Pitt Tames Two Eagles in a Weekend
Another clean sweep through a week of basketball as the Panthers beat Eastern Washington and Morehead State. The first contest was on Friday and saw Pitt walk away with a commanding 84-51 win. The Sunday contest was much tighter only winning 72-62.
Eastern Washington Recap-
The Panthers began this game much like there last couple, fast. In just the first seven minutes they already claimed a 22-6 advantage and saw that climb higher by the end of the half. Michael Young was in attack mode throughout the first half, constantly getting to the rim at ease. The Eagles continually tried to play an up tempo style, but the Panther defense forced them into difficult shot attempts. By half Pitt had a commanding 42-23 lead.
The second half was more of the same, as the Eagles just could not do any significant damage to the Panther lead. Several times there were able to bring it down to 14 and once it was at 13, but never any closer. After only being at 13 Pitt went on a tear to put the game away, up by 37 points with only 2:25 left to play. When it was all said and done a 33-point margin was all that was left.
Star of the game was Michael Young with 21 points on 8-13 shooting in only 24 minutes of action. Jamel Artis also did solid work pouring in 14 of his own on 5-11 shooting. Chris Jones led the way for the second team post 11 points in his 17 minutes of play.
Offensive Grade: A
It is hard to find fault with how the Panthers offense approached this contest. Since they were getting good looks close to the basket there was no reason to fire threes for the sake of shooting threes. When they did shoot threes Pitt was extremely efficient hitting 6-14(42.9%). As well, the team made Eastern Washington pay for fouling, going 22-27 at the line. That type of production at the charity stripe is great for Pitt as they move towards conference play. Finally the ball control of the Panthers is what made this game such a success. 15 of their 28 field goals were assisted on in the game, while only allowing five steals. All in all Pitt took advantage of a weaker team like they should have.
Defensive Grade: A
Eastern Washington likes to get out and run, playing a very up-tempo styled pace. Pitt did a great job of not only getting back on defense, but also forcing the Eagles to take difficult shots. On the night Eastern Washington shot below 40% from the field and just above 30% from three. Forcing a team to shoot that poorly will result in good things for the Panthers. Also, Dixon’s defense managed to play physical without fouling. For the contest Pitt only committed 12 fouls and because of that the Eagles only attempted 10 free throws.
Coaching Grade: B
Dixon had his team well prepared for an inferior opponent and that deserves credit. Sometimes teams will see a weaker team and assume they can coast to a win. Also, the switch to Rafael Maia seems to be working wonders for the Panthers so far. However, the coaching takes a hit, because scheduling a team like this does no good for Pitt. They have already played several weaker teams in a row, so this one just does not seem to make sense. It is tough for a team to gain valuable experience when they are not tested.
Morehead State Recap-
The hot starts finally ended for the Panthers Sunday as they stumbled out of the gate. After the first 10 minutes of action Pitt saw themselves down 14-10 on just 4-11 shooting and five turnovers to their effort. They were however, able to bounce back from this start to gain some valuable momentum by halftime. At the break the Panthers had outscored the Eagles by 11 since trailing by four, up 35-28 at the intermission.
That momentum took hold early in the second half as Pitt utilized the first three minutes to build an 18-point lead. In comparison the Eagles struggled to put together anything on offense going 2-12 in the first nine minutes of the first half. Morehead State did not quit as they cut the lead down to 10 points at a point in the second half, but never were able to put the game into jeopardy for the Panthers.
The tag team of Michael Young and Jamel Artis ran the show for Pitt putting up 20 and 22 points respectively. They were able to attack the rim and draw fouls consistently. On the afternoon they combined to shoot 24 free throws, making 22 of them. No other Panther players were in double figures in the game.
Offensive Grade: B
The offense struggled at the start of the game, but got their act together when it was needed most. Artis and Young deserve most of the credit for this, because without their efforts there is a good chance Pitt gets upset. Outside of those two the offense struggled. James Robinson who played great the last couple weeks struggled again in this contest after struggling against Eastern Washington. Not to mention the fact that Pitt shot 1-13 from three. The only shooting that was solid for the Panthers was at the charity stripe where they converted just above 80%.
Defensive Grade: B+
The defense more so than the offense won this game. Pitt only committed 13 fouls on the afternoon and to start the second half put the clamps on the Eagle offense. As well, they held a team who crashes the offensive glass hard to only nine compared to Pitt’s 11. It may not wow many people a win like this, but loss would of put a huge black mark on the Panthers. The defensive effort was key to preserving the win.
Coaching Grade: B-
Dixon did not have his offense ready to play today. No one except for Artis and Young were able to put together anything significant. It is tough to prepare a team on only one days rest, but when your playing an inferior team you have to find a way. Once again this exactly why Dixon needs to boost the out of conference scheduling. Not only do these teams not prepare Pitt for ACC play, but also a loss to one would be a deep cut through the tournament resume.
Up Next:
The Panthers take on high scoring Jack Gibbs and the Davidson Wildcats in Madison Square Garden on Sunday December 20 at 12:00 P.M.
