Men’s Basketball: Panthers need to improve defensively to avoid a losing streak

If there is one thing Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon preaches more than anything else, it’s… If there is one thing Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon preaches more than anything else, it’s defense. Going into every game, Dixon sets a team goal for the Panthers to out-rebound their opponent.

On Wednesday against Georgetown, Pitt did just that, pulling down 34 boards to the Hoyas’ 33. As it turns out, though, rebounds aren’t the only indicator of success. Two nights ago, the hallmark of Dixon basketball failed the Panthers.

“We win games with defense, but we lost this game with defense,” Dixon said following the 74-66 loss.

Dixon said that in games against Connecticut and Louisville, the most recent games prior to Wednesday, the Panthers didn’t defend up to their potential, but came away with victories nonetheless. Wednesday it caught up to them.

To have success as the season goes on, Pitt has to sharpen its defensive efforts. This team has no chance of beating premier teams by trying to out-score them. Pitt’s offense needs to derive from its play on the defensive end. When the Panthers have a solid stop, a turnover or a rebound that they can get out on the break with, they’re as effective as any team in the country. With no clear go-to scorer in the half court, including Ashton Gibbs, that’s where this team will be most effective. It isn’t a secret, but it’s going to be the key to their season.

Wednesday, Pitt allowed Georgetown to shoot 46 percent from the field and 70 percent from three and created just eight turnovers.

“Defense is the biggest thing,” Dixon said. “I really thought our defense would continue to improve … we didn’t get it done.”

What hurt the Panthers most was the perimeter play of Georgetown guard Chris Wright, who torched Pitt for 27 points. After the game, Dixon lamented the frequency with which Wright was getting into the lane for easy buckets.

“He hurt us more than we’ve had a guy hurt us before in penetration,” Dixon said.

Pitt also needs to improve its interior defense. Smaller than most teams, especially evident against a Hoya squad that boasts 6-foot-11 stud sophomore Greg Monroe and junior Julian Vaughn, a bruising 6-foot-9 power forward, Pitt usually has to compensate for its lack of size. But the Panthers have proved this year that they can defend against bigger teams. They showed it against Cincinnati, a team with the same kind of height and depth at the four and five positions as Georgetown.

But Wednesday the effort was lacking, and it was apparent to the Pitt players.

“We didn’t play as strong as we usually do,” Gilbert Brown said. “We didn’t come out and play the way we normally play on defense.”

Gary McGhee, Pitt’s tallest player at 6-foot-10, was active offensively, but didn’t have enough of an impact rebounding the ball. McGhee grabbed only five rebounds on the night, while guard Brad Wanamaker led Pitt with 13. But this season, the Panthers are hitting the glass by committee and McGhee is much improved in his physicality and ability to make a difference helping defend from the weak side. If McGhee can use his size to clog driving lanes and benefit from easy buckets on offense, he will be a valuable commodity over the rest of the season.

But against Georgetown, Pitt couldn’t put it all together. They were battered on the perimeter and as the game wore on, McGhee looked visibly tired on key defensive possessions where the Panthers needed a stop to stay in the game.

A lack of awareness down the stretch by Pitt defenders sealed the win for Georgetown. Down just six points with less than three minutes remaining, Pitt allowed three offensive rebounds on one possession. The subsequent defensive possession, they allowed an easy layup by Wright off an inbounds play with time winding down on the shot clock.

All that points to poor defensive execution, something the Panthers have to fix if they are going to have any postseason aspirations this year.

“I don’t feel we’re a great defensive team just yet,” Dixon said.