Pitt looks to contain Hoyas, Sweetney

When the Panthers take on Georgetown tomorrow, they will go up against one of the Big East’s… When the Panthers take on Georgetown tomorrow, they will go up against one of the Big East’s leading scorers, rebounders and shot blockers.

Ironically enough, those distinctions all belong to one player, junior Mike Sweetney. Sweetney is the Big East’s third-best shot blocker and is ranked fourth in the conference in both scoring and rebounding.

“He’s a lottery pick in the draft without question,” Pitt head coach Ben Howland said.

The 6-foot-8-inch forward has nearly averaged a double double this season, putting up 21.9 points and grabbing 9.8 rebounds per game. Sweetney’s 28 career double doubles are the most of any active player in the Big East.

His numbers in conference play are even better. In four Big East games this season, Sweetney averaged 26.2 points, 12 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game.

The Georgetown roster lists Sweetney as weighing 260 pounds, but Howland insists otherwise.

“He’s at least 280 because [Ontario Lett] is 260 and he’s a lot bigger than O,” Howland said.

Sweetney’s size and his excellent speed in transition make him a dangerous player.

“I haven’t seen too many people stop him. I think the closest you can get to stopping him is him being on the bench,” Pitt guard Brandin Knight said. “He’s great in transition and that’s how he scores.”

Howland said forward Donatas Zavackas will guard Sweetney to start the game, but that Lett, Chevon Troutman and center Toree Morris will also get their chances at defending him.

“If you don’t have the depth in this game, you can definitely get hurt,” Howland said.

Georgetown (10-4 overall, 2-2 Big East) enters tomorrow’s game coming off a 10-point win over Rutgers, in which Sweetney finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds.

Georgetown, however, has dropped three of its last five games, two of which were to conference opponents West Virginia and Seton Hall, respectively.

Sweetney isn’t the only offensive threat Pitt will attempt to contain. Gerald Riley, a 6-foot-6-inch forward, averages 12.4 points per game and leads the team in steals with 28 on the season.

Guard Tony Bethel, who scored 20 points in the win over Rutgers, is the only other Georgetown player averaging more than 10 points per contest.

“We’ve got to do a good job on everybody else. Sweetney is going to get [his] points. We’ve got to do a good job on the other guys and make sure they don’t go off on us,” Howland said.

Though the Hoyas lead the all-time series against Pitt 25-13, the Panthers have won three of the last four matchups between the two teams, including both of last season’s meetings.

The Panthers (14-1, 4-0) look to improve upon their all-time best start in conference play by picking up their fifth win in as many games.

Pitt enters the game riding the momentum of an impressive 13-point home win against Syracuse.

The keys to Pitt’s success this season have been defense and rebounding. The Panthers give up a conference best 57.1 points per game and have outrebounded their opponents by 12 boards per game this season.

Lett and forward Jaron Brown, both of whom average more than five rebounds per contest, lead the Panthers in rebounding.

Although Troutman has started only two of Pitt’s 15 games, he has been solid off the bench. Troutman is averaging 10.3 points and slightly fewer than five rebounds per game.

Troutman’s performance in one of last season’s games against Georgetown is widely regarded as his breakout game.

“We were down 13 in the first half. He came out and he played so well at both ends of the floor,” Howland said. “He kept setting screens and rolling and did a great job defending Sweetney.”

“He’s a lot more comfortable just playing inside,” Knight said of Troutman. “[Howland] found a way to get Chevy involved in our offense where he’s comfortable as opposed to making him play on the perimeter.”

Guard Julius Page, averaging 12.9 points per game, leads the Panthers’ scoring effort. Page is one of five Panthers averaging at least 10 points per game.

When Knight was held scoreless against Syracuse, Page stepped up to post a season high 25 points.

Though Knight has struggled putting points on the board at times this season, his 96 assists place him second in the conference and he recently captured the school record for career steals.

Knight, who suffered a concussion in last week’s game, insists that he’s ready to play tomorrow.

“I feel good. I don’t have any headaches anymore. The week off gave me a couple days to recover,” Knight said.

If the Panthers are to win tomorrow, they will have to run the floor well and successfully double team Sweetney without getting into foul trouble.

According to Howland, Pitt must not let Georgetown “speed us up to where we’re out of control offensively.”

Look for Georgetown to play lots of press and trap schemes. If the Panthers are able to successfully attack those formations, hold Sweetney to fewer than 20 points, and control the tempo of the game, they could win handily.