Kirschman: This could be best Pitt men’s basketball team yet

Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said something intriguing after Pitt’s 74-66 win over the… Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said something intriguing after Pitt’s 74-66 win over the Orange on Monday.

He said that this year’s Pitt team could be the best one he’s seen.

Boeheim has been coaching at Syracuse for 35 years. He’s seen a lot of good — and plenty of great — versions of the Panthers.

Since the 2001-02 season, Pitt has put a string of impressive men’s basketball teams on the floor, from the Big East Tournament-winning, Brandin Knight led squad in 2002-03 to the 2008-09 team that achieved the school’s first No. 1 ranking and advanced to the Elite Eight.

That team was filled with superstars with two All-Americans in DeJuan Blair and Sam Young, as well as the ultimate floor leader and clutch point guard in Levance Fields. I didn’t think I would see a better team during my time at Pitt.

But I agree with Boeheim. This year’s squad is proving me wrong.

The main reason is offense. According to Ken Pomeroy’s website, which offers an analysis of college basketball statistics, Pitt is the most offensively efficient team in the country. The Panthers also lead the nation in assists, assists per game and assist-turnover ratio.

Simply put, Pitt’s offense works — and it works well. Pitt players are making the right passes to set up the best possible looks. This was particularly evident against Syracuse, as the Panthers continually found Nasir Robinson in the middle, where he either had a path for a lay-up or found an open teammate on the perimeter.

During the first half against Georgetown last week, Pitt put on a passing clinic.

Not only is this one of the best, if not the best, Pitt passing team, the Panthers are also equipped with good shooters who, for the most part this season, having been knocking down open looks.

Most everyone expected Ashton Gibbs to continue his impressive shooting this season, and he has. He’s leading the team with 16 points per game while shooting 44 percent from arc and 43 percent from the field.

Then there’s Brad Wanamaker, who not only stuffs the stat sheet full of points, assists and rebounds, but also shoots 50 percent from the field. Gilbert Brown has become a reliable scorer, averaging 11.3 points per game.

But most importantly, the scoring threat from the Panthers doesn’t end there. As a whole, this team can shoot and shoot well. For opponents, it’s a challenge figuring out where the scoring is going to come from next.

Against Syracuse, Robinson went off for 21 points, but it was Travon Woodall who hit a key 3-pointer to break a 41-41 tie in the second half. He also hit a clutch 3-pointer against Providence. Sometimes, the scoring comes from inside, whether it’s Robinson, Gary McGhee or Dante Taylor. The big guys can pass, too.

Last season, the offense would often stall, leading to a Pitt loss, if Gibbs or Wanamaker wasn’t clicking offensively. This year, the Panthers have options in a slew of potential scorers. For opponents, that’s scary.

“I think they have a good team overall — top to bottom,” Boeheim said. “Their past teams these last few years were very good teams. I think this team shoots better and more consistently.”

These Panthers might not be on par defensively with the Pitt teams from the early 2000s, or even last year’s squad that perfected defense to aid a sometimes-stagnant offense, but Pitt isn’t a bad defensive team by any means. And they’ll get better. Jamie Dixon’s teams always improve.

Boeheim said the Panthers are still “tough defensively and are rebounding the basketball as good as they have been.” That’s true, as Pitt is second in the country in rebounds per game.

But it’s the impressive offense that could send this year’s Panthers to the Final Four, which would forever enshrine them as one of Pitt’s greatest teams.

Maybe the best.