't score in 7 minutes but he had that monster offensive rebound.
Grade: B
Ryan Luther - He didn't attempt a shot in his 8 minutes.
Grade: C
Cam Johnson was hurt, and Sheldon Jeter must have said something about Dixon's mother so he didn't play either.
Pitt plays the Manhattan Jaspers on Wednesday night. I will miss the game because of a dress rehearsal for my choir's Christmas concert.
Fun Fact: Manhattan College is not located in Manhattan, but rather the Bronx. I'm trying to decide if that makes more or less sense than Josh Newkirk's play in the final minutes.
It might be too close to call.
Hail to Pitt,
J.O.
Monday, December 15, 2014
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Game 8: Pitt 76 Duquesne 62
Another year, another win in the City Game for Pitt. Duquesne came into the game leading the nation in 3-point shooting. Pitt gave them a ton of open looks early. Thankfully, Duquesne couldn't make anything.
Here are some quick grades:
James Robinson - He had a career high 23 points, mainly by getting to the line (8-10) and hitting three three-pointers. He supplemented the scoring with 5 assists and 3 steals. Robinson played 38 minutes. He can't keep that up all season.
Grade: A
Derrick Randall - He committed a foul early and Uchebo's surprising play (more on him later) kept him on the bench the rest of the way.
Grade: D
Jamel Artis - He played aggressively, finishing just shy of a double-double with 9 points and 10 rebounds. He got tangled with a Duquesne player near mid-court and seemed to be in pain, but he brushed it off.
Grade: A-
Michael Young - He was 0-3 from the field and was a complete non-factor. Pitt can afford this type of performance from Young against Duquesne, but they need him to be a force in the ACC. He's far and away their most talented post player. He has to stay out of foul trouble (he had 4).
Grade: C-
Chris Jones - I never know what to think of him. He's the type of player who makes one shot, then thinks he can't miss. However, he may be the only player Pitt has who is capable of making a mid-range jump shot. With Duquesne mounting a comeback, Jones hit two jumpers to put Pitt back ahead comfortably. He finished with 12.
Grade: A
Joseph Uchebo - Apparently, Uchebo dominated this year's summer league. Duquesne plays in the summer league. Obviously, Uchebo would dominate them here. He did with 12 points and 9 rebounds in just 14 minutes.
Grade: A+
Cameron Wright - THE CAMBURGLAR RETURNS
Sure, he only played one minute and missed both of his shots, but who cares.
Grade: A+ because the Camburglar photoshop is amazing.
Cameron Johnson - He didn't do much in six minutes of play. The kid needs to get stronger.
Grade: C-
Ryan Luther - Not much more was heard from Luther, either. He had three points.
Grade: C
Josh Newkirk - Josh Newkirk for ACC sixth man of the year. Do they even have sixth man of the year awards in college? *Consults interwebs* They do apparently. JOSH NEWKIRK FOR ACC SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR. He had 16 points and 5 assists with 0 turnovers.
Grade: A+
Alright, Pitt gets eight days off before they play the 6-1 St. Bonaventure Bonnies on December 13. Pitt has alternated wins and losses over the last 6 games. That willprobably hopefully end against the Bonnies.
Hail to Pitt,
J.O.
Here are some quick grades:
James Robinson - He had a career high 23 points, mainly by getting to the line (8-10) and hitting three three-pointers. He supplemented the scoring with 5 assists and 3 steals. Robinson played 38 minutes. He can't keep that up all season.
Grade: A
Derrick Randall - He committed a foul early and Uchebo's surprising play (more on him later) kept him on the bench the rest of the way.
Grade: D
Jamel Artis - He played aggressively, finishing just shy of a double-double with 9 points and 10 rebounds. He got tangled with a Duquesne player near mid-court and seemed to be in pain, but he brushed it off.
Grade: A-
Michael Young - He was 0-3 from the field and was a complete non-factor. Pitt can afford this type of performance from Young against Duquesne, but they need him to be a force in the ACC. He's far and away their most talented post player. He has to stay out of foul trouble (he had 4).
Grade: C-
Chris Jones - I never know what to think of him. He's the type of player who makes one shot, then thinks he can't miss. However, he may be the only player Pitt has who is capable of making a mid-range jump shot. With Duquesne mounting a comeback, Jones hit two jumpers to put Pitt back ahead comfortably. He finished with 12.
Grade: A
Joseph Uchebo - Apparently, Uchebo dominated this year's summer league. Duquesne plays in the summer league. Obviously, Uchebo would dominate them here. He did with 12 points and 9 rebounds in just 14 minutes.
Grade: A+
Cameron Wright - THE CAMBURGLAR RETURNS
Grade: A+ because the Camburglar photoshop is amazing.
Cameron Johnson - He didn't do much in six minutes of play. The kid needs to get stronger.
Grade: C-
Ryan Luther - Not much more was heard from Luther, either. He had three points.
Grade: C
Josh Newkirk - Josh Newkirk for ACC sixth man of the year. Do they even have sixth man of the year awards in college? *Consults interwebs* They do apparently. JOSH NEWKIRK FOR ACC SIXTH MAN OF THE YEAR. He had 16 points and 5 assists with 0 turnovers.
Grade: A+
Alright, Pitt gets eight days off before they play the 6-1 St. Bonaventure Bonnies on December 13. Pitt has alternated wins and losses over the last 6 games. That will
Hail to Pitt,
J.O.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Game 7: I hope this helps them in March: Pitt 69 Indiana 81
Indiana is the 7th highest scoring team in Division 1 at 87.4 points per game. Of course this was helped by a season-opening 116-65 win over Mississippi Valley State, but still, the Hoosiers can score. Pitt can't defend, so you knew this one would be ugly.
I dissed Chris Jones after a missed shot, turnover, and foul early. To spite me, he turned into Steph Curry at the end of the half. Pitt was down 13 before Jones scored 11 points in 2 minutes (3 three-pointers and two free throws). Cameron Johnson followed that with another three before halftime. That barrage of threes would probably be enough to bring Pitt back, but unfortunately every single three by Jones was matched by an easy basket for Indiana. After starting 5-8 (3-4 from 3) in the first half, Jones turned back into Chris Jones and was 1-9 (0-4 from 3) in the second half.
Indiana shot 54.1% to become yet another team to shoot above 50 against Pitt. To give you an idea of how poor Pitt's defense has been across the board, here are the shooting numbers for every Hoosier.
Starters
4-6 8 points
5-10 10 points
4-7 11 points
5-14 13 points
2-4 6 points
Bench
3-5 7 points
6-6 15 points
1-1 3 points
0-2 0 points
3-6 8 points
8 players shot above 50% and the bench shot a collective 65%. The 6-6 guy was a 6'7" freshmen forward named Emmitt Holt, who's had a rough year. He's only played 17 minutes total in the first six games of the year, and he didn't even play at all in four of them. Naturally, Pitt couldn't stop him at all.
Pitt returns to their regular scheduled cupcake non-conference schedule with the City Game on Friday then five more also-rans before the ACC schedule starts. If Pitt loses any of these games, they won't make the tournament. Pitt also begins the conference slate with 5 winnable games (@NCST, @BC, Clemson, FSU, GT) before embarking on a month of hell from January 19 to February 21. In that span Pitt will play 5 teams ranked in the top 12 of the poll (3 on the road) and that doesn't even include playing Syracuse twice. It's going to be an ugly month. Please come back Cam Wright.
Hail to Pitt,
J.O.
I dissed Chris Jones after a missed shot, turnover, and foul early. To spite me, he turned into Steph Curry at the end of the half. Pitt was down 13 before Jones scored 11 points in 2 minutes (3 three-pointers and two free throws). Cameron Johnson followed that with another three before halftime. That barrage of threes would probably be enough to bring Pitt back, but unfortunately every single three by Jones was matched by an easy basket for Indiana. After starting 5-8 (3-4 from 3) in the first half, Jones turned back into Chris Jones and was 1-9 (0-4 from 3) in the second half.
Indiana shot 54.1% to become yet another team to shoot above 50 against Pitt. To give you an idea of how poor Pitt's defense has been across the board, here are the shooting numbers for every Hoosier.
Starters
4-6 8 points
5-10 10 points
4-7 11 points
5-14 13 points
2-4 6 points
Bench
3-5 7 points
6-6 15 points
1-1 3 points
0-2 0 points
3-6 8 points
8 players shot above 50% and the bench shot a collective 65%. The 6-6 guy was a 6'7" freshmen forward named Emmitt Holt, who's had a rough year. He's only played 17 minutes total in the first six games of the year, and he didn't even play at all in four of them. Naturally, Pitt couldn't stop him at all.
Pitt returns to their regular scheduled cupcake non-conference schedule with the City Game on Friday then five more also-rans before the ACC schedule starts. If Pitt loses any of these games, they won't make the tournament. Pitt also begins the conference slate with 5 winnable games (@NCST, @BC, Clemson, FSU, GT) before embarking on a month of hell from January 19 to February 21. In that span Pitt will play 5 teams ranked in the top 12 of the poll (3 on the road) and that doesn't even include playing Syracuse twice. It's going to be an ugly month. Please come back Cam Wright.
Hail to Pitt,
J.O.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Games 5 and 6: San Diego State Abuses Pitt, Pitt Abuses Kansas State
Okay, I have two games to talk about before Pitt plays Indiana tonight.
Last Tuesday, Pitt was outclassed in every way against San Diego State. They turned the ball over 17 (to 9 for SDSU) and shot a measly 37.7% while allowing the Aztecs to shoot an incredible 58.7%. That makes the 3rd game in row that Pitt allowed an opponent to shoot above 50%, which is just awful. They were lucky that Chaminade is such an awful rebounding team or they might have lost that one too. Thankfully Kansas State ended the streak, but more on that one in a minute.
The long bright spot was James Robinson, who had a game 17 points. Unfortunately, he supplemented that with a career-high 17 turnovers.
Pitt led 2-0 on a jumper by Young. San Diego State tied it on the ensuing possession, Robinson missed a layup, San Diego State scored again, and the Panthers never got any closer the rest of the game.
When Pitt was an underdog against highly ranked teams in the Big East (namely Syracuse and UConn), you knew Pitt always had a chance because of familiarity. Dixon had seen them enough times to counter-act the talent disparity. Pitt frequently fails when playing a high-level non-conference opponent (in the regular season or tournament). The game against San Diego State reminded me a lot of the game against Florida in the tournament last year. Florida was so much bigger, faster, and stronger than Pitt that it seemed like they were playing two different games. San Diego State was the same way. Now, UConn won the national championship last year and beat Florida along the way. Pitt lost to Florida by 16 in the round of 32 and Florida was average in that game. If the brackets were switched, and Pitt ended up playing UConn in the round of 32, the outcome would be much different. Pitt still probably would have lost because they are Pitt, but it would have been closer than 16 points. Why? Because Pitt had played UConn the past three years as members of the Big East. Dixon would have three years of game type to figure out how to stop Shabazz Napier. Granted, Napier took his game to another level that year, but Dixon has shut down high-scoring UConn guards before.
What is the point of this rant?
The point is that Pitt needs to continue to schedule tougher non-conference games like this one. Yes, it was part of a tournament, but BYU would have tested Pitt as well had they won earlier. Getting more exposure to talented teams outside of your conference prepares a team to face different styles in March. The move to the ACC was a great thing for Pitt. They mastered the Big East, and now it's time to expand.
Last Wednesday, Pitt destroyed Kansas State. A three point game at the half, Pitt dominated the Wildcats in the second half to finish 3rd at Maui. Every Panther scored except Randall (of course) and walk-on Aron Phillips-Nwankwo. Joshua Ko hit a buzzer-beating three to score in his home state. The star of the game was Ryan Luther, who was excellent defensively while also scoring 13 points on 5-7 shooting. He has improved by leaps and bounds in the four months he's been with Pitt. He played 24 minutes and I'd like to see his minutes stay in the 20-25 range the rest of the season. The kid will be good.
Pitt plays Indiana tonight in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Jamie Dixon faces off against his old Big East nemesis Tom Crean. Tom Crean recruited, coached, and is still friends with Dwyane Wade. I hate Dwyane Wade so I hate Tom Crean.
Hail to Pitt,
J.O.
Last Tuesday, Pitt was outclassed in every way against San Diego State. They turned the ball over 17 (to 9 for SDSU) and shot a measly 37.7% while allowing the Aztecs to shoot an incredible 58.7%. That makes the 3rd game in row that Pitt allowed an opponent to shoot above 50%, which is just awful. They were lucky that Chaminade is such an awful rebounding team or they might have lost that one too. Thankfully Kansas State ended the streak, but more on that one in a minute.
The long bright spot was James Robinson, who had a game 17 points. Unfortunately, he supplemented that with a career-high 17 turnovers.
Pitt led 2-0 on a jumper by Young. San Diego State tied it on the ensuing possession, Robinson missed a layup, San Diego State scored again, and the Panthers never got any closer the rest of the game.
When Pitt was an underdog against highly ranked teams in the Big East (namely Syracuse and UConn), you knew Pitt always had a chance because of familiarity. Dixon had seen them enough times to counter-act the talent disparity. Pitt frequently fails when playing a high-level non-conference opponent (in the regular season or tournament). The game against San Diego State reminded me a lot of the game against Florida in the tournament last year. Florida was so much bigger, faster, and stronger than Pitt that it seemed like they were playing two different games. San Diego State was the same way. Now, UConn won the national championship last year and beat Florida along the way. Pitt lost to Florida by 16 in the round of 32 and Florida was average in that game. If the brackets were switched, and Pitt ended up playing UConn in the round of 32, the outcome would be much different. Pitt still probably would have lost because they are Pitt, but it would have been closer than 16 points. Why? Because Pitt had played UConn the past three years as members of the Big East. Dixon would have three years of game type to figure out how to stop Shabazz Napier. Granted, Napier took his game to another level that year, but Dixon has shut down high-scoring UConn guards before.
What is the point of this rant?
The point is that Pitt needs to continue to schedule tougher non-conference games like this one. Yes, it was part of a tournament, but BYU would have tested Pitt as well had they won earlier. Getting more exposure to talented teams outside of your conference prepares a team to face different styles in March. The move to the ACC was a great thing for Pitt. They mastered the Big East, and now it's time to expand.
Last Wednesday, Pitt destroyed Kansas State. A three point game at the half, Pitt dominated the Wildcats in the second half to finish 3rd at Maui. Every Panther scored except Randall (of course) and walk-on Aron Phillips-Nwankwo. Joshua Ko hit a buzzer-beating three to score in his home state. The star of the game was Ryan Luther, who was excellent defensively while also scoring 13 points on 5-7 shooting. He has improved by leaps and bounds in the four months he's been with Pitt. He played 24 minutes and I'd like to see his minutes stay in the 20-25 range the rest of the season. The kid will be good.
Pitt plays Indiana tonight in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. Jamie Dixon faces off against his old Big East nemesis Tom Crean. Tom Crean recruited, coached, and is still friends with Dwyane Wade. I hate Dwyane Wade so I hate Tom Crean.
Hail to Pitt,
J.O.
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