Pitt took New York by storm earlier today as they recorded their best win of the season. Davidson was 7-1 before the contest, but the Panthers dominated in a 94-69 victory.
Recap-
The start of this game did not hint towards a blowout, quite the contrary actually. Davidson led throughout much of the first half, regularly finding ways to score against the Panther defense. Then at the 8:30 of the half everything changed and Pitt just took control. By the intermission Pitt had outscored Davidson 27 to nine, leading to a 50-38 halftime score in favor of the Panthers.
The domination only escalated further into the second half, as Pitt continued to drill open shots. The Wildcats on the other hand could not buy a bucket. Jack Gibbs, the nation’s second leading scorer, struggled to find any rhythm. On the day he was 8-20 from the field, 0-6 from three, and 21 points. It was not just Gibbs who struggled, also fellow backcourt mate Brian Sullivan, who came in averaging 17.6 points a night, put up only eight points on 13 shots.
For Pitt it was Michael Young once again carrying the majority of the load. For his effort he had a game high 22 points on 9-14 shooting. Young was not alone, as he was aided by the senior guard tag team of James Robinson and Sterling Smith. Robinson had 15 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, while Smith chipped in a solid 12 on four threes. Off the bench Chris Jones was also in double figures with 12.
Analysis:
Positives:
Pitt needed this win badly. There is no other way to put it, with their weak out of conference schedule a loss here would do some serious damage to their tournament resume. Winning in convincing fashion on national television makes them look that much better. Also, the offense was flowing and regularly took and made great shots. Michael Young looks like a stud and if enough players around him can make plays like they did today they will be a dangerous team. The Pitt players responded well to their rough start and it is exciting to see team develop going forward.
Negatives:
Jamel Artis was a big negative today. His stat line was just dreadful, six points on 3-7 with five turnovers and four fouls. Last game he was terrific, but today he just did not have the right stuff. If the Panthers are to succeed this year, Artis will have to step it up big time. Michael Young cannot do it alone. Turnovers were another issue, Pitt had 15 and that is five more than their season average. When the schedule starts the get tougher for the Panthers they cannot let turnovers become a habit.
Offensive Grade: A-
The offense started extremely slow in this game and looked stuck in the mud, much like it did at the start of the Purdue game. Slow starts are a problem, because playing from behind consistently is difficult. However, they responded excellently to that slow start. Once the Panthers started focusing their attack around Young it was game over. On the afternoon they shot 36-66(54.5%) from the field, 9-20(45%) from three, and 13-14(92.9%) at the line. All of those lines are encouraging to see, and it is even better to see how much better they shoot at the charity strip than a year ago. At 78.2% on the season Pitt ranks 5th nationally in free throw percentage. If the offense keeps flowing like this voters will take notice.
Defensive Grade: B+
The Wildcat offense started the day strong, but fizzled out. Pitt’s length and size bothered them through much of the contest. It was a regular sight to see a Panther player blocking a shot, of which they had seven in the game. As well holding an explosive offensive attack like Davidson’s to 34.8% from the field and 20% from deep is very good. But the problem the Panther defense had was on several occasions left a shooter wide open, who just did not convert it. Overall though they closed out well enough and that is what matters most.
Coaching Grade: B
Dixon’s team was not ready out of the gate and that falls on the coach. They had a week to prepare for Davidson they should of come out a little less flat. Also, it took Dixon entirely too long to start feeding Young on each possession. He is the best offensive player Pitt has and the ball needs to run through him. When Dixon did get the Panthers to start feeding Young it was game over. Dixon also had his defense prepared to cover a talented scorer in Gibbs and that should not be overlooked.
Up Next:
Pitt plays Western Carolina on Wednesday the 23rd at 7:00 P.M. and then that is it for the out of conference portion of their schedule.