Panthers can learn much from last week’s games

I learned something on Saturday covering the Pitt-Washington game. Actually, I learned a few… I learned something on Saturday covering the Pitt-Washington game. Actually, I learned a few things.

For one, Washington coach Lorenzo Romar is officially receiving votes for coolest man alive. The guy just watched his team, which doesn’t really win on the road, lose a hard-fought game in a building where the home team hardly ever loses, and he was making cracks on people forgetting to turn off their cell phones in the press conference. I love it.

As for things that matter, I learned that Pitt can find different ways to win, even if Aaron Gray is off. While he did get injured as time wore down, Gray was an offensive non-factor the entire game, going for only five points. Pitt was even out-rebounded by a hefty margin for the second time that week, something we don’t see too often.

Pitt even managed a road win two nights later with Gray on the sideline, beating an admittedly bad Seton Hall team, but don’t forget that Pitt, historically, doesn’t play well at Seton Hall.

So how did Pitt do it?

What has been the Panthers’ problem the last few games?

What has gotten Pitt to the top of the Big East standings is what has been holding them back the last few games – shooting.

Pitt shot an abysmal 17-for-48 (35 percent) against Louisville, nearly half of the attempts (21) coming from 3-point land with only three going in. Granted, the majority of those shots had to be 3s, given the Panthers’ early 13-2 deficit, but Pitt missed easy shots all night. Things didn’t get much better against Washington, where Jamie Dixon’s team hit only 21-of-58 shots, including another dismal outing (four for 15) from long range. A lot of it has been, sadly, largely because of the struggles by my favorite player, Antonio Graves.

The senior went a combined two-for-14 in those two games, and he has only scored in double figures twice over the last month. He also committed an uncharacteristically high four turnovers in the loss to Louisville. When Graves struggles, the Panthers have problems. On Monday, Graves hit only two of eight shots as well. This doesn’t mean he isn’t the guy for the job, because he will surely break out of this funk. When he starts hitting shots, this offense has a new dimension to it.

Monday was a step back in the right direction for the Panthers, who hit 27 of their 49 shots for a 55 percent shooting percentage. Once the shots start falling again, we will see Pitt back inside the top five.

Where has the 3-point shooting been?

Here’s the thing with Pitt’s 3-point shooting: It relies heavily on the inside game. It doesn’t seem to make much sense until you consider what Gray does for this offense.

Most teams are scared to play Pitt man-to-man, and the reasons are all good ones. Mike Cook is a matchup nightmare on the wing, Pitt has (usually) plenty of good perimeter shooters and Levance Fields handles the ball and makes the smart pass just as the system asks for.

Also, did we mention that Gray is seven feet tall?

Gray clogging up the middle either forces teams to play zone or to send a double team. When two, or sometimes three, players collapse on Gray when he catches the ball inside, that leaves two, or sometimes three, players open for uncontested shots. When Gray is either ineffective, or simply not in there like Monday night, then perimeter defenders simply stay home as the game goes on and the 3s are either not there or are just harder shots.

Pitt hit four of its 11 3s on Monday, a respectable 36 percent, but that is still not up to snuff for the Big East’s best 3-point shooting team. When the inside game is back on the outside game will follow.

Who should win Big East Coach of the Year?

As with every year, there are a lot of good candidates. Dixon is out of the running just because Pitt is right where it is supposed to be, as is the case with John Thompson III and Georgetown. You don’t get this award for doing what you are supposed to do.

It might seem a tad askew to want to give it to a coach whose team is only 6-7 in conference play, but I like Villanova’s Jay Wright. Let’s be honest, the Wildcats could have had a non-NCAA Tournament year and people would have had to have understood. Losing Allan Ray, Randy Foye and Kyle Lowry would be hard enough on a program over a decade, let alone one year. The Wildcats have been a tough team all year and are likely headed to the tournament because of Wright.

That mentality also gets John Beilein from West Virginia (20-6, 8-5) consideration. West Virginia lost four starters from last year’s Sweet 16 team (that also had an Elite Eight run in 2005) but still seems, oddly enough, to be the exact same team this year. The Mountaineers, like Villanova, also appear NCAA-bound and that gets Beilein some major props.

Two other names to keep in mind. Another favorite is in Rick Pitino, although I’m not sure he will get it because, let’s be honest, the man has his fair share of awards already. My sleeper is Jerry Wainwright from DePaul, which has been a tough out for every team this year. The Blue Demons have what could be billed as an NCAA Tournament resume with a winning record in conference play and big-time wins over Kansas, Marquette and Notre Dame. Don’t be surprised to hear his name tossed around in award discussions in a few weeks.