It’s hard to fault a rookie head coach who has exceeded all expectations up to this point,… It’s hard to fault a rookie head coach who has exceeded all expectations up to this point, but Jamie Dixon hasn’t exactly looked like first-year head coach.

Who would have thought that, with six regular season games left, Pitt would have only two losses and lead the nation in wins?

What’s even more amazing is how close the Panthers came to remaining undefeated. A few more bounces that go its way, and Pitt could have pulled out a win at Connecticut last month. A few less turnovers, and the Panthers wouldn’t have had to worry about overtime against Seton Hall on Monday.

Or had Pitt’s last-second shots fallen against both teams, Sunday’s matchup against the Huskies would not only have been a chance to extend the longest home winning streak in the nation, but also the longest winning streak overall.

Dixon has done an excellent job guiding this team back into the top 10 and has a great chance to go deep into the NCAA Tournament.

But the one move that has made little sense — and possibly cost the Panthers two tough road wins — has been Dixon’s use of freshman Antonio Graves late in ball games.

Not that the blame for these losses is all on Graves. He’s a freshman playing in the biggest games of his life, and for him to miss those shots isn’t unexpected.

But why put him in the position to take those shots?

One of the things Dixon has spoken at lengths about this season is his senior leadership and how the team’s experienced players need to show the large number of freshmen how to handle the spotlight. So why not do it?

Against UConn, Dixon put the ball in his point guard’s hands, but Carl Krauser was tripled-teamed as soon as he crossed halfcourt. Krauser had no choice but to pass the ball, which he dished off to Graves.

But why put Graves in that situation?

Not to take anything away from the freshman’s shooting ability, but why not give the ball to Julius Page or Jaron Brown? Neither one is automatic from behind the three-point line, but they’re seniors who have come up big in clutch situations before.

The same goes for Monday’s game against the Pirates.

After Krauser fouled out, why not let Page or Brown bring the ball down and take that final shot? They both disappeared last night, especially in the final moments of the game, but they’ve been there before.

Why even have Graves in there at all? He had only played three minutes up until that point, while Yuri Demetris had played almost the entire second half while Brown was out with four fouls.

Not that Demetris should have taken the final shot — he’s been extremely reluctant to shoot as of late — but he had to have been looser than Graves.

Forget for a moment that perhaps someone else should have taken the final shots. What do these missed shots do to Graves’ psyche?

The team and his coach may be telling him that it’s all right, but that doesn’t mean the same thoughts are going through the young man’s head. There have to be moments when he puts the blame on himself.

But the blame shouldn’t be put on him. Pitt did everything it could to try to win against the Huskies, and it did everything it could to lose against the Pirates. How many teams can really expect to win when they turn the ball over 24 times?

Pitt had to have a bad game eventually, and it’s better to have it now, when there is still a tomorrow, than during the month of March. But the fact that the Panthers still had a chance to win and couldn’t pull it out is disheartening.

With different personnel on the floor and the ball in a more experienced player’s hands, perhaps things might have been a little different.

Joe Marchilena is the sports editor for The Pitt News, and he promises he will sit at the bar from now on.