The first ACC game of the season is in the books for the Panthers and it was a good one. After a long back and forth affair Pitt was able to make a late run to take the 72-61 win and move to 11-1 on the season.
Recap:
The game started slow for both sides looking more like an old Big East match-up than anything. Pitt hit two early threes that helped lead them to a 13-5 advantage with 13:16 remaining in the half. From there, Syracuse’s zone defense started to give Pitt fits. The Orange would outscore the Panthers 15-7 over the next five minutes to tie it at 20. Pitt responded taking a six point lead after a Jamel Artis tip in, but once again the lead was not for long. ‘Cuse forced four turnovers in the last 4:50 of play to tie it at half 30-30. Jamel Artis was the star of the first half for Pitt having seven points, five rebounds, and four assists. Trevor Cooney for Syracuse had nine points with two made threes at the break.
The second half started with Syracuse on fire, hitting their first three shots of the half to take a 37-32 lead. After a Chris Jones three cut it to two, the Orange made three straight lay-ups to extent their lead to eight with 14:28 left in the game. Michael Young started the comeback scoring a quick five points off of a tough hook shot and an and-one lay-up. From there the two teams were neck and neck fighting for any kind of significant advantage. At the under eight timeout Pitt had the lead back 50-49. This is when the game got really interesting, Artis drilled a corner three only to have Malachi Richardson respond seconds later with a three of his own. Young then hit two free throws only to see Syracuse come right back and hit two free throws of their own. The back and forth just would not stop, Cameron Johnson made a three and on ensuing ‘Cuse possession Tyler Roberson made a lay up. Neither team was able to pull away until the 3:54 mark. After Cooney hit both of his free throws to give them the 59-58 advantage, when Pitt went on a tear to close the game on a 14-2 run guided by Sheldon Jeter’s seven points.
On the night Pitt had four players in double figures, Artis (18), Young (15), Jeter (11), and Jones (10). As well they had several player post high rebounding numbers, Rafael Maia (8), Artis (9), Young (7), and Jeter (9).
Positives:
Jamel Artis- For the game he had a game high 18 points to go along with nine rebounds and eight assists. He was Pitt’s best weapon for attacking the zone all night. It seems like after some early struggles he could be ready to make his surge through ACC play.
Michael Young 2nd Half- The second half was a return to form for Young as he scored 11 points in just the second half. He did so by finding deep postposition and moving well without the ball. Once again he drilled his free throws going 5-5 at the line to move his total to 87.3% on the season.
Sheldon Jeter- Dixon has been plugging Jeter into the lineup all season when they play small and against ‘Cuse it worked big time. Not only did he score seven of their last 14 points, but also he finished with 11 points and nine rebounds. His athleticism gave the Panthers the edge down the stretch run of the game.
Rebounding- Syracuse is not a good rebounding team and Pitt took full advantage of that. On the night the Panthers outrebounded them 43-25, while hauling in 19 offensive rebounds compared to the Orange’s 17 defensive rebounds. Now that is called dominating the glass.
Late Game Execution- The game was on the line and Pitt was down one with fewer than four minutes to play. That is when the Panthers executed their offense finding Jeter for several lay up opportunities. The offensive execution was not great all game, but when it was needed most Pitt came through.
Negatives:
Zone Offense- For much of the game it seemed like Pitt was content to pass the ball around the perimeter without attacking the zone. Guys were just standing holding the ball letting the zone shift and recover at ease. It was not until they finally started attacking the zone that they finally did some damage, but as whole the zone offense was stagnant.
Three-point Shooting- Pitt hit a couple of big threes in this game, but overall going 6-23 as a team from deep is just poor. They needed to knock down outside jumpers to force the zone to expand, but just never consistently achieved that.
Damon Wilson- James Robinson was out with foul trouble and it was time for Wilson to step up, he did not. During his time he looked way too passive against the zone, never trying cut through with a strong dribble. It certainly hurt the Panthers and was why Dixon did not play him in the second half.
Michael Young 1st Half- He deserves praise for putting together a strong second half, but not for his first. He turned it over and only managed four points by the break, it was like watching the Morehead State game all over again. In order for this Pitt team to succeed Young needs to be more assertive throughout the game.
Execution Without Robinson- As it was stated earlier Robinson had two fouls early in the first half and Pitt struggled without him. It is not all Wilson’s fault, Chris Jones also ran point and failed to get the offense going. The Panthers cannot succeed if they cannot generate other options at the point guard position.
Offensive Grade: C
This Pitt offense is an enigma of sorts, as one game they are amazing and the next lackluster. Wednesday night was a lackluster one for most of the game. They were passive and looked lost against the zone defense. Their three point shooting went away quickly after a hot start and it took them far too long to actually start attacking the zone. However, the did figure it out down the stretch and once again knocked down their free throws which proved to be a huge deciding factor. Pitt was 18-23 at the line, while ‘Cuse was just 16-25 and that is why they are so important. Overall the offense saved itself late, but needs more consistency moving forward.
Defensive Grade: B-
The defense kept the Panthers in the game when the offense failed. Michael Gbinije who averages close 18 points a game only had 14 and was not given many easy looks. Trevor Cooney did get more clean looks than you would like, but for the most part Pitt played good perimeter defense. Where the defense struggled was on poor pick and roll rotations. ‘Cuse was running it all game and in the second half the Panthers let up several easy lay ups in a row. Overall though Pitt’s defense, much like their offense, stepped up for the stretch run to put away the game.
Coaching Grade: C+
Whatever Dixon did this offseason to improve free throw shooting he needs to do it with every team from now on. Pitt is no longer a liability at the charity stripe and that is a major reason they won this game. However, it was not all good coaching decisions by Dixon, for one his zone offense was far too stagnant and his decision to not switch up defenses could be called questionable. He gets credit for making lineup changes like subbing in Cameron Johnson and Sterling Smith at the same time to space the floor. As well, using Jeter in their small ball line-up pushed the Panthers passed Syracuse.
Up Next:
The first game of 2016 will be against 3-11 Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday January 2nd at 4:00 in the Peterson Events Center.