Men’s Basketball: Dixon returns after missing first eight games

Dixon Returns

After undergoing two surgeries on his right foot and a prolonged rehabilitation… Dixon Returns

After undergoing two surgeries on his right foot and a prolonged rehabilitation process, Pitt basketball’s lone returning senior, Jermaine Dixon, stepped back onto the court Tuesday night.

Despite Dixon’s return, the Panthers (7-2) were unable to avoid a 74-64 loss to Indiana(4-4).

It appears Dixon will gradually be infused back into the lineup as he begins to get into game shape.

The senior guard was limited to 12 minutes Tuesday night. He missed his only two shots but managed two rebounds and an assist. Dixon also accounted for three personal fouls.

Last season, after transferring from Tallahassee Community College, Dixon averaged 8.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and two assists per game.

Once Dixon is back to full strength, he’ll be able to relieve Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker of a portion of the workload at guard. Through nine games, Gibbs and Wanamaker averaged 34.2 and 32.1 minutes per game, respectively.

Tuesday night’s loss marked the fourth time that the Panthers have lost a game in the month of December with Jamie Dixon as head coach. Earlier this season, Pitt lost in November for the first time ever under Dixon.

Scoring Woes

The 64 points that the Panthers scored on Tuesday night nearly met the season average of 65.1 points, which Pitt possessed prior to tipoff.

Before facing off against the Hoosiers, Pitt was tied with Mount St. Mary’s as the 251st-ranked scoring team in the nation.

The Panthers will have a few more opportunities to get the offense straightened out before the beginning of the Big East schedule. Pitt will play Kent State this weekend before welcoming Mount St. Mary’s to the Petersen Events Center on Dec. 19.

After the game against the Mount, the Panthers will welcome redshirt junior forward Gilbert Brown back from academic suspension. Brown’s experience and athleticism should help Pitt play more consistently.

Brown, who averaged 5.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game last season, will have one opportunity to tune up against Ohio on Dec. 22 before Big East play begins Dec. 28 against DePaul.