Since I wasn't at home last night, there was no post about the Pitt basketball opener. It was a tough game as expected, but it was made much closer than it should be due to some inexcusable missed lay-ups and the rock solid hands of Gary McGhee. Rhode Island is a pretty good team, so I didn't think it was going to be a runaway win for Pitt, but if they make half of those lay-ups it's a 15 point win. Brad Wanamaker and Ashton Gibbs did their usual thing and accounted for 46 of Pitt's 83 points. Talib Zanna added what appears to be an inside presence, something Pitt has lacked since DeJuan Blair's departure. Zanna used his athleticism to grab 11 rebounds and added some transition game to the Pitt effort. One thing Pitt is going to have to address is having a third banana. Gil Brown added 10 points, but only shot 2 for 8 from the field and just never got in the zone. As we saw at the end of last season, Brown can carry the team for periods of time and then disappear just as easily. This team can't just rely on Gibbs and Wanamaker to carry them night in and night out. They need someone else to step up in their absence. Look at the 2008-2009 Pitt team. You has Sam Young, DeJuan Blair and Levance Fields all capable of leading the team every night. You also had Brown, Wanamaker and Gibbs that could also contribute when needed. Unless something dramatic happens in the near future, none of the bigs are going to add a ton of offensive punch. Nas Robinson did have that huge game against Louisville last year where he could do no wrong, but those type of efforts out of him are going to be few and far between. Gary McGhee is not an offensive threat in any way, shape or form. Dante Taylor hasn't shown any huge offensive output either, so this team needs Brown and/or Patterson to step up and be the number three guy.
Tonight we saw another edition of the Gibbs and Wanamaker show. Ashton scored 24 and hit five of 10 threes and Wanamaker added 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Before the game got out of hand, Gibbs and Wanamaker combined for 41 of the teams first 74 points. This was a non-conference home game and a blowout of a team picked to finish ninth in a mid-major conference. This team can't rely on two guys to score nearly 3/5 of their points when the games against tournament teams roll around. So what i'm looking for in the next few games is how Brown, Patterson, Woodall and Zanna play in the first half. #4 Pitt ended up winning 97-54 in a much easier bout with Illinois-Chicago. Pitt improved to 2-0 in 2010-2011 and 134-11 at the Petersen Events Center. The Panthers will host North Florida on Saturday before they take a step up in competition against Maryland, when they head to their home-away-from-home, Madison Square Garden, where they are 21-10 since 2001. Recently, Pitt has captured two Big East Championships and notched an unforgettable upset against the undefeated Duke Blue Devels on December 20, 2007. Gibbs will be taking his Big East Player of the Year campaign back to the area where he grew up and try to make his imprint on the Garden. These games against high profile opponents will serve as a measuring stick for this years Panthers.
There are two other important sporting events going on tonight.
First, my Sixers are in Oklahoma City attempting to slow down the 2010 FIBA World Championship MVP and defending scoring champion, Kevin Durant. The Sixers are hanging tough without Andre Iguodala thanks to a heel injury. Jrue Holiday and Elton Brand have carried the Sixers so far in what has been a relatively close contest. Kevin Durant has been quiet (for him) and yet has managed to put up 17 points and four rebounds. A few things that I have learned from this game (other than about Eric Snow's insistence on talking non-stop about his mediocre NBA career) is that the Sixers desperately need a center. Spencer Hawes has looked awful (although still better than Jason Smith). If we are dead set on having a white center, please find a good one. I'd even be happy with playing Brand at center and Thaddeus Young at power forward. The best line-up I've seen for this team includes Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young and Elton Brand. With a few trade chips, Marreesse Speights, Lou Williams and Jason Kapono's expiring contract, I believe that getting a solid center is highly possible.
Second, we have the Ultimate Fighter semifinals. I apologize to those that thought I was going to talk about that Toledo-Bowling Green barn burner. Not happening. I'm hoping that Koscheck's guys can get it done tonight in a few tough match-ups. Actually, I'm hoping for another fight between Koscheck and someone GSP brings in to piss Koscheck off, but I highly doubt that will happen. GSP's guy, Jonathon Brookins, looks like Clay Guida, so how appropriate would it be if he were to win this thing and get the UFC contract. You'd have Clay Guida and a guy that looks like Clay Guida. It's like how in the NBA when the Nuggets play the Suns. On the same court, you have Shelden Williams and the Suns mascot, a guerrilla.
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