Against Notre Dame, a Big Game from Blair is a Must
February 20th, 2008 | by The Prowler |Thursday the now unranked Pitt Panthers face another tough road test when they go into South Bend to play against a very good and under the radar Notre Dame team. With all the attention Pitt has gotten this season since beating Duke and losing two starters, Notre Dame has slipped past notice for many people, working their way to a 19-5 overall and 9-3 conference record. The most notable aspect of ND’s success has been the play of Luke Harongody, a 6′8″ 251 lb. sophomore forward who is averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game.
The success or failure of Pitt in this game is going to be greatly determined by which DeJuan Blair shows up to play. Will the Blair who scored 15 on Georgetown’s Roy Hibbert show up? Or will it be the Blair who has missed lay-up after lay-up since? On defense, will it be the Blair who held Hibbert to only 7 field goal attempts and is 3rd in the Big East in steals? Or will it be the Blair who sits on the bench for most of the game because of freshmen fouls outside the three point arc?
With Notre Dame bringing a guy like Harongody, Pitt can’t afford another game with the timid, tentative, ineffective Blair on the floor. They need the one who has played with the maturity of a junior. They need the Blair who has stepped up for big games and played his best when he was most needed. They need the Blair who has a mile-wide smile on his face, looking like he is having the time of his life.
This team really needs some consistency. The best way to get consistency is for the inside game to work. If the Panthers have success going inside to Blair, it will take pressure off of the guards and open up the mid-range and deep game. In a game where Pitt needs to find some consistency most, Blair is going to face one of his toughest opponents. But Blair has the skills and the strength to dominate any big man in the Big East. What he doesn’t seem to have is the confidence right now. His post moves could use work. His foot work could be better. But Blair is a strong and fierce inside player, except when he plays a tentative game where he seems to have no confidence in his own ability. The UConn game seemed to shake him significantly, and he hasn’t recovered. He must recover against Notre Dame, or Pitt might not recover from this skid.
3 Responses to “Against Notre Dame, a Big Game from Blair is a Must”
By colt_convert on Feb 20, 2008 | Reply
Well said, as usual, Prowler.
Still, it’s a lot to ask of a freshman, to be entirely responsible for his team’s consistency. I’d like to see some leadership from their more senior guards; I’d like to see Sam Young slashing to the basket, and I’d like to see the entire team hustling into position for rebounds.
Playing Notre Dame in South Bend will be tough, but a win there could restore the confidence they need to close out the regular season, and head into the BE Championship.
By The Prowler on Feb 20, 2008 | Reply
I agree that it is a lot to ask of a freshman. Unfortunately, Pitt just can’t afford to have Harongody dominate on the inside, especially the rebounding. There is no doubt that the rest of the team needs to step it up as well. There is, of course, less excuse for missed lay-ups than missed three pointers. So even if Blair can’t take over the leadership role, he needs to get his head right and start knocking down the easy shots. I sure hope Pitt comes ready to play tomorrow.