Pitt - 1/6

[GTJason]

Feels a lot like last year... Last year we were super competitive a lot. I'm not saying this to disparage the effort of our team, but I can't take the close losses like this

 

[GT_B]

Another loss, another "moral victory" we have had enough of these already. Smith was just unreal tonight, unfortunately our "defense" if that even existed tonight, was just awful, half of their points seemed like easy lay ups. The other half we would play ok defense for 25 secs then foul them. I think watching this team be competitive and lose every close game is worse than watching us get blown out. It's Groundhog Day every ACC game.

 

[McCamish Maniacs]

Another loss, another "moral victory" we have had enough of these already. Smith was just unreal tonight, unfortunately our "defense" if that even existed tonight, was just awful, half of their points seemed like easy lay ups. The other half we would play ok defense for 25 secs then foul them. I think watching this team be competitive and lose every close game is worse than watching us get blown out. It's Groundhog Day every ACC game.

Would I have liked to win tonight? Yes
Am I sick of moral victories? Yes
Are these constant close losses fine with me? No

However, let's keep it in perspective. We shot ourselves in the foot constantly at the free throw line and with turnovers and yet we still had a chance to cut it to a one possession game with about 1-2 mins left against a ranked team who is now 218-32 in the Peterson Events Center

Eventually we need to win some of these games but we're just two games into the ACC and both have been close road losses against ranked teams, games we shouldn't be expected to win

 

[lv20gt]

Eventually we need to win some of these games but we're just two games into the ACC and both have been close road losses against ranked teams, games we shouldn't be expected to win

Eventually? When is eventually? We had our shooter go 14-23 from behind the arc the last two games on a team where 86% of the points and 75% of the rebounds came from seniors. Eventually Smith is going to come back down to earth from behind the arc. Eventually all the seniors our team is built on are going to graduate. Next year we are very likely going to be terrible even by Gregory's standards, if he is even back. No we needed to make the NCAA's now. Which means we needed to win these games now. Not eventually.

 

[Peacone36]

Eventually? When is eventually?

I think that is year 8. Or maybe 10. Right after the next extension is given that raises the buyout to a billion dollars.

 

[AE 87]

Would I have liked to win tonight? Yes
Am I sick of moral victories? Yes
Are these constant close losses fine with me? No

However, let's keep it in perspective. We shot ourselves in the foot constantly at the free throw line and with turnovers and yet we still had a chance to cut it to a one possession game with about 1-2 mins left against a ranked team who is now 218-32 in the Peterson Events Center

Eventually we need to win some of these games but we're just two games into the ACC and both have been close road losses against ranked teams, games we shouldn't be expected to win

My take, fwiw, is this. Versus unc, we gave up the bunny too much but were still aggressive getting both fouls and turnovers. It seems CBG focussed on cutting down on fouls, and we stopped being as aggressive and got fewer turnovers. Yet we gave up more bunnies.

After the unc game, I got the feeling tbat people forgot we took ND to OT early last year, and our team is better this year. We still couldn't beat vpi and BC last year, and we don't have reason to expect different this year.

We just always find ways to lose close.

 

[MWBATL]

I think that is year 8. Or maybe 10. Right after the next extension is given that raises the buyout to a billion dollars.

or never, with this AD........

 

[orientalnc]

Would I have liked to win tonight? Yes
Am I sick of moral victories? Yes
Are these constant close losses fine with me? No

However, let's keep it in perspective. We shot ourselves in the foot constantly at the free throw line and with turnovers and yet we still had a chance to cut it to a one possession game with about 1-2 mins left against a ranked team who is now 218-32 in the Peterson Events Center

Eventually we need to win some of these games but we're just two games into the ACC and both have been close road losses against ranked teams, games we shouldn't be expected to win

My take, if anyone cares, is that the game was not surprising except in one way: we were still in the game until the very end.

We lost by five, thanks to a buzzer basket, but were clearly in the game. Chuck and MGH missed six free throws between them. The traveling call on Marcus when he was clearly fouled came at a critical moment in the game. And, we still cannot stop guard penetration. Pitt's perimeter players (isn't that everyone but Maia?) simply took the ball inside almost every time the wanted.

Lastly, Pitt played an error free game for the most part. Some of that is on us, but it took a great game by them to beat us. Take heart guys. We knew these two games were likely losses. I intend to hang with this team. I think we will be in the post season this year.

 

[Peacone36]

Unfortunately I was unable to watch. As it was blacked out on ESPN and I didn't have whatever channel it was on.

Looked like a wide range of good and bad from the box. within a few, then down by about 18 (?) and the. Back within 5 or so.

I'm gathering it was more of the same ole same ole though.

Poor free throw shooting
Poor PG play
Long drought
Eventually coming up just short after one of our guys gets hot.

Almost don't even have to watch the games anymore

 

[Connell62]

Would I have liked to win tonight? Yes
Am I sick of moral victories? Yes
Are these constant close losses fine with me? No

However, let's keep it in perspective. We shot ourselves in the foot constantly at the free throw line and with turnovers and yet we still had a chance to cut it to a one possession game with about 1-2 mins left against a ranked team who is now 218-32 in the Peterson Events Center

Eventually we need to win some of these games but we're just two games into the ACC and both have been close road losses against ranked teams, games we shouldn't be expected to win

I'm with you MM? How as the environment last night?

First off, how about Charles Mitchell (20pts/17pts) and Adam Smith (30pts - 8/13 from three). Those two were magnificent last night. Hard to believe that we have two guys explode like that, and we still come up short. I think that points to two items that must be addressed for us to take a step forward:

1. Defense - If we reach 83 points, we should be winning ball games. Bottom line. That must be cleaned up and quick.

2. Lack of Production from the PG: Looking at both Heath and Jorgensen's point production combined from the last two games is a little frightening:

UNC - 2pts, 11asst, 4to's
PITT - 3pts, 3asst, 2to's (one very costly by Jorgensen)

Conversely, take a look at their opposition:

UNC - 24pts, 5asst, 8to's: Joel Berry - 19pts, 4asst, 5to's / Britt: 5pts, 1sst, 3to's
PITT - 18pts, 8asst, 1 t0: James Robinson (dude's a beast): 18pts, 8asst, 1 t0 - Played 36 mins

In general, our PG's have done some good things, and they are far from terrible. They have taken very good care of the ball outside a few lapses against VCU, but they're not simply not producing enough offensively for us to win games against good ACC opponents, and they have been a number of defensive lapses as well.

As pretty as the assist numbers are, there have been some deadly turnovers (i.e. the one the break by Travis last night). We were down one, secured one of the few turnovers they had all night, and rather than driving to finish, he tried a difficult pass and lost the ball. Pitt then stretched the lead from 1pt to 8-10pts over the next few minutes forcing us to claw back again.

Lost in the mix was Tadric giving us a good lift last night, and I think that it speaks volumes about our lack of PG production seeing how often we saw Jackson, Smith, and MGH running together. Heath only played 13 minutes last night. Only Q & James White played less - that is pretty odd for a starter. That said, I am encouraged by our performance last night. Like MM mentioned, I am ready to see us win some of these games, but if we can continue to execute offensively as we have, things will start falling our way.

 

[kg01]

Unfortunately I was unable to watch. As it was blacked out on ESPN and I didn't have whatever channel it was on.

Looked like a wide range of good and bad from the box. within a few, then down by about 18 (?) and the. Back within 5 or so.

I'm gathering it was more of the same ole same ole though.

Poor free throw shooting
Poor PG play
Long drought
Eventually coming up just short after one of our guys gets hot.

Almost don't even have to watch the games anymore

You lie. Clearly you watched the game. We really didn't have a long drought. Had a drought of course, just not as long as usual.

This was a really screwy game. The fact that they outclassed us in spurts but couldn't blow us out tells me Pitt's well-coached but not very good (if that makes sense). It's a shame Smith won't be around after this year. I could watch that dude shoot off-balance, high-degree of difficulty 3's (and make them) all day.

@connell62 makes a great point re. PG play. We just don't have high-level point guard play anywhere on the team. Heath would be a solid backup. I'm afraid Jorg just isn't cut out for this level of basketball. Not consistently anyway. I hate saying that because he clearly works hard. That 2nd half fast-break pass that was intercepted was just plain bad. We really need Jackson to get to the point where we can have that Jackson-Smith-MGH lineup out there more.

And can someone figure out what's happening with Jacobs? Just floating out there. Something has to be wrong.

I know I've been hard on CBG but I really feel for him (in spite of @CuseJacket ranting in chat ). He actually seems to be into it more this year than in prior years. Seems to be feeling the heat. I want them to win for him so bad but it's just not getting there.

 

[GT_B]

I'm with you MM? How as the environment last night?

First off, how about Charles Mitchell (20pts/17pts) and Adam Smith (30pts - 8/13 from three). Those two were magnificent last night. Hard to believe that we have two guys explode like that, and we still come up short. I think that points to two items that must be addressed for us to take a step forward:

1. Defense - If we reach 83 points, we should be winning ball games. Bottom line. That must be cleaned up and quick.

2. Lack of Production from the PG: Looking at both Heath and Jorgensen's point production combined from the last two games is a little frightening:

UNC - 2pts, 11asst, 4to's
PITT - 3pts, 3asst, 2to's (one very costly by Jorgensen)

Conversely, take a look at their opposition:

UNC - 24pts, 5asst, 8to's: Joel Berry - 19pts, 4asst, 5to's / Britt: 5pts, 1sst, 3to's
PITT - 18pts, 8asst, 1 t0: James Robinson (dude's a beast): 18pts, 8asst, 1 t0 - Played 36 mins

In general, our PG's have done some good things, and they are far from terrible. They have taken very good care of the ball outside a few lapses against VCU, but they're not simply not producing enough offensively for us to win games against good ACC opponents, and they have been a number of defensive lapses as well.

As pretty as the assist numbers are, there have been some deadly turnovers (i.e. the one the break by Travis last night). We were down one, secured one of the few turnovers they had all night, and rather than driving to finish, he tried a difficult pass and lost the ball. Pitt then stretched the lead from 1pt to 8-10pts over the next few minutes forcing us to claw back again.

Lost in the mix was Tadric giving us a good lift last night, and I think that it speaks volumes about our lack of PG production seeing how often we saw Jackson, Smith, and MGH running together. Heath only played 13 minutes last night. Only Q & James White played less - that is pretty odd for a starter. That said, I am encouraged by our performance last night. Like MM mentioned, I am ready to see us win some of these games, but if we can continue to execute offensively as we have, things will start falling our way.

I think our best starting line up might actually be:

PG: Tadric
SG: Smith
SF: MGH
PF: Mitchell
C: Lammers

This line up provides the most balance at one time.

-Tadric seems to be strongest at handling the ball and driving and dishing. He is good enough on D to prevent easy guard penetration. He may not be a natural PG, but I think he would better than Heath/Jorg combo.
-Smith and MGH combo is obviously our biggest scoring combo and allows teams not to focus on just 1 when they are both on the floor.
-Mitchell provides inside scoring and rebounding.
-Lammers has really impressed me when he is on the court, he seems to have a knack for defensive around the rim, even though hes not super athletic, he gets a good amount of blocks or disrupts shots, hes also a good passer in the interior and rebounds pretty well. At this point I would trade Jacobs 8-10 pts a game, for Lammers all around game of 6pts, 8 boards, 5 assists and 3 blocks etc.

 

[IronJacket7]

CBG era....

 

[dtm1997]

The bench energy was non-existent, especially from 2 of the asst coaches. Mostly from them, even.

The ability of opposing perimeter players to drive the lane on curls has been absurd & repeatedly not fixed. I'd bet that's why Heath's minutes were down last night.

Jacobs misses a couple of shots early, seems to get listless & stops hustling on the defensive end. Allowed Pitt to get out & run for a layup at least once. Travis was a culprit there as well.

Defense just remains weak sauce and the past 2 games, when we've finally kicked it up, it's almost too late.

Pitt played well, but we absolutely had multiple self-inflicted errors, especially after some incidents of solid defense on our part. I feel like there was a sequence where we got 2 stops in a row, only to essentially pass the ball to a Pitt player after each of those stops.

I know Q busts his ***, but 3 minutes last night tells me that either he's under the weather and tried to go or the reality of his lack of athleticism on defense is finally putting him in a chair.

Overall, I've been pleased with the style of play, although the defense has been problematic all year and we're now seeing the results. Close losses because we can't get a stop, not because we can't get a bucket.

 

[bke1984]

I didn't get to watch any of it last night, as I was on a plane. I listened to the last 8 minutes or so from the car though, and it sounds like Smith looked really impressive again.

What happened to our defense this year? This was supposed to be BG's specialty. I know Pitt and UNC are good offensive teams, but if we give up 80+ in any game we're probably in trouble. Our offense is so much better this year, but our defense isn't impressing at all. It's like the opposite of what we've watched for most of the last 10 years.

 

[dtm1997]

I didn't get to watch any of it last night, as I was on a plane. I listened to the last 8 minutes or so from the car though, and it sounds like Smith looked really impressive again.

What happened to our defense this year? This was supposed to be BG's specialty. I know Pitt and UNC are good offensive teams, but if we give up 80+ in any game we're probably in trouble. Our offense is so much better this year, but our defense isn't impressing at all. It's like the opposite of what we've watched for most of the last 10 years.

Lammers is probably our best defender overall. MGH is our best wing defender. Smith can defend the 3rd option of a team, maybe the 2nd. Tadric can defend, but tends to be an offensive liability because he doesn't stick to what he's good at, which is drive the lane. Chuck is solid, but not elite. White seems to be waiting to make an athletic highlight.

Travis & Heath have had significant difficulties, although I do think Travis tries very hard on defense.

Q can't hang on the wing and bang in the post. Jacobs puts in a defensive effort maybe 20%-25% of defensive possessions he's in for.

Our 2nd best wing defender just isn't going to crack the rotation.

So we have stretches where the defense is ok, but because it isn't sustained, we give up too many points to teams that are capable scorers/shooters. I mean how many times are we gonna see guards hit off of a curl against Heath & Jacobs.

So yeah... that's all I got.

 

[McCamish Maniacs]

I think our best starting line up might actually be:

PG: Tadric
SG: Smith
SF: MGH
PF: Mitchell
C: Lammers

This line up provides the most balance at one time.

-Tadric seems to be strongest at handling the ball and driving and dishing. He is good enough on D to prevent easy guard penetration. He may not be a natural PG, but I think he would better than Heath/Jorg combo.
-Smith and MGH combo is obviously our biggest scoring combo and allows teams not to focus on just 1 when they are both on the floor.
-Mitchell provides inside scoring and rebounding.
-Lammers has really impressed me when he is on the court, he seems to have a knack for defensive around the rim, even though hes not super athletic, he gets a good amount of blocks or disrupts shots, hes also a good passer in the interior and rebounds pretty well. At this point I would trade Jacobs 8-10 pts a game, for Lammers all around game of 6pts, 8 boards, 5 assists and 3 blocks etc.

YES! 100% agree with this lineup. Was telling my friends last night after the game that this was the lineup I wanted to see going forward. Our PGs aren't adding anything that Tadric can't bring to the table and Tadric will bring more athleticism and better defense. Mitchell and Jacobs on the court at the same time is just a sieve down low and when they're both out we lose almost all of our threat to score out of the post so why not have them staggered

 

[McCamish Maniacs]

How as the environment last night?

Environment was great. Even though we lost it was a place I have definitely wanted to see in person so glad I got to go!

 

[McCamish Maniacs]

Eventually? When is eventually? We had our shooter go 14-23 from behind the arc the last two games on a team where 86% of the points and 75% of the rebounds came from seniors. Eventually Smith is going to come back down to earth from behind the arc. Eventually all the seniors our team is built on are going to graduate. Next year we are very likely going to be terrible even by Gregory's standards, if he is even back. No we needed to make the NCAA's now. Which means we needed to win these games now. Not eventually.

By eventually I mean not on the road against a top 25 ACC team. There are going to be plenty of better opportunities for wins this season and when we start to lose those games, THAT is when I'll have an issue, but instead of looking at it as "another close loss", I'm choosing to look at it for what it is. A road loss to a ranked ACC team. I don't care how good you are, you're not going to win many of those. If we could get one or two all season we'd put ourselves in a great position

 

[bke1984]

By eventually I mean not on the road against a top 25 ACC team. There are going to be plenty of better opportunities for wins this season and when we start to lose those games, THAT is when I'll have an issue, but instead of looking at it as "another close loss", I'm choosing to look at it for what it is. A road loss to a ranked ACC team. I don't care how good you are, you're not going to win many of those. If we could get one or two all season we'd put ourselves in a great position

I'd like to eventually WIN a game on the road against a top-25 team...

I know we did it a few times in the last few years...at #3 Miami is the one that comes to mind...but we've got to get some of these quality type wins every year, not once every 5 years.