Pitt Panther Prowl

Nice win without Blair

Belmont is a team that Pitt should beat, no matter what.  As is Miami (OH), IUP, Akron, etc.  Pitt is talented and deep- though their depth includes several freshmen and sophomores.  But learning that DeJuan Blair was going to be out against Belmont was scary because, as we saw in the game, there is a big difference between Blair and Gary McGhee.  For example, in the last game, Blair had 27 points and 18 rebounds.  In his place against Belmont, McGhee had 2 points and 1 rebound, only logging 16 minutes even as a starter.

Pitt was never in danger of losing this game, even though the score was close enough to suggest that maybe Blemont was in it.  The score was so close primarily because the bench only scored 6 points on a combined 1-6 from the floor despite having three guys off the bench with at least 15 minutes and another with 9.  Really the two stats that made the game seem closer than it ever was would be rebounds, +11 for Belmont, and Pitt’s uncharacteristic 18 turnovers.  Who is surprised that Pitt isn’t the same rebounding team without Blair?  Especially since they played smaller most of the game.

In all actuality, Pitt really beat up on Belmont.  Pitt shot 62% from the floor and 50% from behind the 3-point arc.  Jermaine Dixon was unimpressive in shooting; finishing 4-10 after starting 2-7.  He was 0-3 from 3-land.  But he had a nice defensive game, finishing with 3 blocks.  He also added 4 rebounds and 2 assists with only 1 foul in 31 minutes.  So all around, he is fitting in well and seems to have the basic work ethic and defensive presence that Pitt is used to.

Sam Young exploded with 33 points and 7 rebounds on 13-17 shooting including 2-2 from 3-point land.  What can you say about Sam Young?  The guy is always improving and just gets it done.  13-17 shooting is ridiculous, especially considering how much of his game comes from the outside.  Of course, he is a stud and there is no one on Belmont who can match up with him.

Levance Fields had a nice night as well.  17 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and only 2 turn overs.  He shot 6-8 from the floor, including a ridiculous 4-5 from behind the arc.  He had 13 in the first half, but the second half was really dominated by Sam Young.

It was also nice to see Gilbert Brown back in action, even if he didn’t do a whole lot in his first game.  He had 2 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 turnovers in 15 minutes.  Hopefully as he gets his legs back, he is more effective.

Even though it kept the game close, it was nice to see a lot of minutes from our bench.  There were long stretches where Pitt had the young guys out there, and even though they weren’t stretching the lead, they were getting good game minutes when it actually counts.  Playing with a 10 point lead is better for the bench players than playing with a 35 point lead.  And I really think that this tendency to get bench players minutes by Jamie Dixon is a big reason that Pitt has such a deep and capable bench late in the season.  (Even though I think that Dixon uses his unproven bench players too early in games against good teams.)

Again, Belmont wasn’t a real test.  People tried to build it up like Pitt should be scared, much like they did with Miami (OH).  But if a top-10 team can’t hang with Belmont or Miami, then they aren’t a top-10 team.  Sure, you can get knocked off by just about anyone if you aren’t prepared or if they shoot lights out against you.  But if Pitt comes into a game against a team like Belmont without looking past them, and if they prepare themselves to play Pitt basketball, Pitt shouldn’t lose those games.

On the other hand, Texas Tech could get ugly on Friday.  Pitt is the better team and should win.  But you just have to be nervous any time your team, especially a top-5 team, is going against a team that just scored 167 points on a team last week.  That is the kind of game that could end poorly for Pitt.  However, I am confident in this team and as long as Blair is back and ready to play, Pitt should win by 15 at least.

On a closing note, I just want to comment on the fact that Pitt has no business playing a team like IUP.  I understand that you need tune-up games early in the season, and that Pitt had trouble getting high profile teams to want to play them this year; but Pitt is too good for a team that isn’t even Division 1.  Let’s get serious here.  IUP is Division 2 and the last D-1 team they played was 17 years ago- Duquesne…. barely a D-1 team itself.  I am proud of Blair getting 27 points against them.  But who does a D-2 school have that can match up to the Grizzly Blair?

Anyway, we get a few days rest before Christmas a month early- nationally televised football and basketball on the same day.  So be ready for the Brawl Friday morning (11 AM central time, for those of you who are trapped away from Pittsburgh) and Texas Tech in the evening on HDNet.