ACC Preview: Pittsburgh’s Burning Question
Posted by Brad Jenkins (@bradjenk) on November 7th, 2014This team preview is part of the RTC ACC microsite’s preseason coverage. You will find a list with links to all the team previews on the ACC Microsite Preview Page, located here.
Can Pittsburgh overcome key personnel losses and injuries to compete with the ACC’s big boys?
Last year was Pittsburgh’s first season in the ACC, and the Panthers came out of the gate like gangbusters, winning 18 of their first 20 games and starting conference play with a 6-1 record. Then things headed south as Jamie Dixon’s squad limped home, finishing fifth in the league with an 11-7 mark. There was even some talk that Pittsburgh was on the bubble before they won two games in the ACC Tournament to secure an NCAA bid. Now the Panthers are ready for a second go-round in an improved ACC, but without the services of last year’s two best players, Lamar Patterson and Talib Zanna.
Jamie Dixon’s Team Has Already Suffered Some Key Injuries in the Preseason (US Presswire)
The explanation for last year’s dropoff midway through the ACC season was twofold. The primary reason was a series of injuries that ran through the squad like a mini-epidemic. Durand Johnson was Pitt’s third-leading scorer when he tore his ACL in a January win over Wake Forest, immediately ending his season. While his was the only major injury, the team was soon beset by nagging ailments that seemed to hit at the same time. Patterson was mentioned as a possible ACC Player of the Year candidate before a hand injury caused the senior to lose his shooting touch. Zanna played through a severe ankle sprain, but the injury zapped him of his explosiveness and caused the Panthers staples — interior defense and rebounding — to suffer immensely. Others that played hurt were freshmen Michael Young (back) and Chris Jones (thumb). The second problem was that the schedule got tougher after that excellent ACC start, and the Panthers subsequently went 0-5 against the ACC’s top four teams. That issue, combined with an extremely weak non-conference slate (278th nationally), is what put Pitt in the position of needing quality wins in Greensboro to ensure a trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers got that cherished victory when they barely held off North Carolina in the ACC quarterfinals. Can Dixon’s squad avoid the same scenario this season?
The schedule sets up in a scarily similar fashion to last year. Other than a couple of possible tough games in the Maui Invitational (Pitt opens with Chaminade, followed by San Diego State or BYU; Arizona would be the ideal opponent in the finals), the non-conference schedule looks bereft of quality opponents. The Panthers then begin ACC play with five games versus mid- to low-tier teams before things get much more difficult. Over a 34-day stretch of nine conference games, seven will be against the projected top five squads in the league. The table below shows how tough that stretch of games appears, with each opponent’s predicted order of finish, as voted on at ACC Operation Basketball, within the parentheses.
Pittsburgh’s preseason started out well with a successful four-game August trip to the Bahamas. Dixon seemed pleased with how his players were adapting to expanded roles and the depth of his team. Unfortunately, the Panthers have already been hit by the injury bug again this season. The most impactful setback has been to senior Cameron Wright, Pitt’s leading returning scorer (10.5 PPG), who hopes to return from a broken foot sometime in December. In the meantime, Dixon will look for wing play from Jones, freshman Cameron Johnson, and hopefully from Durand Johnson, who’s been hobbled by a sore ankle.
Steady James Robinson returns to Quarterback the Pitt Attack. (Charles LeClaire – USA TODAY Sports)
Now that he’s healthy, look for the talented sophomore Young to have a breakout year in the frontcourt. There will be no shortage of big bodies to rotate in the post, including senior returnee Derrick Randall, and 6’10”, 245-pound junior Joseph Uchebo. Uchebo only played in nine games last season while still recovering from a knee injury suffered in junior college, but he was a real surprise on the Bahamas trip, grabbing 17 rebounds in one game and 13 in another. A pair of sophomores, Jamel Artis and transfer Sheldon Jeter, are versatile forwards who will add to one of the deepest frontcourts in the ACC. James Robinson will have the keys to the offense for the second straight year. A pass-first point guard who rarely turns the ball over, the 6’3″ junior may need to look for his own shot more often, at least until Wright gets back to full strength. He’s supported by sophomore Josh Newkirk, who made 43 percent of his three-pointers as a rookie. It will be interesting to see how much Dixon plays these two together, as Robinson’s leadership and Newkirk’s shooting may both be needed on the floor at the same time.
Pittsburgh enters this year with without an established star but with a whole bunch of solid players and interchangeable parts. And perhaps best of all, the Panthers have Dixon at the helm to put the pieces together. Last year, Pitt won 10 or more conference games for the 10th time in the last 11 years, but to do so again, the Panthers will need better health and will need to find a way to slay a couple of the ACC’s giants.
