Lack of continuity has plagued men’s basketball

NEW YORK CITY — Take a look at the final stat sheet of Pitt’s loss to Villanova Thursday… NEW YORK CITY — Take a look at the final stat sheet of Pitt’s loss to Villanova Thursday afternoon — the numbers don’t seem to add up to a loss.

After a woeful start from the field, the Panthers gradually put together successful offensive sets and, eventually, ended with a better shooting percentage from the floor than the Wildcats.

The second-best rebounding team in the Big East conference, Pitt also adjusted to the unpredictable officials and out-rebounded Villanova, 45-32 (18 on the offensive end), despite more whistles than a field hockey game.

“They were calling ticky-tack stuff,” Chevon Troutman said. “It’s kind of frustrating because that’s the kind of ball of we play, you know, a little bit of bumps.”

And, to top it all off, Pitt handed out more assists than its opposition. In years past, all of these events occurring on the same afternoon meant a Pitt victory.

Those teams, however, didn’t sweep Syracuse and Notre Dame before handing the broom over to West Virginia, as this year’s team has.

So how did this happen? Pitt, statistically, did nearly everything it needed to advance to the semifinal round for the fifth year in a row and get another crack at, sadly yes, another crack at, West Virginia.

The Panthers fell for something that has plagued them all season: inconsistency in the lineup.

Somewhere between 20 missed first-half shots and numerous errant passes, Pitt morphed from a team playing to improve its seeding in the NCAA tournament to one trying desperately not to drop its fourth game in its last six outings. In each of the losses, Pitt has shuffled through starting lineups nearly every game, and the effects showed against the Wildcats.

Confusion was second only to frustration beneath the lights of the Garden that afternoon. Each whistle brought about shrugs and protests while each turnover a shaking head or sulky expression.

When the Panthers weren’t frustrated, they appeared confused. Villanova’s zone press made every player think twice before passing the ball. Even Pitt’s first possession raised eyebrows, a shot clock violation where no Panther noticed the dwindling clock until late.

This common frustration, confusion and downright wild inconsistency ultimately stem from a team without a set-in-stone, go-to lineup. Pitt may be deep, but inconsistency at the top of the rotation and changes in the starting lineup that rival the days of John Turman vs. David Priestly has left this team without an identity, and at many times, without a clue.

The only regulars are the first team All-Big East Troutman, point guard Carl Krauser and forward Chris Taft. Plugged into and often immediately subtracted from the equation have been Antonio Graves, Ronald Ramon, Keith Benjamin, Mark McCarroll, Levon Kendall … and all other players not named Marcus Bowman or Charles Small.

Krauser and Troutman have started every game this season and played the majority of each game with the junior Krauser sometimes going the distance. Taft has also started every game, but has been pulled down the stretch of many close contests for, gasp, inconsistency. Graves has started when healthy, but has been exchanged for a streaky Ramon or seldom-used Benjamin on a regular basis.

And then there’s Mark McCaroll.

(Pause)

Last year’s team had a very regular lineup of Krauser, Troutman, Taft and departed veterans Julius Page and Jaron Brown. It was by far a more experienced team, but what made the team’s 31-5 record was the unit’s continuity, at least until its offensive collapse toward the end of the season. While there were times fans called for Page to be benched because of poor shooting, that was Pitt’s lineup from tip-off to crunch time.

This season, it has been anybody’s guess as to what lineup starts and ends each game. Between the aforementioned players, nearly every possible lineup, between three-guard sets and double-forward sets, has been used this season, many times in the same game. It’s no wonder Pitt throws the ball away so much (18 times Thursday); the clock needs to stop so all the subs can get in.

Villanova, on the contrary, played its starters 156 of 200 possible minutes and used only two substitutes extensively. Foul trouble plagued Pitt, forcing some lineup changes, but previous games show that few lineups held strong and that personnel change was common.

The Wildcats ultimately won because they turned the ball over less and hit the clutch shots, especially from the free-throw line, but the Wildcats were clearly the more confident and controlled team on the court throughout, and victory seemed inevitable for Jay Wright’s team, no matter who ventured onto the court for the Panthers.

Geoff Dutelle is the assistant sports editor of The Pitt News. Add up his numbers at gdutes_pittnews@hotmail.com.