Offense makes Pitt Final Four contender

I don’t care much for momentum. Momentum is the most misleading factor that plays into picking… I don’t care much for momentum. Momentum is the most misleading factor that plays into picking NCAA Tournament brackets. That’s why I don’t listen to anyone telling me to pick teams that are hot.

So don’t pick Pitt because of momentum. Pick the Panthers because they are playing basketball fit for a deep run in the Tournament. Even if they had lost to Georgetown on Saturday night, I’d make the argument.

This week in New York City at the Big East tournament, Pitt rebounded and defended like it used to – you know, before injuries wracked its lineup and derailed its season.

But the biggest factor that tells me Pitt is getting to the second weekend this season is its ability to score. The Panthers, unlike Pitt teams of old, can score inside and out. Ronald Ramon, Keith Benjamin, Sam Young, Levance Fields and even Gilbert Brown have all shown shooting range. Young, DeJuan Blair and Tyrell Biggs can score in the paint.

Ramon’s consistent shooting in the Big East tournament flew under the radar all week. The 6-foot-1-inch senior was robbed when he was left out of the all-tournament team.

But Ramon added a new card to his hand: a jump stop. Ramon has been driving more, forcing defenses to collapse around him as he slashes to the hoop. He got several floaters and layups this past week, and they were all key plays.

Another asset Ramon has is rebounding. For a guard to average 5.25 rebounds in the Big East tournament is impressive, especially when he’s scoring at a 14-point clip.

Young’s star shone brightest in the Big Apple. The expansion of his game – from baseline to 25 feet – has enabled the 6-6 forward to dominate offensively. He is a major matchup problem for small for -wards and power forwards alike, but he doesn’t give up anything defensively.

He was the best defensive player at the tournament this past week, too. His anticipation and shot blocking provided an energy boost and eraser effect that no one knew he had.

It was an amazing run for Young, and if he gets help inside from the freshman stud Blair, Pitt will be tough to beat in the paint.

Blair is a man-beast. He can rebound, defend and score against any big man in the nation. He owned Duke’s Kyle Singler. He handled Georgetown’s Roy Hibbert well in two games.

Blair fears no one. He has the heart of a lion – excuse the clich’eacute;, but it’s true – and he will play harder than any Pitt post player has in the past. Still, no one makes Pitt go more than Fields.

The little court general is an absolutely dominating presence. It’s amazing that a 5-10 point guard could make such an impact on games. He controls tempo, single-handedly figures out presses, generates the offense and matches Blair’s intensity.

Where Fields goes, Pitt follows. Now that he is completely healthy, and some of his teamates, namely Blair, Brown and Ramon, can fully practice alongside Fields, Pitt can play with the aggression and physicality that it likes.

That’s the kind of Pitt team that wins games.

In the past four games at Madison Square Garden, Pitt fixed its defensive and rebounding identity.

The Panthers pressured the basketball in trapping corners and limited opponents’ action in the paint. Pitt challenged almost every shot, and the help defense recovered much more fluidly and quickly than it had been recovering during its February lull. That made a huge difference.

But I can’t stop coming back to the scoring. Teams that win games in the Tournament are able to score when they need to. This team has a nice combination of scoring offense and tenacious, hustling defense and rebounding.

This team will get past the first weekend. The matchup with Oral Roberts won’t be easy, and neither would the potential second-round game against Michigan State or Temple, but no one is playing like Pitt. Even if the Panthers had lost to Georgetown Saturday night, I’d say it.

The Panthers are playing their best ball since December. There’s no reason to think they can’t win their way into the second weekend, and maybe beyond. It starts with their style, and it ends when they want it to.