A blog by: Alex Oltmanns
Prediction for Pitt in the NCAA Tournament
Thu at 11:08am on Mar 18th, 2010
While the Big East tournament didn’t go quite as planned for the Panthers, the most important tournament is now upon them. Awarded with a No. 3 seed in the west bracket, they will face Oakland, the champions of the Summit League, in the first round in Milwaukee, Wisc on Friday at 2:45 p.m. With that being said, I guess it’s time for my bold prediction on how Pitt will fare in the NCAA Tournament.
March Madness is known for its wild upsets, but I really don’t see Oakland beating Pitt. The Golden Grizzlies, like the Panthers, will try to slow the game down and limit the number of offensive possessions which should at least keep the game close for awhile. But Oakland simply can’t execute offensively or defensively as well as Pitt nor does it have the same kind of athletes that Panther do and that will be the difference in the game.
Pitt should be able to move on to the next round where it will take on the winner of No. 6 Xavier and No.11 Minnesota. Both teams can cause Pitt problems. Minnesota has plenty of size down low and are coming into the tournament riding a hot streak that took them to the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament. The Panthers don’t need anyone to tell them how good Xavier is, as they escaped with a five point win against them in last year’s Sweet 16. The Musketeers are virtually the same team as last year with key returners in guards Jordan Crawford and Terrell Holloway with center Jason Love.
Yet, if Pitt is focused and plays like it has in several big games this season, it should be able to advance to the Sweet 16 where its most likely opponent will be Kansas State. In my opinion this is where the Panthers season will come to an end. The Wildcats are very balanced. Guards Denis Clemente and Jacob Pullen give them as good of a backcourt as any team in America while forwards Jamar Samuels, Curtis Kelly and Dominique Sutton are also very solid in the paint. They can also match Pitt’s intensity, something that not many teams can say, which is a reflection of their fiery coach Frank Martin
By no means do I think that Pitt can’t beat Kansas State, I just don’t think that they will. The Wildcats could also lose before they even get to the Sweet 16 which would drastically improve Pitt’s chances to advance past that point. Either way, if you told me before the season started that Pitt would be a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament I would not have believed you. That’s a testament to just how good the Panthers season has been already.
Let’s hope it continues.
With Postseason Play Underway Pitt Continues to Improve
Tue at 19:09pm on Mar 9th, 2010
It’s tournament time.
With the Big East tournament having already tipped off this week and the NCAA tournament less than a week away, the most exciting time in college sports (and maybe all sports) is under way. The Panthers have the luxury of being spectators for the first two days in Madison Square Garden as they earned the No. 2 seed and a double-bye in the tournament.
They will face either Providence, Seton Hall or Notre Dame in the quarterfinals. The team is being projected as a No. 3 seed right now in the NCAA tournament and that’s probably where they’ll end up barring a Big East Tournament championship or a loss in their first game.
Who would’ve thought that this Pitt team would enter the Big East tournament with the same seed that it came into New York with last season? I know I didn’t.
But the fact is that they barely lost stride from last season behind the huge improvements of just about every player on the roster. Sophomore guard Ashton Gibbs was recognized as the Most Improved Player in the Big East, but if the league ranked its top ten most improved players I would guess that guys like Gary McGhee and Brad Wanamaker would appear on that list possibly along with Nasir Robinson as well.
After the Rutgers game on Saturday coach Jamie Dixon said his team has improved more than any other team in the country this season and that their goal was to continue their improvement in the post-season. The Panthers are going to be a better team a week from today and that should have its opponents in the upcoming brackets very worried.
If Pitt didn’t win one more game this season I would still consider it a success as they already surpassed everyone’s expectations, but I’ll venture to say that they’ll win again. In fact, I think it’s time that everyone start viewing this team as a serious contender and a team that could make it to the Final Four in Indianapolis.
The 2010 Recruiting Class
Sun at 22:39pm on Feb 28th, 2010
I’ve been meaning to blog about Pitt’s incoming recruiting class for awhile and now that the Panthers are off for a few days with not much to report on and with the “calm before the storm” of March Madness I figured now would be a good time to give a rundown on the three recruits for the 2010 class.
Isiah Epps-Point guard 6’2’’ 170 pounds
Chatham, VA.
Hargrave Military Academy
Ranked as the No. 69 player in Rival’s 2010 class, Epps is probably Pitt’s most highly touted recruit. An outstanding shooter with excellent court vision, he can step into the Panthers lineup and be a part of coach Dixon’s rotation right away. While listed as a point guard he can play shooting guard as well and is dangerous in transition. The thing he needs to improve on the most is his defense. Has reportedly struggled with the adjustment to Hargrave, a post-graduate school, but has been coming on strong as of late.
J.J. Moore-Small forward 6’6’’ 190 pounds
South Kent, CT.
South Kent
Moore is ranked by Rivals as the No. 107 player on Rivals but those rankings haven’t been updated in months, and once they are Moore should skyrocket in the ranks as he has drastically improved in the past year. While Epps may be Pitt’s most well-known recruit, I’ll go out on a limb right now and say that Moore will end up being the best player (and the most athletic) in this class. He has legitimate NBA potential. Transferring to South Kent for his last year of high school, Moore has been impressive against top-level competition and he reminds me of Sam Young only with more potential. He is so physically gifted and can throw down highlight reel dunks and he can shoot from distance and drive to the basket as well. The big question with Moore is his grades, but signs are pointing towards Moore being eligible for next season as he has been improving in the classroom. Moore has the ability to play from day one and could be the next superstar at Pitt. He’s that good.
Cameron Wright-Shooting guard 6’5’’ 195 pounds
Cleveland, OH.
Benedictine
A four year high school starter, Wright is a solid player who is very athletic and can defend. A player very comparable to Brad Wannamaker as Wright could play either shooting guard or small forward for Pitt. He can do it all on the court; averaging 20.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4.5 steals last season. While it may take Wright the longest of the three to get legitimate playing time, he has the potential to be a good player for Pitt in the future.
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Depth and Scoring Balance Keys to Pitt's Success
Mon at 11:58am on Feb 22nd, 2010
Last year’s team was very dangerous offensively as DeJuan Blair, Sam Young and Levance Fields were three of the best players in the Big East. Yet, Pitt was very predictable at times because outside of those three, the Panthers really had no one who could take over a game.
But this season, the Panthers can count on a number of players to break out at any time, and that is what makes them so dangerous. They have six players (Ashton Gibbs, Brad Wannamaker, Jermaine Dixon, Gil Brown, Nasir Robinson and Travon Woodall) who have scored at least 19 points in a game and a center in Gary McGhee who is not relied upon to score a lot but has scored in double-figures seven times this season.
After his team lost on Sunday, Villanova coach Jay Wright said Pitt’s balance and versatility are what make them so difficult to guard. He also cited that their athletic wing players like Brown, Robinson and Wannamaker are so valuable on defense because they can guard perimeter players as well as guys in the post.
After the win Jamie Dixon said his team’s balance, along with their continued improvement, are the things that excite him the most.
On Sunday the Panthers received strong offensive outputs from Gibbs with 21 points, Brown with 16 and Dixon with 10 even though his shots didn’t seem to be falling for him. But in the previous game against Marquette they had three other players score in double-figures as McGhee, Robinson and Wannamaker each had 10 points.
This will be a valuable asset when the NCAA Tournament comes around because opposing teams will have a hard time to prepare for them since it’s difficult to account for seven players who have the ability to score.
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Late Game Comebacks Key to Pitt's Success
Sun at 23:48pm on Feb 14th, 2010
Down seven with a minute to go in Pitt’s game Friday night against West Virginia I thought that the game was over. Then all of a sudden after a few Mountaineer missed free throws and a couple quick Pitt baskets, they were down only three when Ashton Gibbs’ deep three tied the game to send it to overtime.
The Panthers eventual triple-overtime win will go down as the best game to date at the Peterson Events Center but some Pitt fans weren’t even there to see the overtime periods, as they had already left assuming that the game was over.
But with this year’s Panthers team, seemingly no opponents lead is safe. They have come from behind three times this season to send a game to overtime against Duquesne, Louisville and West Virginia; before eventually winning all three.
Against Duquesne they trailed by 13 at halftime and were still behind by nine with nine minutes to play in regulation before winning in double-overtime. In that game the comeback was spurred by Gibbs’ hot hand late in the game and Jamie Dixon’s decision to switch to a 2-3 zone in the second half.
In the game against Louisville, Pitt was down by six with two minutes left in regulation and by five with a minute to play. But late missed free throws by Louisville, including four by Edgar Sosa, allowed the Panthers to creep back into the game. Clutch shooting by Brad Wannamaker, scoring the team’s last five points in regulation, tied the game up with one second left and Pitt never looked back in overtime.
But the greatest of all the comebacks was last Friday night. Afterwards Gil Brown said it was the best game he’d ever played in and I’m sure most of the other players would say the same thing. All of those comebacks have been crucial for the Panthers this season, and that’s not even counting their come from behind victory in the season opener when they trailed by six points with six minutes to go in the win against Wofford.
Just think if Pitt hadn’t pulled off those comebacks. Their NCAA tournament hopes would be slim and they would be playing for their tournament lives right now. But the fact is, they did win those games and coming from behind and winning close games are signs of a good team.
So if Pitt’s behind late in another game this season, don’t turn off the TV or leave the game early because this team plays to the final buzzer.
ALEX'S BLOG ARCHIVE
- March 2010 (3)
- February 2010 (3)
- January 2010 (3)
- December 2009 (2)
- November 2009 (1)
MORE CONTENT BY ALEX
Baseball: Panthers go 5-3 during spring break
By Alex Oltmanns / Staff Writer
published: Mon, 15 Mar, 2010
The Pitt baseball team doubled its win total over spring break, playing eight games in 10 days in South Carolina and Florida.
The Panthers went 2-2 in their games at the Caravelle Resorts Invitational in Conway, S.C.
March Madness: After a strong regular season, Pitt earns a No. 3 seed in NCAA Tournament
By Alex Oltmanns / Staff Writer
published: Sun, 14 Mar, 2010
The wait is finally over. The selection committee announced the field of 65 last night with Pitt getting a No. 3 seed in the West Region to advance to its ninth straight NCAA Tournament.
Baseball: With weekend sweep, Pitt improves to 5-1
By Alex Oltmanns / Staff Writer
published: Tue, 2 Mar, 2010
The Pitt baseball team continued its early season success by sweeping all three of its games in the Armed Services Classic in Memphis, Tenn., this past weekend to improve to 5-1.
Baseball: Pitt wins 2 of 3 at Wofford
By Alex Oltmanns / Staff Writer
published: Wed, 24 Feb, 2010
The Pitt baseball team won two of three games in its season opening series at Wofford this past weekend. In the first game of the series, an 18-6 win, junior third baseman Joe Leonard went 2 for 6 with three runs and six RBIs.
Comments
can't wait to see Jay Moore
can't wait to see Jay Moore doing slam jams in a pitt uniform. i've been a pitt fan for 3 years now and really have been disappointed in the lack of 360 and windmill dunks- sam young and gill brown were good, but i want to see slams with more authority and style. im really excited about your recruiting class.
there is a lot more to look
there is a lot more to look forward to with this class than how well one player can slam jam. jj could be one of the top players in the howling/dixon era even if he doesn't turn out to be the slam jammer that we are expecting. epps and wright could be great two.