Mitsch: Dr. Hoops gives Dixon some advice

It’s March, time for Pitt coach Jamie Dixon’s annual check-up with Dr. Hoops … Nurse: OK,… It’s March, time for Pitt coach Jamie Dixon’s annual check-up with Dr. Hoops … Nurse: OK, Coach Dixon, the doctor will see you now. Dixon: Yes, thank you, nurse. Dr. Hoops: Jamie! Great to see you again. Having a pretty good season, I see. Wasn’t even sure if I’d see you this year, what with the way the boys have been playing. Dixon: Ah, well we’ve been pretty fortunate this year, Doc. I mean, we’ve been able to stay pretty healthy, and I think that’s been the first key for stability that we’ve been able to maintain, you know, throughout the season. Dr. Hoops: Healthy, yes. Been a huge key for the squad. Dixon: At the same time, though, you know, I don’t want to be ignorant. I’m aware that there are some things we do need to work on, especially heading into both tournaments, so, what do you have? Dr. Hoops: Ah, I’m glad you asked. Let me just get your file here if you’ll bear with me … Dixon: Sure … Oh, hey ‘mdash; did you see Dante was named a McDonald’s All-American? Dr. Hoops: Well I certainly noticed that you didn’t bring the large elephant into the office with you this time! They both laugh. Dr. Hoops: All right, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty and talk about the three losses, Coach, specifically about trends I noticed across the three. Now, the turnovers are obvious ‘- 20 against Louisville, 17 against Villanova and 18 against Providence. Not going to make an easy time of it when you’re lackadaisical with the basketball, Coach, but I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. Dixon: Right, the turnovers are inexcusable, and you can’t win with those kinds of numbers. Dr. Hoops: Ah, but you can! Twenty-three turnovers against Seton Hall in an 11-point win! You out-rebounded them 40-19, didn’t miss too many free throws and defended the perimeter well. But there aren’t any more Seton Halls the rest of the way, Coach. Dixon: Of course not. Dr. Hoops: Right. So you need to figure out how to do all the good things you did against Seton Hall against a tournament-caliber team to protect against having a bad game in say, oh, I don’t know, the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Dixon: Go on … Dr. Hoops: OK, first of all, you must, must, must run the Pitt offense through and around DeJuan Blair. Not that you don’t already, the big fella certainly gets his fair share of touches, but I’m just emphasizing the importance of consistently getting good, low-post looks at the bucket. Just analyzing the prints from the win over Marquette on Wednesday night, it shows just how steady your team can be in the face of a less-physical group making a run on outside shooting. Your perimeter defense isn’t awful, but you’ll surrender those shots any day if you suffocate the baseline and the paint, am I right? Dixon: Absolutely. Dr. Hoops: Good. Because I would much rather see DeJuan take over a game than, say, a Sam Young, because that means you’re getting the ball right underneath the hoop rather than relying on jump shooting or fouls being called, because you and I both know how fickle those aspects of the game can be. Now, don’t get me wrong, Sam can certainly take over a game if he wants to, but I’d rather see him slam one home off a baseline feed because DeJuan was drawing two defenders. Dixon: Oh, absolutely. Passing is certainly one of the things we emphasize. Dr. Hoops: Yes. And the boys definitely are shooting well from the outside lately because they’re taking good shots. Relying strictly on hitting 3-pointers is no way to build a championship team, which you definitely might have this year. Dixon: Fantastic news. Dr. Hoops: Eh-eh. Not so fast. To be able to control a game around DeJuan Blair, Jamie, is reliant on having DeJuan in the game. Dixon: Right, and ‘- Dr. Hoops: Let me finish, please. See, Jamie, not every officiating crew through six rounds of the NCAA Tournament will be tolerant of the Big-East and Pitt style of play. DeJuan certainly has to be careful with his physicality, we all remember Louisville, but at the same time, Jamie, I’d like you to trust him a little more if he does get into foul trouble. Don’t take him out of the game immediately and let the game play and momentum suddenly shift. Levance, Jermaine, Ashton, Gilbert ‘- they can all hit shots when they need to be hit. But you don’t need to put pressure on them too early. The key to a Final Four, Jamie, is the two Ds ‘- defense and DeJuan.