"I think we have this perception about us that is inaccurate. Two years ago when we had DeJuan Blair and those guys, we ended up second in the country in offensive efficiency behind North Carolina. We might be in the middle of the pack offensively in our league, but there's only a few points difference between us and the top team. Maybe it comes with being from Pittsburgh. No matter what we do, we're going to be known as a physical, defensive team."
Dixon is right: The Panthers rank seventh nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency and third in Big East offensive efficiency. They're an elite scoring team. But do they still have issues? Seth thinks so, pointing to their low total of made threes per game, low free-throw shooting percentage and slower tempo, but also says plenty of other teams have bigger problems.
My feeling is that these are Pitt's only two, real offensive question marks:
1. Can it remain an elite offensive rebounding team with Talib Zanna sidelined (for 3-6 weeks) with a fractured right thumb? Zanna wasn't a starter, but he was the Panthers' highest-percentage offensive-glass clearer, at 15.9 percent. Fellow reserve Dante Taylor, their second-best offensive rebounder (at 15.8 percent), has been at less than full strength due to injuries. Their offense relies on putbacks, and Gary McGhee can't get them all on his own. It is not a coincidence that their two most recent Big East losses (to Louisville and St. John's) were their two worst offensive-rebounding games of the year (at 22.9 percent and 28.1 percent, respectively).
2. Can Brad Wanamaker get some kind of a three-point game going? He's not a guy who needs to make a ton of threes; he just needs to make a few to keep defenders honest and free up his drive-and-create game. But he's hit just one trey (going 1-of-13) in their past nine contests, and passed up a potential game-tying look in the final seconds against Louisville. With more confidence in his shot at that moment, he could've sent it to overtime.
Next Three: 3/5 vs. Villanova, Big East tournament TBD
No comments:
Post a Comment