Pitt’s had more than its fill of cupcakes

Pitt’s stomach is sufficiently full of cupcakes after Tuesday night’s demolition of Boston… Pitt’s stomach is sufficiently full of cupcakes after Tuesday night’s demolition of Boston University. On Friday, Pitt visibly rattled Buffalo with its trapping defense, snatching 16 steals. Obviously, Pitt coach Jamie Dixon reads The Pitt News Hoops Q’A and institutes ball pressure whenever the Q’A calls for it.

Still, December is the month that will truly reveal the real Pitt. Duquesne should provide a nice test for the Panthers, but only in the sense that it will prepare them for their trio of high-major opponents later in the month.

After Duquesne on Dec. 5, Pitt goes to Seattle to play Washington. After that game, the Panthers return home for Oklahoma State before a showdown at the World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden, with Duke on Dec. 20.

A rough span for Pitt should show us what to expect at the outset of Big East play. Let’s get to the pulse of Panthers nation.

Q: Michael from South Oakland asks, “Have expectations of the team been met so far this year?”

A: Well, Pitt is undefeated through six games. The Panthers are right where they want to be, playing well heading into the aforementioned rough stretch. Nobody knows what expectations, if any, Pitt puts on itself behind closed doors.

After the start to this year, which has seen numerous top programs downed by underdogs, Pitt is probably happy with its start.

Q: Multiple people asked if the shaky 3-point shooting is something about which Pitt fans should worry.

A: Not yet. It’s too early in the season. Pitt’s rotations are slowly coming together, so it’ll take more time to figure out who gets open when, and who can be trusted to hit the deeper shots in certain sets.

Q: I actually had a chance to flip the script and ask Dixon a question myself on Monday. I asked Dixon what it is that Pitt center DeJuan Blair does that allows him to defend bigger players in the post.

A: Dixon told me that Blair uses his big, 265-pound body to push the taller, lankier guys around. Blair’s frame is not small, folks. He is capable of moving anything except the basket, and even that’s not entirely out of the question.

He also possesses long arms. His reach makes up for his height. Dixon said Blair has quick feet for a big guy, and his nimble nature surprises a lot of the people he guards. Blair’s quickness can help him slip into passing lanes when guards loft lazy entry passes in his direction.

Once Blair completely masters his angles, figuring out ways to edge lanky big guys away from the basket or at least into positions from which it is difficult to score, Big Fella will be a tough-to-score-on defender in the post.

Q: Pitt’s bench is good so far, but how good will it be once Pitt actually plays someone?

A: If I could accurately predict something like that, journalism would be the wrong business for this Pitt News writer. It’s really tough to gauge that stuff until Pitt actually does play someone. Boston University and Saint Louis, at the outset of the season, were expected to be reasonable challenges in November.

Boston University turned out to be a struggling team that hasn’t quite discovered its own image yet. The Terriers are going to be competitive once play in the America East starts, but on Tuesday, they were far from a competitive opponent for Pitt. They didn’t have the guns to force Dixon to use his bench to quell any struggles.

Saint Louis pushed Pitt’s guards. Kevin Lisch and Tommie Liddell III were solid perimeter players. That gave the reserve guards like Keith Benjamin, Gilbert Brown and Brad Wanamaker a chance to see some tougher competition. Unfortunately, Tyrell Biggs didn’t have much a challenge inside.

Duquesne will force Pitt to dip into its bench. The Dukes run a 10-man rotation that features two five-player platoons that rotate in and out every three minutes. Duquesne loves to run the floor, push the tempo and, as Niagara coach Joe Mihalich said after Duquesne’s 76-65 win over Niagara on Saturday, the Dukes make the opponent play out of control.

The Panthers will need everyone to contribute for that contest, so that will be the first real barometer of how Pitt’s bench handles the pressure.

Q: Today’s final question is a tough one: “Who is the best team in the nation, and could Pitt beat them?”

A: UCLA is the No. 1 team in the country. The Bruins already look like the team to beat, and they don’t even have their starting point guard, Darren Collison, who is the best point guard in the nation. If Pitt implements more pressure defenses that create turnovers and plays a faster pace, there’s no reason to believe the Panthers couldn’t test UCLA.

Still, the Bruins, along with Memphis and North Carolina, have more talent than anyone, and beating them at this point in the season would be tough for anyone.

E-mail your Q’A questions to Jeff Greer at jag59@pitt.edu.