Real quick recap today, not much to point out. Pitt really didn't look good. I thought that Pitt could be in trouble if Jermaine Dixon didn't play, but really didn't expect them to allow one player to beat them. That's precisely what happened. That's not to say USF has only one good player - just saying that if Pitt can hold Jones to a reasonable game - even his average of around 20 ppg - they likely win. You can't give up 37 points to any one player and really expect to do that. I think we saw how valuable Jermaine Dixon really is on the defensive end for Pitt. On top of allowing him to run roughshod over them, they reverted back to their old selves on the free throw line shooting around 50%.
What was frustrating was the way they closed out the game. They really were getting USF on the ropes a bit and were unable to capitalize. In the last six minutes, they missed two layups, a dunk, five free throws, and had three turnovers, including a key one when Gary McGhee lost the ball after a stop when Pitt could have cut the lead to 2 or 3. You've simply got to take care of the ball and while Pitt had three TOs in the last six minutes, USF had three in the entire 2nd half.
This latest loss is enough to make you wonder where they'll end up. These are games that Pitt really need to, and should, win. Yet, they've looked bad lately and have struggled a bit. They're likely not a top ten team as they were in the polls recently, but I don't think they're a non-tournament team either. With several difficult games left, Pitt will really need to buckle down. Hopefully this gives them a reality check.
Congrats to USF for a statement win - I said before that they're really starting to make strides and this is turning out to be a good year for them.
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