The Blue versus Gold scrimmage was today and it gave fans an exciting show as Gold beat Blue 57-56. Gold’s roster consisted of Michael Young, Alonzo Nelson-Ododa, James Robinson, Sterling Smith, Cameron Johnson, Rafael Maia, and Mike Lecak. While Blue’s was made up of Jamel Artis, Ryan Luther, Sheldon Jeter, Damon Wilson, Jonathan Milligan, Rozelle Nix, Zach Smith, and Ryan Seeyle. Even though it was just a scrimmage the game provided several key figures to look at going forward.
Teams Combined for 25 Three Point Attempts:
This stat is incredibly important due to the fact that the Panthers of last year did not attempt nearly as many threes as this. In 34 games last season, Pitt was averaging just about 14 three-point attempts per contest. To put that in perspective they ranked 311th in the country in that category. Basketball has been becoming increasingly more three point oriented recently, so this could mean Pitt is finally trying to catch up. However, this was just a scrimmage so that could be the main reason Pitt attempted a higher number of threes.
Some Stars Shine, Others Struggle:
Michael Young put together a strong showing scoring 18 points on eight of eleven shooting and collecting five rebounds. His Gold teammate Robinson also had an effective day scoring 17 points on seven of ten shooting, three of five from three, and eight assists. Hopefully those two putting up numbers like that could lead to them taking the next step in their development. For Robinson especially that is what many have wanted to see since he got on campus. Not all was right with the Panthers though, as Artis struggled. In his 31 minutes he only managed six points on three of nine shooting. Of course it is only a scrimmage, but still a better performance should be expected out of the best player on the team.
Free throw woes continue:
The two teams combined to shoot 10 of 19 from the line in the contest, which is just around 52%. This is a sight Pitt fans have become all too familiar with over the course of the Dixon era. Free throw shooting is one area where there is no good reason to struggle with, even in a scrimmage. They are free points and it is a bad sign these players cannot hit free throws in a low-pressure situation such as this. The Gold was more responsible for this showing than the Blue as they posted a 3 for 10 performances.
Alonzo Nelson-Ododa Showing What He’s Got:
In his 19 minutes of play Alonzo showed some dynamic ability. He scored six points, collected nine rebounds, and four of those were offensive. There were question marks about his rebounding ability, so it is good to see he was aggressive attacking the glass. His offense will never be his strength, but his defense can more than make up for that. The other two bigs fighting to be center, Nix and Maia, only combined for five rebounds.
New Faces Make an Impact:
Damon Wilson and Jonathan Milligan each provided a spark in the game. Wilson went for 10 points on three of six shooting, three assists, and four rebounds. Milligan on the other hand had 16 points on 6-12 from the field, and three for six from three. Each one made a strong case for why they should not only be considered for playing time, but also the starting two guard spot. It will be interesting going forward to see if they can play this when the games actually matter.
Even though today’s scrimmage was just that, a scrimmage, it provided an early look into who the 2015-16 Panthers are. As of now there are still plenty of looming question marks. However, some positives did arise and that November 13th matchup with Gonzaga cannot come quick enough.
If the two teams COMBINED for 25 attempts, that means they averaged 12.5 each… which is even less than their average from last year.