Young helps Pitt through sloppy play

No. 1 Pitt escaped a mutiny against the Seton Hall Pirates Saturday night, winning by an 89-78… No. 1 Pitt escaped a mutiny against the Seton Hall Pirates Saturday night, winning by an 89-78 score that was misleading in how close and how far away the Panthers were from capsizing. Senior Sam Young saved Pitt during another sloppy performance riddled with 23 turnovers, including at least one by every member of the regular rotation besides Jermaine Dixon. That’s 41 turnovers in the last two road games against Providence and Seton Hall if you’re keeping score at home, as teams seem to have figured out how to contain Pitt’s offensive effectiveness: press, press and more press. Young was marvelous, with 29 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field (9-of-10 on free throws) and 10 rebounds, almost single-handedly willing Pitt ahead of Seton Hall in a dreadful first half. With DeJuan Blair missing some time after bumping knees with Pirates star Jeremy Hazell, Pitt struggled immensely just to get the ball up the floor and maintain possession. When the Panthers did manage to beat the press, they made surprisingly poor decisions with the ball in the halfcourt, although not as many as in their 81-73 setback at Providence on Tuesday. Like many games this season, Pitt’s opponent hung around for a half, and then the Panthers picked up the pace in the final 20 minutes. A healthy Blair certainly helped to complement Young, and Dixon had a fine half as well. But Pitt needs to address this turnover habit, and fast. Young commits turnovers at an alarming rate, but offsets most of them with his offensive efficiency. He needs to be wary of his propensity to elevate the ball when he dribbles, as the referees called him for carrying on two consecutive possessions in the first half. If Providence and Seton Hall can drive Tyrell Biggs, Brad Wanamaker and even the nation’s leader in assist-to-turnover ratio, Levance Fields, bonkers, Pitt’s last two regular season games and both tournaments could wind up a lot tougher than its first 27 games. Marquette and Connecticut aren’t really known for pressuring their opponents, but they could learn a lesson from how Providence and Seton Hall attacked the Panthers this past week. Pitt’s younger players, particularly Wanamaker, sophomore Gilbert Brown and freshman Ashton Gibbs, have wilted under the full-court press and skin-tight defense the Friars and Pirates applied. At this point in the Big East season, all bets are off. Georgetown, left for dead just days ago, came up with a monumental victory over Villanova on Saturday. A similarly desperate Notre Dame fell short in an upset bid at No. 2 Connecticut. And Marquette could freefall following the loss of senior point guard Dominic James and its subsequent losses at Connecticut and Louisville. The Golden Eagles will give Pitt everything they have on Wednesday. Pitt coach Jamie Dixon should prepare his team for defensive pressure this week, because wins against Marquette and Connecticut at the Petersen Events Center would guarantee a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, regardless of the team’s Big East tournament outcome. Although a top seed isn’t necessary come March Madness time, it would certainly help in perhaps the most wide-open dance floor in years. Every major contender has a weakness, and Pitt’s was finally exposed in its last road trip of the season. The Panthers need to adjust against the press and keep improving. They can’t come out flat this week or they’ll stumble once again.