The first true road game of the season for the Panthers was a good one. Both teams exploded on offense, but at the end of the day Pitt had just a little more in tank than Notre Dame, winning by a final score of 86-82.
Recap:
Right out of the gate Pitt was firing on all cylinders, as they quickly jumped out to 13-0 lead in just the first three minutes. The Fighting Irish tried calling a timeout to slow them down, but Dixon’s squad was on a mission early. In the first eight minutes of action Pitt had sizable 28-10 lead thanks to four of four shooting from three and Michael Young drilling his first five attempts from the field for 11 points. Notre Dame was not in the quitting mood, just ask point guard Demetrius Jackson who put the team on his back. At one point the junior hit a three on four consecutive possessions. His heroics alongside good perimeter shooting from the rest of the Fighting Irish helped trim that 18 point lead to just six at half. Pitt led 49-43 at the break.
Much like the beginning of the first half, the second saw the Panthers come out hot. Almost immediately Pitt turned that six point to 13. The lead continued to balloon from there reaching as high as 18 at one point. What was even more remarkable was the fact that Michael Young was on the bench for this offensive explosion due to foul trouble. Notre Dame did not even flinch and mounted an impressive comeback from the 10-minute mark on. In a matter of just three minutes that 18-point lead had been cut to only five. With around six minutes to play Pitt regained their composure and rallied around Michael Young. He made three free throws and assisted on a Sheldon Jeter and-one lay up to push the lead up to 11. It looked like Pitt had finally put the game away, until their seven-point lead disappeared thanks to another Notre Dame run. Once again Young was there for rescue making a key pass to James Robinson for a lay-up. The final scare Pitt had to endure was a deep three by Notre Dame’s Matt Ryan for the tie that missed its’ mark. The last two free throws of the game by Robinson gave the Panthers a four-point lead with only five seconds to go, which ensured the victory. Pitt now sits tied for second in the ACC with Duke, as both teams are currently 3-0 in conference play.
There were two stars in this game and surprising to no one they were Jamel Artis and Michael Young. Artis put up 19 points, five rebounds, and three assists on 7-15 from the field and 5-9 from three. Young on the other hand had a game high 25 points on 7-11 from the field and 11-14 at the line, while also adding five rebounds and four assists. Jeter also played well registering 18 points on 6-10 from the field and 6-6 at the line, which increased his free throw rate up to 93.3% on the season.
Positives:
Ball Movement- The offense of the Panthers was successful on Saturday, because the moved the ball so well. That ball movement led to good shots and those attempts are the reason Pitt was 50% from the field and 52.6% from three in the game. Also, add in the fact they only had seven turnovers and your offense was moving the ball great.
Michael Young- Once again Young was a stud for Dixon. He regularly created his own shot and converted it time after time. Every time ND made a run there was Young standing in their way. His scoring was great, but let us not forget how well he passed the ball too.
Jamel Artis- The other half of the dynamic duo is Artis and his game was on too. He was raining down threes left and right, which forced Notre Dame to have to over play him, which in turn freed up more space for Young on the block.
Three-point Shooting- The Panthers had been in a little bit of a slump shooting from deep recently. That emphatically ended Saturday, as they went 11-19 in the contest. Other than Artis’ five, Sterling Smith went 3-4 and both Chris Jones and Damon Wilson made one apiece.
Sheldon Jeter- This man deserves some recognition for his excellent play recently. Not only is he making over 90% of his free throws, but continues to work well off ball. His cutting and constant activity is a perfect compliment to Artis and Young.
Negatives:
Perimeter Defense- Boy did the defense take a shelling in this game. Nothing was worse than how Pitt played the three-point shooting of the Irish. In the first half they were a scorching hot 7-12 and some late looks helped get Notre Dame back in it.
Star Stopping- For the second straight game the Panthers let one man kill them. Jackson was the culprit this time to the tune of 26 points and six assists. He also put in five threes, four of which came on four consecutive possessions, while the last one cut Pitt’s late lead to just two. Pitt has to learn how to slow down the other team’s best player.
Inability to Put Game Away- Once again the Panther played a game in which they consistently blew leads and failed to truly put Notre Dame away. They led by as many as 18 in each half and both times the lead disappeared. These players need to stay engaged even when they are up big.
Inability to Force Turnovers- It was far too easy for Notre Dame to get their offense in sync. With only three turnovers in the game it is safe to say the Irish were flowing. A good defense does not allow the other offense to get rolling like that and a good defense it what Pitt should strive to be.
Michael Young Foul Trouble- Young was a stud all game, but much like the game versus Georgia Tech he had to sit significant minutes due to foul trouble. Imagine the damage he could of done with 30 minutes instead of 22. Not only that, Pitt will need its’ key player on the floor more if they expect to continue this level of winning.
Offensive Grade: A+
It is almost impossible to find any fault with how the Pitt offense attacked Notre Dame. They were over 50% from both the field and three, while converting 20 of their 24 free throws. Pitt’s two stars, Artis and Young, were at the forefront of the attack combining for 44 points. Finally, the passing was excellent all game and make no mistake about it the offense won this game.
Defensive Grade: D
As well as the offense did the defense did not play to a similar caliber. Notre Dame’s offense was able to fight their way back in it and if your Jamie Dixon you cannot be happy with allowing a team to shoot over 50% from the field and 40% from three. The Irish did both of those, meaning the defense did not do its’ job.
Coaching Grade: A-
Going into a hostile South Bend and never letting the home team take the lead for even a second is impressive. Dixon had the team ready to go and had them mentally prepared enough to not wilt under the pressure of allowing a comeback after a big lead. Add in the fact that Pitt was able to put together a solid lead in the second half without Michael Young on the floor and you have great coaching performance.
Up Next:
Pitt continues their road trip this time against former Big East and now ACC rival the #16 Louisville Cardinals at 9:00 P.M. on Thursday January 14th.