Men’s basketball: With Blair gone, McGhee and Taylor filling in nicely

Entering the season, Pitt coach Jamie Dixon wondered who would fill the void left by the… Entering the season, Pitt coach Jamie Dixon wondered who would fill the void left by the departed DeJuan Blair. The answer isn’t one player — it’s two.

Gary McGhee and Dante Taylor have combined to fill the void — figuratively and physically — left by Blair’s move to the NBA.

Against Eastern Kentucky, McGhee had four blocks, a career high. Taylor had four blocks, also a career high.

By the second half of the game, the Colonels stopped driving to the rim and opted to shoot from the perimeter.

Together, Dixon said, McGhee and Taylor have provided Pitt with plenty of production from center.

“We’ve been getting good numbers from that position,” Dixon said. “Gary McGhee and Dante Taylor have been playing great defense, and they’re grabbing rebounds.”

The two have split playing time almost right down the middle this year.

McGhee, who starts at center, averages 19.3 minutes per game. Taylor replaces McGhee off the bench and plays 19 minutes per game.

Dixon said the freshman Taylor has earned his playing time, while McGhee has done nothing to see his playing time decrease.

“I feel pretty good about where that spot is going to be,” Dixon said. “I know they’re going to continue to improve. Gary’s getting better every day, and so is Dante.”

The duo combines for an average of 14.7 points, 13.3 rebounds and four blocks per night. For comparison, last season Blair brought in 15.7 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.

McGhee, especially, has alleviated the loss of Blair in the defensive end.

The junior, who once struggled with rebounding, has rounded into a complete package, bringing in six rebounds against Binghamton and eight more against Wofford.

Indeed, his offensive board against the Terriers is the highlight of the season so far.

The three-point play showcased McGhee’s newfound skill. He called the free throw the biggest of his career.

When McGhee subs out, Taylor steps in to the tune of eight points and seven rebounds per game. His 12 rebounds against Eastern Kentucky was the most for any Panther this year.

Dixon said Taylor is just one productive cog on Pitt’s bench.

“This is going to be a team that we play a lot of guys down the stretch,” Dixon said. “It’s going to be a very balanced team as we get going.”

Taylor, Lamar Patterson and Chase Adams will all see significant playing time off the bench — the three combined for 20 points against Eastern Kentucky.

The rotation of McGhee and Taylor, Dixon said, allows for both players to stay fresh.

“It’s a unique situation, and it’s different from what we’ve been doing,” Dixon said. “We’d like to keep that position fresh. They’re doing well.”

Against Eastern Kentucky, that freshness helped Pitt tie a school record with 12 blocks.

“Dante has a little bit of a knack for [blocks],” Dixon said, “and Gary’s pretty good at it.”

Dixon said the Panthers struggled with rebounding early in the year.

“I wouldn’t say [Taylor] has got it all down, but none of us do,” Dixon said. “I don’t even have it down. I don’t think we’re going to make judgments on Nov. 19.”

Everything clicked against Eastern Kentucky, though.

Taylor’s 12 rebounds brought Pitt’s total on the night to an astounding 47. The Colonels had 25.

As much as Taylor and McGhee deserve credit — they combined for nine points, 17 rebounds, eight blocks and two assists — Dixon said the play of Pitt’s guards helped the turnaround. Guards accounted for 21 of Pitt’s rebounds.

“Coach Dixon is a defensive-minded coach,” guard Ashton Gibbs said. “So we use our defense to feed our offense so we know any combination can work. We grabbed some long rebounds and looked for open shots because of great ball movement and penetration.”

Nonetheless, Taylor and McGhee still have work to do as the team nears one month until Big East play.

Specifically, Taylor resembles Blair in a less-than-favorable way: free-throw shooting.

Blair, who shot 61.4 percent from the line in his college career, is 5 for 12 with the NBA’s Spurs. Taylor has made just 42.9 percent of his free-throw attempts — 6 for 14.

But if he and McGhee keep playing the way they did against Eastern Kentucky, they might be compared to Blair in more ways than that.