Pitt Hoops Game Preview: Pitt at Robert Morris

Pitt (1-1) will play its first true road game of the season as the team faces off against the Robert Morris Colonials (0-2) in the inaugural game at the Colonials’ new UPMC Events Center at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Given that the game will be in Moon Township, Pa., it may not feel like a Pitt road game as there will surely be many Panthers fans in attendance. Still, coming off of a home loss to Nicholls State on Saturday, Jeff Capel’s Panthers will want to post a strong showing against the Colonials tomorrow night.

Fast Facts

• Pitt will actually be Robert Morris’ second ACC opponent of the young season, as the Colonials lost to Notre Dame 92-57 on the road on Saturday, Nov. 9.
• Head Coach Andy Toole, in his 10th season at the helm for the Colonials, and has posted a career 168-142 record with the team, leading Robert Morris to the NCAA Tournament in 2015.
• The Colonials are 0-2 against Pitt during Toole’s tenure, having lost 74-53 to the Panthers in November, 2010, and81-71 to the Panthers in November, 2011. Both games were held at the Petersen Events Center.
• Robert Morris is currently ranked no. 309 in Ken Pomeroy’s college basketball ranking. Pitt is ranked no. 75.
• Tuesday’s game will feature two Terrell Browns–one for each team. Pitt junior center Terrell Brown may find himself on the court against Robert Morris freshman guard Terrell Brown, who logged five minutes in Robert Morris’ loss to Notre Dame. We can dream of it happening, anyway. And if it does, expect some tweets about it.

Robert Morris Preview

Robert Morris enters Tuesday’s matchup with Pitt eager to notch their first win of the season, as they play their first ever game at the new UPMC Events Center. The Colonials are coming off of two road losses to Marshall and Notre Dame, and will not need any extra motivation against Pitt tomorrow night.

In terms of personnel, Robert Morris returns its leading scorer from a year ago, in redshirt senior Josh Williams. Williams shot 37.9 percent from three-point range last season, and is shooting just a touch above that so far this season, at 38.5 percent. He’s also taking an incredible 13 three-pointers per game through the team’s first two contests, making five per game.

Robert Morris also returns Josh’s younger brother, junior guard Jon Williams, who scored 6.5 points per game last season while starting all 35 games. The younger Williams brother is a career 41.0 percent shooter from beyond the arc.

Junior forward Charles Bain, who posted 10.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game last season, is also back in the mix. He has struggled in the early-going this season, putting up just 4.5 points per game while shooting just 20 percent from the field.

One more breakout player to watch for the Colonials is senior forward Yannis Mendy from France, who has broken out early this season for Robert Morris. After averaging 5.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game last season, Mendy has put up 11.0 points per game while posting a stellar .733 field goal percentage and wrestling down 5.0 rebounds per game.

Pitt Preview

 

Pitt, on the other hand, is coming off of a pretty brutal home loss to the Nicholls State Colonels during which they turned the ball over 21 times en route to just their third ever November loss at the Petersen Events Center.

Head Coach Jeff Capel was not happy after the loss, and I would expect Pitt to come out on Tuesday emphasizing strong fundamental basketball and ball protection. That starts at the top of the lineup with guards Xavier Johnson and Trey McGowens, who are averaging a combined 8.5 turnovers per game through the Panthers’ first two games of the season. I suspect that we will also see Johnson use a more “selectively aggressive” defensive approach after early foul trouble landed him on the bench for much of the second half against Nicholls State.

As is always the case with these early season games, Capel will also continue to experiment with different lineups as Pitt looks for combinations that will give them the best chance to win games as the season progresses. Thus far, Johnson, McGowens, Ryan Murphy, and Terrell Brown have emerged as significant staples of Capel’s rotation, while Au’Diese Toney, Justin Champagnie, Gerald Drumgoole, and Eric Hamilton are also drawing significant minutes.

As far as the frontcourt goes, Brown has been Pitt’s crunch-time center for each of its first two games, signifying a significantly strengthened level of trust between Pitt’s coaching staff and the junior center from last season to this season. Hamilton did not see the court during the second half against Nicholls State, while freshman Karim Coulibaly saw just four minutes–all in the first half.

I expect that we will see more of Hamilton against Robert Morris, especially if Pitt is able to get out to a decent lead against the Colonials. Hamilton offers a slightly more polished offensive game than Brown does, though Brown’s shot-blocking and defensive ability have flashed as better than Hamilton’s in the early part of the season.

Finally, I expect to see more of Coulibaly against Robert Morris, though his appearance may wind up being just another short cameo off the bench. With young big men in college basketball, development can take some time, and patience is a virtue.

Brown, for instance, really struggled as a freshman (and sophomore), but did not have the luxury of honing his skills away from live-game action because of how thin Pitt has been in the interior. As a junior, he appears to be turning the corner and looks like he could be a really nice interior player for the next two season.

Coulibaly, who is a very talented player, simply may not be ready yet–and Pitt finally has enough depth to give him the chance to develop his skills during practice rather than in live games. He will get his opportunities during out-of-conference play, but for now at least, expect his minutes to be limited to less critical game situations.

Game Preview

For a Pitt team that really struggled against the three-point shot against Nicholls last weekend, containing the Williams brothers from deep will be crucial to the Panthers’ success on Tuesday night. As I said earlier, Pitt will be emphasizing a return to fundamentals after a second consecutive sloppy game. I expect that they will play tight defense and show better focus than they did against Nicholls State, resulting in fewer open looks for the Colonials than Pitt allowed on Saturday.

From what I saw in Robert Morris’ contest with Notre Dame, they will likely show Pitt primarily man-to-man defense. Notre Dame was able to give the Colonials problems in man-switching using screens and frequent, quick passes. The result was often a mismatch or a wide open look for Notre Dame’s offense. Pitt’s offensive success will largely hinge on their ability to force Robert Morris’ defenders into mismatches or mistakes that lead to open looks.

For that to work, Pitt will need Johnson and McGowens to be more selfless with the ball in their hands. Given their skillsets, they can and should drive to the basket when they have a good look, but it should not necessarily be their first option.

Pitt’s road contest against Robert Morris tips off at 7 p.m. on Tuesday night. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU. Feel free to check in on the Dream Backfield message boards throughout the contest, and check back in following the game for some post-game analysis.