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Panthers' lack of NCAA tournament experience doesn't concern Dixon March 16, 2016 12:00 AM By Paul Zeise / Pittsburgh Post­Gazette

Pitt went to the NCAA tournament 10 years in a row from 2002­11. After the first two, the Panthers annually had a lot of players with tournament experience.

But the Panthers missed the NCAA tournament a year ago and have gone through a roster turnover since their previous trip in 2014. Seven of the Panthers’ 11 core players have never played in the NCAA tournament. That will change Friday when 10th­seeded Pitt (21­11) faces seventh­seeded Wisconsin (20­12) in an East Region first­round matchup at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

The inexperience on the big stage — the 11 players in the playing rotation have a total of nine games of tournament experience — isn’t a concern of coach Jamie Dixon. He believes the team is battle­ tested from playing in the ACC and facing some of the best teams in Division I and that the environment and atmosphere won’t be a factor.

“We have a lot of new guys, and we have a lot of young guys,” Dixon said. “Everybody is having trouble describing us, because we have so many new guys, but three of them [graduate transfers] are seniors, so we get classified [as] that old team that may not be so old.

“But they are all getting to play in the NCAA tournament, and I told them there is a team that is not one of the top seeds that gets on a roll and wins some games. … Why can’t that be us this year?”

Dixon has claimed all year that the experience of his three graduate transfers — Sterling Smith, Rafael Maia and Alonzo Nelson­Ododa — should not be considered when discussing the Panthers as they have had to learn a new system. Dixon, however, said those players are at least more physically mature and more skilled than typical 18­ or 19­year­olds.

Although Pitt’s graduate transfers helped the Panthers get through the early part of the season, their production and minutes have dropped off dramatically in the past month. Two younger players — http://www.post­gazette.com/sports/Pitt/2016/03/16/Pitt­Panthers­lack­of­NCAA­tournament­experience­doesn­t­concern­Jamie­Dixon/stories/201603160066.p… 1/3 3/16/2016 Pitt ­ Pittsburgh Post­Gazette Cam Johnson and Ryan Luther — have moved up the depth chart, and junior Chris Jones started the final seven games of the regular season ahead of Smith.

The Panthers played two games in the ACC tournament, and the three went scoreless, playing a total of 17 minutes (Maia played 10, Smith 7, Nelson­Ododa 0) and grabbing only four rebounds. But Dixon said he believes they will help in the NCAA tournament, and their maturity and leadership have been good for the younger Panthers.

“Generally you have three or four guys that haven’t played because you have three freshmen,” Dixon said. “That is normal for most everybody, but because we have these graduate transfers our numbers are a little bit higher. I think we have five days to get them ready.

“So there is an opportunity and now we have a team that we are focused on. … We can work on their tendencies and the things that they are going to try and do.”

Freshman Damon Wilson also will make his NCAA tournament debut, but he, too, has fallen to the bottom of the depth chart in recent weeks. Wilson did not play in either ACC tournament game and has scored only one point in the past eight games.

Dixon has been unhappy with Wilson’s defense and mental mistakes, but he has played extensive minutes at times this season, so he could get back into the mix.

Besides the graduate transfers and Wilson, junior Sheldon Jeter, who transferred from Vanderbilt, Johnson and Luther are the other players who have yet to play in the NCAA tournament. But those three have played a lot down the stretch, and Dixon said they’ve played enough minutes against really good teams that they shouldn’t have trouble settling in Friday against the Badgers.

Dixon pointed out that this will be a great experience for the younger players because the Panthers have seven of their top nine scorers set to return next season.

“We are like everyone in this tournament,” Dixon said. “They all have had some good wins and some not so good of games, but we have proven we can play with anyone. I mean, North Carolina is a No. 1 seed, and we showed we can play with them for 30 minutes.

“Like I said, before, of our top seven players, six are coming back next year, so it is a team that has had to find itself. All guys were in different roles and different positions, and it is continuing to find itself. … We are a team that is developing.”

Paul Zeise: pzeise@post­gazette.com and Twitter @paulzeise. http://www.post­gazette.com/sports/Pitt/2016/03/16/Pitt­Panthers­lack­of­NCAA­tournament­experience­doesn­t­concern­Jamie­Dixon/stories/201603160066.p… 2/3 3/16/2016 Pitt prepares for Wisconsin's patient approach on offense | TribLIVE

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0Pitt prepares for

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1Wisconsin's patient Google + approach on offense Reddit

BY JOHN HARRIS (MAILTO:[email protected]?SUBJECT=RE: PITT PREPARES FOR WISCONSIN'S Blogger PATIENT APPROACH ON OFFENSE STORY ON TRIBLIVE.COM)  (https://twitter.com/JHarris_trib) | Monday,

March 14, 2016, 9:33 p.m. TRENDING Seeking favorable matchups can make a big difference (http://triblive.com/sports/pirates/10152120-74/kang- in the NCAA Tournament. week-tomczyk) In the case of Pitt in its East Regional matchup against Pirates (http://triblive.com/sports/pirates/10152120- Wisconsin on Friday in St. Louis, a favorable matchup notebook: 74/kang-week-tomczyk) — or even a balanced one — could be the difference Kang's between winning and losing. rehabilitation Familiarity resulting in a comfort level against progresses

Syracuse's 2-3 zone contributed to the Panthers' 3-0 (http://triblive.com/usworld/nation/10156021- record this season against the Orange. 74/garland-court-obama)

Conversely, the Panthers had difficulty matching up Obama (http://triblive.com/usworld/nation/10156021- athletically and in overall talent against North Carolina Pitt junior Sheldon Jeter said Wisconsin's nominates 74/garland-court-obama) physical style 'scared me away,' when he was in two double-digit losses. being recruited by the Badgers. Garland to PHOTO BY CHAZ PALLA | TRIBUNE-REVIEW Supreme “At times, we were on the attack. Other times, we were History lesson Court, on our heels,” junior forward and leading scorer challenging Michael Young said about losing to North Carolina in Pitt's results in its past five games GOP the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. “If we stayed on against Wisconsin: (http://triblive.com/sports/pirates/10149683- the attack the whole game like they did, it would have Date Result 74/figueroa-ball-spring) been a different outcome.” 12/16/06 L, 89-75 Figueroa (http://triblive.com/sports/pirates/10149683- Pitt's matchup against Wisconsin potentially could 12/31/05 W, 73-64 using 74/figueroa-ball-spring) result in a favorable outcome for the Panthers. 3/21/04 W, 59-55* analytics, Wisconsin resembles Virginia more than it does North physics Carolina. 12/30/86 W, 98-82 for edge 1/3/73 L, 72-70 in Like Virginia, Wisconsin doesn't overwhelm opponents making with elite talent. The Panthers won't be overmatched * — Second round of NCAA Pirates' in that area. Tournament roster “We've got five days to get ready,” Pitt coach Jamie Pitt podcasts Pitt Football 3‐15‐16 Dixon said Sunday. “Now we can really get going on (http://sportstalk.triblive.com/download? specifics and tendencies and characteristics of file=315PF16.mp3) FREEZE FRAME GALLERY Duration: 56:05 (HTTP://TRIBLIVE.COM/SPORTS/SPORTSGALLERIES/FREEZEFRAMESPORTS/) Wisconsin.” (http://triblive.com/sports/sportsgalleries/freezeframesports/10142121- http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/10140574­74/wisconsin­pitt­panthers 1/4 3/16/2016 Pitt prepares for Wisconsin's patient approach on offense | TribLIVE

“They remind me of Virginia,” said junior Jamel Artis, Hear from Pat Narduzzi, QB Nate 74/sports-2016-globe) who is second on the team in scoring. “We have to Peterman and new Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada with Josh outrun them and make them play our tempo.” Taylor and Ken Lard on Pitt Football It's a matchup that gives the Panthers a better Spring Practice. opportunity to play to their strengths. Pitt Podcast 3‐15‐16 (http://sportstalk.triblive.com/download? Wisconsin ranked No. 11 in the Big Ten in scoring (68.9 file=315PITT16.mp3) Duration: 13:35 points) and field-goal percentage (43.0) this season. Pitt Head Coach Jamie Dixon joins The Badgers are patient offensively and force their Ken Laird, Guy Junker and Tim Benz opponents to play defense deep into the shot clock. to preview the NCAA Tournament game vs. Wisconsin. The Badgers — physical and disciplined at both ends VIEW Junker, Laird and Benz 3‐14‐16 — rank second in the Big Ten in scoring defense (64.6 (http://sportstalk.triblive.com/download? file=314TR16.mp3) Top Sports Pics ‐ March 16, 2016 points). Duration: 59:52 Steelers' Martavis Bryant faces 1-year Top sports images from around the globe. “They don't force anything. We have to play 30 seconds suspension, Pens' Evgeni Malkin out on defense,” Artis said. “If we're not attacking them 6-8 wks, Pirates sign David Freese, Pitt and not hitting our shots, we're going to be playing & WVU make NCAA Tournament COLLEGE BASKETBALL VIDEOS defense a lot.” Pitt Locker Room Blog The Panthers know all about Wisconsin's deliberate playing style. In fact, junior forward Sheldon Jeter said (http://blog.triblive.com/college-locker- room/) it may have influenced his decision not to play for the  Badgers. Narduzzi unsure about road trips in the spring “Their style of play scared me away,” said Jeter, who (http://blog.triblive.com/college- was recruited by Wisconsin out of Beaver Falls. locker- Advertisement Finding a favorable matchup in the NCAA Tournament room/2016/03/15/narduzzi-    is important. So is capitalizing on that matchup. unsure-about-road-trips-in- (http://cinesport.triblive.com/triblive­ the-spring/) If the Panthers get the looks at the basket they believe college­basketball/wichita­state­holds­ March 15, 2016 their matchup against Wisconsin can create, shooting vandy­advance/) When Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi met a higher percentage is a must. reporters Tuesday after the first Wichita State Holds Off Vandy to Advance Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker combined for 28 points “When we're making shots, it seems like our team has day of spring drills, I couldn’t resist to help Wichita State beat Vanderbilt 70­50 in a First asking him the ... Four game Tuesday night. Head coach Gregg Marshall had its best performances,” Dixon said. • Siragusa named broadcaster of the and VanVleet spoke after the game. Perhaps the best example was Pitt shooting 50 year (http://blog.triblive.com/college- locker-room/2016/03/12/siragusa- percent from the field and hitting 8 of 20 3-pointers in  named-broadcaster-of-the-year/) a 76-62 win over Duke. • What if coaches could turn back the clock to their playing careers? That wasn't the case when the Panthers shot poorly (http://blog.triblive.com/college-locker- More College BB Video from 3-point range in back to back losses against room/2016/03/09/what-if-coaches-could- (http://cinesport.triblive.com/triblive­ (http://www.cinesport.com) Virginia Tech (3 for 21) and Georgia Tech (0 for 11) to turn-back-the-clock-to-their-playing- college­basketball/) end the regular season. careers/)

“Subpar shooting,” Dixon said. “We couldn't recover from 0 for 10 and 3 for 21.”

John Harris is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or via Twitter @jharris_trib (https://twitter.com/jharris_trib). 4‐QUESTION TRIB POLL

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http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/10140574­74/wisconsin­pitt­panthers 2/4 3/16/2016 Ron Cook ­ Pittsburgh Post­Gazette

Ron Cook: A Pitt victory vs. Wisconsin will make it a successful season March 15, 2016 12:06 AM By Ron Cook / Pittsburgh Post­Gazette

Times change. Teams change. Expectations change.

So it is with the Pitt basketball team.

Once, it was Final Four­or­bust program. Now, it’s beat Wisconsin Friday night in an NCAA tournament first­round game and it’s a successful season.

That’s how far Pitt basketball has fallen.

This Pitt team is fortunate. Fortunate it had its patsy Syracuse on its schedule three times. Fortunate there are 68 teams in the NCAA tournament. Fortunate the selection committee showed a decided bias against mid­major schools.

Pitt even got lucky with its tournament slot. It is a No. 10 seed and Wisconsin a 7, but the teams will play what looks like a pick­’em game. This isn’t the same Wisconsin team that upset undefeated Kentucky a year ago in the Final Four and lost to Duke in the national championship. Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker left for the NBA as No. 1 draft picks. The coach, Bo Ryan, surprised everyone by announcing his retirement in December. Wisconsin beat Michigan State, Indiana, Maryland and Iowa during the season but isn’t playing its best ball. It lost at Purdue in its final regular­season game and to Nebraska in its first Big Ten Conference tournament game. Pitt can beat Wisconsin if it makes its outside shots. It won’t be a shocking upset if that happens. And if Pitt does win, it almost certainly will play No. 2­seeded Xavier Sunday in the second round. Xavier is the worst of the 2s in the tournament field.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Let’s not even dream of a potential Pitt­West Virginia matchup in the Round of 16. It might take a http://www.post­gazette.com/sports/ron­cook/2016/03/15/Ron­Cook­A­Pitt­victory­vs­Wisconsin­will­make­it­a­successful­season/stories/201603150062.print 1/3 3/16/2016 Ron Cook ­ Pittsburgh Post­Gazette tournament­mandated game to get the teams together. West Virginia coach Bob Huggins has been saying for years that Pitt and coach Jamie Dixon have been ducking the Mountaineers.

OK, so maybe I am already dreaming of Pitt­West Virginia.

But back to Wisconsin.

It’s interesting that Dixon’s greatest NCAA tournament moment came against Wisconsin. Pitt was a No. 3 seed in 2004 when it beat the No. 6 Badgers in its second game. That day was memorable because the game was played in Milwaukee in front of a throbbing pro­Wisconsin crowd.

That was Dixon’s first season at Pitt, a 31­win season that was the start of his incredible run in the Big East Conference. Pitt won the regular­season championship under him in 2004 and 2011 and the league tournament title in 2008. It went to the NCAA tournament in each of Dixon’s first eight seasons. It was a No. 1 seed in the 2009 and 2011 NCAAs.

Final Four­or­bust, right?

Pitt didn’t make it, of course. It lost to No. 3 Villanova in 2009 in the Round of 8. Even worse, it lost as a No. 1 seed to No. 8 Butler in its second­round game in 2011. Throw in Pitt’s losses to lower seeds Bradley in 2006 and Xavier in 2010. Add the fact a Dixon team never beat a higher seed in the tournament until the 2014 team was a No. 9 seed and blew out No. 8 Colorado in its first game. It was not a good combination.

You know who took the blame.

Dixon was castigated.

“We’ve probably made getting to the tournament look easier than it really is,” he said in 2014.

Not that Dixon was complaining.

“I understand how people feel. I’m right there with them. I want to win a national championship. That’s the separator. Until we do, no matter what we do, it’s never going to be enough.”

The guess here is Dixon won’t be so widely criticized if Pitt loses to Wisconsin. A lot of people seem to have lost interest in the program. It hasn’t been nearly as successful in the ACC as it was in the Big East. Dixon is 28­26 in ACC regular­season games after going 115­58 in the Big East. Pitt http://www.post­gazette.com/sports/ron­cook/2016/03/15/Ron­Cook­A­Pitt­victory­vs­Wisconsin­will­make­it­a­successful­season/stories/201603150062.print 2/3 3/16/2016 Ron Cook ­ Pittsburgh Post­Gazette missed the NCAA tournament in two of the four seasons before this one. It hasn’t been beyond the first weekend of the NCAAs since 2009. Dixon, despite a terrific 328­122 overall record, is just 12­ 10 in NCAA tournament games.

All of that has lowered expectations of the Pitt program to their lowest point during the Dixon era. Even more was expected from that ninth­seeded 2014 team, which, after beating Colorado, lost to No. 1 Florida. That team won three of its final four regular­season games, including one at Notre Dame, and beat Wake Forest and North Carolina in the ACC tournament. This Pitt team went 4­7 down the stretch. It beat Syracuse — doesn’t it always? — in the ACC tournament before getting crushed by North Carolina. Of the teams in the NCAA field, it defeated only Notre Dame, Duke and Syracuse. And Syracuse has absolutely no business being in the tournament.

That’s why a Pitt win against Wisconsin should satisfy the masses.

That’s why a Pitt win will make it a successful season.

Ron Cook: rcook@post­gazette.com and Twitter@RonCookPG. Ron Cook can be heard on the “Cook and Poni” show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan.

http://www.post­gazette.com/sports/ron­cook/2016/03/15/Ron­Cook­A­Pitt­victory­vs­Wisconsin­will­make­it­a­successful­season/stories/201603150062.print 3/3 3/16/2016 Rossi: Pitt is right where it should be | TribLIVE

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(Fhltiptp S:i/d/ce:i nDeesfinpeo Prtit.tt’sr iDbilxivone .bcyo NmC/AtArisb?live­pittsburgh­sports/kaboly­can (th­cttopu:/n/wt­wbrwy.acnint­efustpuorret/.)com) Obama (http://triblive.com/usworld/nation/10156021- nominates 74/garland-court-obama) Garland to Supreme BY ROB ROSSI (MAILTO:[email protected]?SUBJECT=RE: ROSSI: PITT IS RIGHT WHERE IT SHOULD Court, BE STORY ON TRIBLIVE.COM)  (https://twitter.com/RobRossi_Trib) | Sunday, March 13, 2016, 10:18 p.m. challenging GOP Jamie Dixon was where Greg Gard is: the honeymoon. 3 Related Stories (http://triblive.com/sports/pirates/10149683- It doesn't last. 74/figueroa-ball-spring) 3 It hasn't for Dixon at Pitt. It won't for Gard at Figueroa (http://triblive.com/sports/pirates/10149683- 74/figueroa-ball-spring) 2Wisconsin. using analytics, Google + Friday is going to feel flat-out lousy for one of these physics assistants-turned-basketball bosses at colleges that for edge Reddit are supposed to be football schools. And there's in something Gard, who took over the Badgers after making Blogger longtime coach Bo Ryan quit in December, should (http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/10122988- Pirates' 74/panthers-tournament-pitt) roster know. • No. 10 seed Pitt to play No. 7 Wisconsin in NCAA opener  He probably can't win. (http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/10122988- After all, Dixon hasn't been able to and he has, you 74/panthers-tournament-pitt) FREEZE FRAME GALLERY (HTTP://TRIBLIVE.COM/SPORTS/SPORTSGALLERIES/FREEZEFRAMESPORTS/) know, won. Rob Rossi podcasts (http://triblive.com/sports/sportsgalleries/freezeframesports/10142121- http://triblive.com/sports/robrossi/10043989­74/dixon­pitt­basketball 1/7 3/16/2016 Rossi: Pitt is right where it should be | TribLIVE

Just not when it counts, right? Rob Rossi 3‐16‐16 74/sports-2016-globe) (http://sportstalk.triblive.com/download? file=316R16.mp3) That's the knock on Dixon. He can't get Pitt to that next Duration: 30:20 level. As if anybody to grow up in Pittsburgh over the Rob Rossi talks about WVU hoops, past four decades actually had this thought: You know, NCAA Womens Tourney and Pens. Is Pitt really should be a basketball power. the NHL product entertaining to watch? Kentucky. Wrestling Reality 3‐15‐16 (http://sportstalk.triblive.com/download? North Carolina. file=315WR16.mp3) Duration: 54:55 Kansas. Justin LaBar on his day with WWE and his night at WWE RAW. Triple H calls Those are basketball powers. That's the next level. him and his friends out on the VIEW telecast. Epic fight between Triple H It's not like that at Pitt, an urban school in a city that and Roman Reigns. Rob Rossi in- Top Sports Pics ‐ March 16, 2016 barely tolerates one of the world's most popular studio on his night with Justin at WWE Top sports images from around the globe. sports. RAW. The ceiling for Pitt basketball is where Dixon has the Rob Rossi 3‐14‐16 (http://sportstalk.triblive.com/download? Panthers — consistently in the NCAA Tournament. If file=314R16.mp3) SPORTS VIDEOS you're not of that thought, you best keep thinking. Duration: 35:23 Rob Rossi talks WVU hoops and could In 13 seasons, Dixon's Panthers have made the WVU and Pitt play in the Sweet 16? tournament 11 times. They've won at least one game Should the Pens consider trading Crosby? Can the Pens make the  eight times. playoffs without Malkin? But who cares? Email Newsletters Judging a coach based off his tournament record Sign up (http://signup.triblive.com/) for Advertisement (Dixon's is 12-10) is senseless. one of our email newsletters.    The NCAA Tournament is a crapshoot. It's called (http://cinesport.triblive.com/pittsburgh­ “March Madness” for a reason. tribune­review­sportswriters/kaboly­cant­ This tournament might be maddeningly awful. The four top seeds have combined for more count­bryant­future/) losses than any grouping since 2000. Kaboly: Can't Count on Bryant in Future Steelers WR Martavis Bryant has been suspended for a College basketball is filthy with mediocrity. minimum of 1 year for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. The Tribune­Review’s Mark Kaboly It's also still actually filthy. (See: Louisville.) explains why Bryant decided not to appeal. There are no great teams. There are only great coaches.  Dixon is a good one.

Bad coaches don't win 73 percent of their games, as he has. More Sports Video (http://cinesport.triblive.com/pittsburgh­ Bad coaches don't draw interest from better programs, as he does. (http://www.cinesport.com) tribune­review­ If we're being honest, there's only one place on the planet where Dixon isn't thought of very sportswriters/) highly. It's the same place where instead of enjoying what's called “the big dance,” a lot of people stand in the corner complaining the band isn't all that great.

Not every band is the Beatles.

Not every college hoops program is Carolina. 4‐QUESTION TRIB POLL Not everybody is qualified to pass judgment on Dixon and Pitt, especially Pittsburghers who Can you honestly tell the difference often brag about not following basketball. between cheap wine and good wine? So what, now we're all basketball experts? Yes I know what I see, and it's Dixon and Pitt in the tournament.

Again. No That's what counts. Not sure For this program, in this city, it would be madness to take for granted having a reason to watch the dance that comes around every March. Does not apply Rob Rossi is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or via Twitter @RobRossi_Trib (https://twitter.com/RobRossi_Trib). SUBMIT

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No. 10 seed Pitt to play No. 7 Wisconsin in NCAA opener  http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/10122988-74/game-pitt-xxx

Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review Pitt's Michael Young speaks to the media after finding out the teams fate in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, March 13, 2016, at Petersen Events Center.

BY JOHN HARRIS | Sunday, March 13, 2016, 6:45 p.m. Pitt returns to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 10 seed following a one-year absence and faces an old nemesis, No. 7 Wisconsin, in an East Regional matchup at 6:50 p.m. Friday in St. Louis. As the first-double digit seed under coach Jamie Dixon — and the school's lowest seed since 1985 — the onus falls on the Panthers (21-11) to upset a favored opponent.

The Panthers enter the NCAAs seeking consistency after losing seven of their past 11 games, including an 88-71 loss to North Carolina in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.

A Pitt win over Wisconsin would result in potential matchup against No. 2 Xavier. Two tournament wins for the Panthers could set up a meeting against No. 3 West Virginia in a Sweet Sixteen matchup in Philadelphia. The Panthers haven't advanced past the first weekend since losing in the Elite Eight to Villanova in 2009.

“I talked to them about being that team,” said Dixon, who has guided the Panthers to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances in 13 seasons. “There will be some team — not one of the top seeds — that gets on a roll and wins games. Why can't it be us this year?” “I like being an underdog,” junior Jamel Artis said. “No one actually thought we'd be in the tournament. We've got to go out there and prove something.” The Panthers' wait to learn their postseason fate became less stressful when senior Sterling Smith saw a leaked tournament bracket on Twitter and told the team well before the official announcement. “All of a sudden the bracket came up and we got word of it beforehand,” Dixon said. “Very bizarre. For a second we were like, ‘Can this be right?' ''

The Panthers have a postseason history with Wisconsin (20-12). The teams met in the second round of the 2004 NCAA Tournament in Dixon's first year. A No. 3 seed, the Panthers defeated Central Florida before beating Wisconsin in the second round in Milwaukee. “We won't play them in Wisconsin this time,” said Dixon, referring to the Badgers' previous home-court advantage. Wisconsin, appearing in its 18th consecutive NCAA Tournament, lost to Duke in last year's national championship game.

Five members from that team now start, including leading scorer Nigel Hayes. New coach Greg Gard replaced Bo Ryan in December after Ryan announced his sudden retirement.

The Panthers haven't won back-to-back games since defeating Wake Forest in double overtime at home Feb. 16 and winning at Syracuse four days later. However, being free of ACC competition — at least early in the NCAA Tournament — could be liberating for the Panthers. The Panthers averaged 92.1 points and shot 50.5 percent from the field in nonconference games.

Against ACC competition that included No. 1 tournament seeds Virginia and North Carolina, the Panthers averaged 69.8 points and shot 42.9 percent. “We've played against the best. North Carolina's a No. 1 seed,” Dixon said. “We need to play our best basketball and we need to do it this week.” John Harris is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or via Twitter @jharris_trib (https://twitter.com/jharris_trib).

Quick comparison

A look at how Pitt and its first-round NCAA tourney opponent match up: Pitt Wis

Record 21-11 20-12 Points/game 76.0 68.9 Points allowed/game 67.9 64.6

Rebounds/game 38.2 34.9 Assists/game 16.9 11.6 FG percentage 46.0 43.0

Copyright © 2016 — Tribune-Review (TribLIVE.com) Top­seeded UNC wears down Pitt to advance to ACC semifinals By Doug Doughty [email protected] 981­3129 | Posted: Thursday, March 10, 2016 6:34 pm WASHINGTON — A halftime tirade was in the works Thursday as North Carolina men’s basketball coach Roy Williams watched his team lose a lead late in the first half against Pittsburgh. The Tar Heels then proceeded to score the last 10 points of the half and Williams became Mr. Nice Guy. Carolina advanced to the ACC Tournament semifinals with an 88­71 victory over Pittsburgh at the Verizon Center. Roy Williams The Tar Heels (26­6) will meet Notre Dame (21­10) at North Carolina coach Roy Williams, center, 7 p.m. Friday in a rematch of last year’s ACC title reacts with his team behind him after a play game. The Irish advanced with an 84­79 overtime during the second half of an NCAA college victory over Duke. basketball game in the Atlantic Coast Top­seeded UNC, the regular­season ACC champion, Conference tournament against Pittsburgh, stopped Pittsburgh on six straight possessions in Thursday, March 10, 2016, in Washington. taking a 39­35 halftime lead. North Carolina won 88­71. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) “It made me not go as crazy as I was going to go at halftime,” Williams said. “We could talk about what we did during that moment, not what we had failed to do. “That was going to be most of the talk until that point.” Pittsburgh (21­11) had beaten Syracuse 72­71 in a second­round game Wednesday and appeared to tire in the second half against a Carolina team that received a bye into the tournament quarterfinals. “Maybe we were fatigued from yesterday,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “I don’t know. I thought we had more in us. Possibly, we didn’t play enough guys, looking at me, as far as substituting.” The Tar Heels shot 56.7 percent in the first half, 61.5 percent in the second half and 58.9 for the game. Carolina was led by sophomore guard Joel Berry, who hit 7 of 8 shots from the field and finished with 20 points, three assists and a game­high four steals. “I thought Berry was the guy early on that really kept us from having a bigger lead with some of the shots and plays that he made,” said Dixon, pointing out that Berry hit his first six shots. First­team All­ACC selection Brice Johnson had 19 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks for the Tar Heels, notching game highs in the latter two categories. Pittsburgh entered the game as the ACC’s top rebounding team but the Tar Heels had a 30­25 advantage on the boards. “That was the biggest emphasis for us the entire time,” Williams said. “We’ve got to remember that they outrebounded us 19­1 [in the] offensive­rebounding category at home. “We can’t allow teams to do that at home. We were still able to win that game [85­64], but we can’t allow them to do that. [Most of the time] we probably lose in a situation like that.”

Pittsburgh jumped to an 8­0 lead to start the game and led 35­29 before Carolina went on its 10 run to end the first half. The Panthers twice tied the score in the second half and trailed 57­55 following a Michael Young layup with 10:48 left. Williams called a timeout and the Tar Heels responded with an 11­0 run.

“I certainly thought we would have finished off better than that,” Dixon said, “but, we’ve got games to play, so we’ll be ready.”

Most projections have the Panthers receiving an NCAA Tournament bid. “For right now, we’re just worried about how we can get better from this game,” said Michael Young, who had 19 points to share team scoring honors with fellow junior Jamel Artis. “When Sunday comes, we’ll worry about that.” Colleges Johnson, Pitt beat Syracuse to strengthen NCAA resume

By Stephen Whyno | AP March 9

WASHINGTON — A 14­point lead evaporated in the second half as Pittsburgh’s NCAA Tournament hopes hung in the balance. When Syracuse tied the score, James Robinson knew “it was no time to panic.”

Robinson stole the ball from Franklin Howard and put the Panthers ahead for good as they held on to beat the Orange 72­71 Wednesday in the second round of the ACC Tournament. They’ll face No. 7 North Carolina in the quarterfinals Thursday.

“We probably could have handled it a little better, we had a couple of turnovers but we bounced back,” Pitt forward Ryan Luther said. “We were able to get a bucket and a stop, so I thought that showed a lot about our team that we didn’t just fold up after they made their run. We were able to regroup and finish it out.”

ADVERTISING Cameron Johnson scored a career­high 24 points off the bench to lead Pitt (21­10), which won all three games this season against Syracuse. Johnson and Luther helped their bench outscore Syracuse’s 39­10.

Johnson missed the regular­season finale against Georgia Tech after accidentally cutting his arm a few days earlier in the locker room at Virginia Tech, and Pitt went 0 for 11 from 3­point territory. Johnson was feeling it from Pitt’s practice Tuesday night through warmups and was cool and collected throughout the game.

“It’s just a basketball game — they’re all the same, 40 minutes, two teams, 10 players,” Johnson said. “If you let the moment get to you, you won’t play as well.”

Pitt was playing very well in the second half, and a 3­pointer by Jamel Artis made it 66­54 with 4:22 left. Syracuse (19­13) chipped away at the lead, and Michael Gbinije tied it at 68 with a dunk with 1:58 to play.

Howard’s turnover to Robinson gave Pitt the lead back, and Trevor Cooney’s potential­winning 3­point attempt missed just before the buzzer.

“We basically played hard, made smart decisions,” Howard said. “In the end, (we) made dumb plays, and we can’t win like that.” Too many mistakes have put Syracuse on the NCAA Tournament bubble. It’s especially dicey considering coach Jim Boeheim’s suspension could affect the selection committee’s decision.

“I don’t know, I’m not on the committee,” Boeheim said. “They’re going to have to evaluate what we’ve done based on all the circumstances and make a decision.”

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon, who feared his team would be NIT­bound if it didn’t beat Syracuse, was feeling much better after this win.

“We’re in good shape,” Dixon said. “We played one of the toughest schedules in the country overall. It’s clearly shown that by the numbers, if you go by facts, and not opinions.”

It’ll get even tougher with the top­seeded Tar Heels up next.

“Obviously they won the league, we know how good they are,” Dixon said. “We’re going to give it our best shot.”

___

BIG EAST FLASHBACK

Former Syracuse big man Derrick Coleman was in attendance wearing Detroit Tigers orange, and the announced “ACC legend” talked about playing Pittsburgh in the Big East Tournament. This was the first ACC Tournament meeting for the schools who faced each other six times in the Big East conference tournament.

CLOCKED OUT

Normally the last few minutes of a game take forever to play, not the first few. There were eight different shot­clock malfunctions in the opening minutes causing several stoppages and a 13­minute delay before the game got going.

One referee complained that “it keeps unplugging,” and a mobile shot clock was eventually put on each baseline.

TIP­INS

Syracuse: Gbinije, who led the Orange with 24 points, has scored in double figures all 32 games this season. ... Boeheim blamed himself for not replacing Howard with Cooney with the score tied, even though Cooney sat on the bench for long periods of time. Boeheim said Cooney was not hurt. ... The Orange fell to 0­2 all­time in the ACC Tournament after not playing last year because of a self­imposed postseason ban. Pittsburgh: The Panthers halted an eight­game skid in the month of March dating to their victory in the NCAA Tournament in 2014. ... Pitt improved to 20­0 this season when scoring 70 or more points. ... Robinson, who scored 12 points, is from nearby Mitchellville, Maryland.

UP NEXT

Pittsburgh: Faces No. 7 North Carolina in third round Thursday.

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Smith, Jacobs power Georgia Scoreboard FINAL 1 2 T

Tech past Pitt 63-59 Pittsburgh (20-10) 36 23 59 By GEORGE HENRY Georgia Tech (18-13) « 29 34 63 Associated Press March 5, 2016

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ATLANTA (AP) Brian Gregory believes Georgia Tech might need a couple wins in the ACC tournament to impress the NCAA selection committee.

He also might need a couple more victories to save his job.

''We have a chance,'' the fifth-year coach said. ''I think we should be in the discussion. Do we need to do a few more things? Yes, I think so. But we're in position now.''

Adam Smith scored 23 points, Nick Jacobs added 19 points and 12 rebounds and Georgia Tech beat Pittsburgh 63-59 on Saturday. RELATED VIDEO

The Yellow Jackets (18-13, 8-10 Atlantic Coast Conference) finished their best February 28, 2016 regular season under Gregory. Georgia Tech has won five of six. Pittsburgh shuts down Duke in 76-62 win (1:52)

Michael Young score 24 points for Pitt (20-10, 9-9). Despite winning last Sunday at home against then-No. 15 Duke, the Panthers have dropped two straight and are trying to avoid missing the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year.

''It puts in a situation where we've got to do something here going forward,'' coach Jamie Dixon said. ''This is another tough loss for us.''

Pitt missed all 11 of its 3-point attempts, marking the first time this season the Panthers were scoreless beyond the arc. Chris Jones missed a 3 and James February 28, 2016 Panthers running all Robinson a layup in the closing seconds for Pitt. over Duke on this dunk (0:25) Smith's 3-pointer with 6:24 remaining gave the Jackets a 56-55 lead, and they never trailed again. Smith went 5 for 7 beyond the arc. February 28, 2016 ''He's an experienced shooter, and we let him get going,'' Pitt forward This block looked like it Sheldon Jeter said after scoring 12 points. ''He hit two daggers, absolute hurt (0:21) daggers, late in the shot clock.''

Marcus Georges-Hunt scored 10 points and Charles Mitchell had 11 rebounds for Georgia Tech. Both are seniors who played their last home game for the Jackets. February 19, 2016 For Gregory, who is a career 27-61 in the ACC, the focus is more on his Coaches unite to fight players than whether he returns next season. Athletic director Mike Bobinski Autism said last March that the Jackets had to show ''clear signs of progress'' for (3:58) Gregory to be back in 2016-17.

''I'm going to be all right,'' Gregory said. ''I have an unbelievable family, the whole bit. You want it for the guys. You want it for (the seniors). You want it CBSSPORTS SHOP for the young guys and the (transfer) guys that sacrificed a lot to come here and play for one year.''

TIP-INS

Pitt: The Panthers had just six assists, three by Young. ... In the last two games, Pitt went missed a combined 29 of 32 on 3s. ....Freshman G Cameron Johnson missed the game after accidentally cutting his arm in the NCAA Tournament Gear Virginia Tech locker room. Coach Jamie Dixon didn't immediately know how Get yours today! much time Johnson, who has made 41 percent of 64 shots beyond the arc, Shop Now will miss. ... Young has scored in double figures in 17 of 18 ACC games this College Basketball Jerseys season and in 28 of 30 overall. All 2016 Nike Hoops Gear All 2015-16 adidas Hoops Gear Georgia Tech: The Jackets didn't allow a 3 for the first time since losing at Shop College Gear home to Maryland on Jan. 30, 2011. ... Tech was outscored 38-22 in the paint and 14-5 from the bench. ... Other than Smith, the rest of the team went 0 for Pittsburgh Panthers 8 on 3s. ... Tech's four-game ACC winning streak, the team's longest since 2001-02, ended in a three-point loss Wednesday at No. 11 Louisville. STARTERS M FG FT TR A PF PTS M. Young, F 35 10-16 4-4 7 0 3 24 UP NEXT J. Artis, F 32 2-9 2-2 0 2 2 6 Pitt: Second round of the ACC tournament Wednesday in Washington. R. Maia, F 7 0-0 0-0 2 0 1 0

Georgia Tech: Second round of the ACC tournament Wednesday in J. Robinson, G 38 4-10 1-3 4 3 2 9 Washington. C. Jones, G 19 3-8 0-0 1 1 4 6 Copyright 2016 by STATS LLC. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC is strictly prohibited. BENCH M FG FT TR A PF PTS

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NCAA tournament: Region­by­region breakdown about 16 hours ago By Paul Zeise / Pittsburgh Post­Gazette Paul Zeise's NCAA basketball tournament chat BLACKSBURG, VA. — After Pitt got its biggest win this season Sunday against Duke, the Panthers transcript: 3.14.16 hoped to build on that momentum and ride it into the postseason. about 2 hours ago

Pitt seeded 10th in East region of NCAA After all, they were ending the regular season against two of the ACC’s weakest teams, starting tournament, will play Wisconsin about 21 hours ago Wednesday night at Virginia Tech and finishing at Georgia Tech Saturday. Selection Sunday: Will Pitt's name be called? 1 day ago Furthermore, Pitt had blown the Hokies out in January at the Petersen Events Center. Pitt spring football an old shoe for Ejuan Price, but All the signs seemed positive, but there was no encore. Instead, the Hokies were ready to play and this year is different 1 day ago the Panthers sleep­walked through large portions of a game in which Virginia Tech took a double­ digit lead midway through the second half and then held on to win, 65­61, at Cassell Coliseum. It Emergence of Ryan Luther, Cam Johnson give Pitt much­needed lift was one of Pitt’s worst losses this season. 2 days ago

It was a frustrating night for the Panthers (20­9, 9­8 ACC) because the win over the Blue Devils Four Quick Questions had put them in good position to rise to the fourth seed for the ACC tournament and the double­bye that comes with it. Now, the Panthers can still finish as high as fifth but they can’t finish in the top Which team has the best chance of winning four. They also could also fall to as low as the 10th seed if they lose at Georgia Tech. the NCAA tournament this year? Michigan State Mike Young, who led Pitt with 16 points and nine rebounds, said Virginia Tech deserves credit for Kansas the win, but he also said the Panthers energy and effort left much to be desired. Virginia North Carolina “We were hoping to use that momentum from the Duke win, carry it over,” Young said. “But instead Maryland we had our highest of highs on the season and then followed it with our lowest of lows, I believe. I Oklahoma just think mentally as a team, we weren’t in it. Obviously you can tell. Other No opinion

“I just don’t think we came out with that same passion that we did in that last game, that was pretty Submit evident and I think that was the key.” Powered by Post­Gazette Question CivicScience The big difference was the aggressiveness of the Hokies as they attacked the Panthers from the start, drew fouls and put them on their heels for nearly the entire game. College Basketball It was a game plan that has worked often for the Hokies, one of the best teams in the country at Tulane AD: Ed Conroy out as Tulane men's getting to the free­throw line. basketball coach

In just 2 years, Tinkle has the Beavers in the Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said that didn’t mean the Panthers had to keep fouling them. He said much Big Dance of the defensive game plan was taken away early because of foul trouble. Former Yale captain says he'll sue school over expulsion “We are obviously disappointed in our loss and that game was not how we wanted it to go,” Dixon said. “We had to play way more zone than we wanted to but we had guys in foul trouble the entire Ferrell says Indiana legacy incomplete without deep NCAA run game, and that started early. It was just not the game we wanted to see. They played hard and they played well, we didn’t play well enough to win. They beat us on the free­throw line but give them South Carolina moving on from NCAA snub credit, that’s what they do and they do it well.”

MORE HOME Dixon dismissed the “hangover effect” after a big win and noted the Panthers started well enough before falling into the grinding game that favored Virginia Tech. The Panthers took an early, 10­7 ADVERTISEMENT lead, made a 9­3 run and and led, 19­10, after a layup by Young with 7:59 left in the first half.

That’s when the Hokies started attacking and getting to the free­throw line. They mounted a 12­0 run and took a 22­20 lead on two free throws by Zach LeDay with 2:37 remaining before intermission. Pitt responded with a 6­0 run to regain the lead, but LeDay hit two free throws with 54 seconds remaining and Seth Allen made a late 3­pointer to give the Hokies a 27­26 halftime lead..

Virginia Tech capitalized on a couple of missed shots by the Panthers early in the second half, turning the rebounds into fastbreak points and led, 41­34, with 14:01 left.

The Hokies (17­13, 9­8) pushed their lead to 48­36 with 12:03 to go before they got sloppy, Create a free PG account. allowing Pitt to stage a comeback with an 11­0 run. The Panthers closed to 64­61 after a dunk by Young with 1:03 remaining, Register ­ FREE

Already have an account? They had a chance to tie. but James Robinson’s 3­pointer with 21 seconds to play missed. LeDay got the rebound and was fouled. He made 1 of 2 free throws, Robinson missed another 3­pointer to Login give the Hokies their fourth win in a row.

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Ron Cook: Panthers give Jamie Dixon a much­ needed win By Paul Zeise / Pittsburgh Post­Gazette about 14 hours ago

Pitt had to prove itself worthy of an NCAA tournament bid when No. 15 Duke visited Petersen District college basketball roundup: Pitt women suffers blowout defeat to Louisville Events Center, and that’s exactly what it did Sunday. about 14 hours ago

The Panthers played easily their best game of the season, took a big lead early and never looked Pitt basketball tops Duke in impressive 76­62 win about 21 hours ago back as they rolled to an impressive 76­62 destruction of the Blue Devils in front of a packed house on senior day. It was Pitt’s first win against a ranked opponent this season in seven tries and should Dixon believes Panthers' defensive breakdowns are mostly mental go a long way toward erasing the hurt of losing a late lead and falling to No. 11 Louisville 2 days ago Wednesday night. “First off, I’m just so happy for James [Robinson, a four­year starter who played his last home Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi believes James Conner game],” coach Jamie Dixon said. “It doesn’t happen, it is rare, but when you have a senior playing will play next season 3 days ago the best basketball of his career in the last four or five games it is a good feeling to have. Panthers still searching for signature win in 2015­ 16 basketball season “I thought our fans were terrific, there were so many good things and to go down the list and try to 3 days ago pick out who did the best job, it was the whole team. Our preparation was terrific, our response to a devastating loss was important, we responded in such a great way and I’m so proud of our guys.” Four Quick Questions

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Cal beats USC 87­65 to finish season unbeaten at home s | Q 8 Nunn scores 25, Illinois beats Minnesota 84­ “Duke is a good team; we’re a better team and we showed it tonight,” forward Jamel Artis added. 71

MORE HOME Pitt (20­8, 9­7 ACC) also ensured itself at least a .500 finish in conference play and clinched a 20­ win season for the 12th time in Dixon’s 13 seasons. ADVERTISEMENT

The Panthers made their first four field goal attempts, rushed to a 10­0 lead and led by as many as 14 points as they made seven of their first nine shots and the Blue Devils (21­8, 10­5) missed six of their first eight. Even when the Blue Devils started to heat up, the Panthers kept them at arm’s length and led, 39­26, with 2:46 left in the half after two Robinson free throws.

But the Panthers went scoreless the rest of the half and Duke pulled within 39­32 with a 6­0 run.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said that the Panthers were clearly on a mission and played harder and with a greater sense of urgency than the Blue Devils.

“[Pitt] was terrific, the crowd, the team, everything,” Krzyzewski said. “Obviously, the pursuit of Create a free PG account. NCAA tournament, this was a huge game for them and when a team responds when they need a huge game like that, even though we were playing against them, it is a neat thing to watch. Register ­ FREE

“We were out of character, we have had a long month where we played our butts off but we did not Already have an account? play our butts off today. But the team we played against did.” Login

The Panthers made 15 of 30 from the field (50 percent) in the first half and were 4 of 9 from the 3­ ADVERTISEMENT point line (44.4 percent).

Mike Young opened the second half with back­to­back dunks to push the Panthers lead back to double digits, 43­32, and Sheldon Jeter’s 3­pointer with 15:45 remaining gave the Panthers a 48­ 33 edge and forced Krzyzewski to call a timeout.

“Every once in a while you have a game where you don’t play well and we didn’t play well today, but give them credit, they made us not play well,” Krzyzewski said. “That Pitt team was terrific and congratulations to James Robinson, what a great representative for this city, this school and himself and his family. He is a superb leader on the court.”

Jamel Artis led four Panthers in double figures with 17 points, while Robinson added 14 points and seven assists.

Pitt outrebounded Duke, 39­20, and held a 16­7 edge on the offensive glass. The Panthers outscored the Blue Devils, 24­8, in the paint

This was the final home game for Pitt’s five seniors — Robinson, Mike Lecak, Sterling Smith, Rafael Maia and Alonzo Nelson­Ododa — and Robinson made his school­record 130th career start.

Late in the game Dixon was able to put Lecak, a walk­on who has developed into a fan favorite, into the game and take Robinson out for one last time at home. He received a standing ovation as he left the court and was embraced by his teammates.

“That was a very special moment for me,” Robinson said. “That was big time for me, really, I don’t even know what to say other than that was special and thank you to everybody that supported me through these four years. This was our last home game but I believe we have a lot of season left to play.”

Grayson Allen led Duke with 22 points and Brandon Ingram added 17.

Paul Zeise: pzeise@post­gazette.com, 412­263­1720 and Twitter @paulzeise.

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Moses John 1 hour ago Jamie Dixon: “When the shots go in for us, we’re hard to beat.” Folks, truer words have never been spoken. The problem with Pitt is not a lack of talent. This is a typical good Dixon team filled with experienced juniors and seniors. His entire program is based upon recruiting 3 star athletes who stay four years and blossom in their junior and senior years.

This team can play defense. This team can rebound. Most importantly, this team can shoot. However, their best players (Artist, Jeter and Young) lack mental toughness. When the shots “don’t” fall, they lose confidence and everything falls 2/23/2016 Pitt men's basketball continues domination over Syracuse | TribLIVE

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Egyptian(http://triblive.com/usworld/betsyhiel/10023326- temple 74/ramses-temple-statues) tourists see the AP light in Jamel Artis had 21 points and 11 rebounds to lead Pitt to a 66­52 win over Syracuse. Artis is 4­0 as a starter rare against the Orange. solar event

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Penguins'(http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/10010706- BY JOHN HARRIS (MAILTO:[email protected]?SUBJECT=RE: PITT MEN'S BASKETBALL CONTINUES Malkin 74/malkin-team-practice) DOMINATION OVER SYRACUSE STORY ON TRIBLIVE.COM)  (https://twitter.com/JHarris_trib) | practices but Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016, 4:30 p.m. remains SYRACUSE, N.Y. — It seems Syracuse is as close to an Pitt podcasts out of automatic win for Pitt as there is in the ACC. lineup PantherLair 2‐22‐16 http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/9972524­74/panthers­syracuse­game 1/5 2/23/2016 Pitt men's basketball continues domination over Syracuse | TribLIVE

Like legendary Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach PantherLair 2‐22‐16 (http://sportstalk.triblive.com/download? COLLEGE BASKETBALL VIDEOS lighting a cigar when victory was imminent, the file=222PL16.mp3) Duration: 53:44 Panthers once again outclassed Syracuse, running Pitt gets exactly what they needed at away with a 66-52 victory Saturday at Carrier Dome. the exact right time. Jamie Dixon celebrating with team after win. Last It was the Panthers' fourth consecutive win over their  four games in ACC coming up. former Big East rivals. The game, in fact, took on the Football Facility upgrade. Recruiting form of a Big East tilt, highlighting low scoring and for 2017 football season. physical play. Pitt Podcast 2‐21‐16 (http://sportstalk.triblive.com/download? The Panthers improved to 7-2 under coach Jamie file=221PITT16.mp3) Dixon at Carrier Dome. Duration: 24:42 Pitt gets big win on road at Syracuse. (http://cinesport.triblive.com/triblive­ After losing a season-high three consecutive games, That much closer to NCAA college­basketball/last­4­in­first­4­out/) the Panthers (19-7, 8-6) have won two in a row. Tournament. Who are the Panthers crunch time five? Huge games coming CBS Sports: 2/22 Last 4 In, First 4 Out College basketball writer Jerry Palm gives his "Last 4 up against Louisville and Duke. NCAA “I believe every day that we're going to get better,” in" and "First 4 out" looking ahead to the tournament Dixon said. “I keep saying that. Some people may Tournament talk. this March. frown upon that. But we got better, and it was good to Pitt‐Syracuse 2‐19‐16 (http://sportstalk.triblive.com/download? see.” file=219PITT16.mp3) Duration: 17:13 Most evident during the Panthers' second win against Syracuse Play-by-Play Man Matt Park  Syracuse this season was their confidence against the joins Tim Benz, Ken Laird and Josh Orange (18-10, 8-7). Taylor to preview must win game for both Pitt and the Orange. Both teams feature a 2-3 zone. The Panthers know More College BB Video (http://cinesport.triblive.com/triblive­ what to expect from Syracuse thanks to their past Pitt Locker Room Blog (http://www.cinesport.com) college­basketball/) successes, and that confidence was on display once (http://blog.triblive.com/college-locker- again Saturday. room/) “We drill playing against a 2-3 zone every day in Boyd will join 331 other practice,” said senior guard James Robinson, who prospects at NFL Combine; sparked the Panthers early, scoring 11 of his 13 points plus thinking spring 4‐QUESTION TRIB POLL in the first half. “We're accustomed to going up against (http://blog.triblive.com/college- Do you think it will snow again in a zone. Our practices really help us out.” locker- Pittsburgh this winter or will we go room/2016/02/11/2507/) “Our zone that we practice against every day is similar right into spring without another February 11, 2016 to theirs,” said Dixon, adding, “You've got to have some I joined Ken Laird, Tim Benz and storm? guys make some plays, make some shots. Certainly Josh Taylor on Friday morning to that was the case tonight.” discuss Pitt (finally!) moving its It will definitely snow The Panthers won the rebounding battle 43-23, spring game to Heinz ... including 14-6 on the offensive glass. The Panthers • Wednesday in the Pitt war room (at Spring is here least close enough to hear voices) capitalized by scoring 12 second-chance points. (http://blog.triblive.com/college-locker- room/2016/02/02/2502/) Other “We know we're going to take 3s. There's going to be • Take at look at Pitt coaches’ unfettered long rebounds and opportunities,” said Jamel Artis, glee after nabbing Hamlin Does not apply who grabbed a game-high four offensive rebounds. (http://blog.triblive.com/college-locker- “It's hard to box out in the zone. We tracked the ball room/2016/02/02/pitts-coaches- well.” unfettered-glee-after-nabbing-hamlin/) SUBMIT Email Newsletters The Panthers held Syracuse to 37.3 percent shooting (19 of 51), which was a marked improvement over Sign up (http://signup.triblive.com/) for one of our email newsletters. their past two games, during which opponents shot better than 50 percent.

Asked about leading the Panthers with 21 points, including 16 in the second half, Artis replied, “'It was the defense.”

Artis, however, was a difference maker — again — against Syracuse (18-10, 8-7).

Artis is 4-0 against Syracuse as a starter. In the two games against the Orange this season, he averaged 19.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and six assists.

“We put him in the sweet spot,” Dixon said. “Jamel was good against the zone. We're putting a lot on him because we play through him.”

“I should have had more in the first half, but I missed some shots,” said Artis, who hit all five of his attempts in the second half and shot 7 of 11 overall. “I'm going to keep shooting. My guys believe in me.”

Although challenged at times, the Panthers stuck to a methodical, work-the-shot-clock game plan and didn't lose their poise.

The Panthers survived a first half in which they missed 10 of their first 11 shots and still led 30-28 at intermission.

Robinson kept the Panthers in it early. He sparked an otherwise sluggish offense with a trio of 3-pointers. http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/9972524­74/panthers­syracuse­game 2/5 2/23/2016 Pitt men's basketball continues domination over Syracuse | TribLIVE

Trailing 20-13, the Panthers turned around the game.

Cameron Johnson (six points) drilled a pair of 3-pointers, and Robinson hit another 3, sparking a 17-2 run.

Sheldon Jeter (seven points) contributed two baskets, and Michael Young (game-high 13 rebounds) added a jumper.

Two 3-pointers from freshman Tyler Lydon, who finished with 21 points, helped pull the Orange to within two points at halftime.

The Panthers built a 37-32 advantage before Syracuse changed its offensive strategy.

Instead of launching 3-pointers, Syracuse attacked the rim. Lydon scored on a 3-point play and a dunk, and Malachi Richardson drove for a layup to pull Syracuse to within 42-40.

Lydon's 3-pointer gave Syracuse its final lead at 43-42.

The Panthers went scoreless from the 14-minute mark until Sheldon Jeter's 3-point play at 7:43 — accompanied by a boisterous fist pump — gave Pitt the lead at 45-43.

The Panthers then outscored Syracuse, 21-9, down the stretch.

“It's always tough to win up here,” Robinson said. “We did a really good job being prepared.”

John Harris is a Tribune-Review staff writer Reach him at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or via Twitter @jharris_trib (https://twitter.com/jharris_trib).

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Offense taking charge for Pitt men's basketball ADVERTISEMENT team December 23, 2015 12:00 AM

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Offense taking charge for Pitt men's basketball team about 18 hours ago

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Matt Freed/Post­Gazette Pitt's Sterling Smith gets a shot up against Morehead State earlier this month at the Petersen Events Center.      By Paul Zeise / Pittsburgh Post­Gazette By Paul Zeise / Pittsburgh Post­Gazette Four Quick Questions

A good case can be made that Pitt is no longer a defensive­minded team, but rather an offensive­ Will the Steelers make it to the Super Bowl minded team learning to play good defensively. this year?

Yes Coach Jamie Dixon still is fighting the good fight and talking about how the Panthers need to win No games with defense, but the reality and the numbers show that this team will go as far as its offense I'm not sure/no opinion takes it. Submit

That’s not to say the Panthers aren’t improved defensively from last year, it’s just that they have a Powered by Post­Gazette Question CivicScience chance to be Dixon’s best offensive team. The Panthers are averaging 86.2 points per game, the highest average of a Dixon team through 10 games. The 2013­14 team averaged 82.6 ppg through ADVERTISEMENT 10 games, and Dixon’s highest scoring team was the 2008­09 team that averaged 77.4 points per game for the season.

The Panthers lead the ACC in scoring, free­throw shooting (79.1 percent), assists (21.4 per game) and is second in assist­to­turnover ratio (1.78­1). Pitt has scored 90 or more points five times this season, one short for the most in a season under Dixon.

That could come tonight as Pitt (9­1) will play host to Western Carolina (4­7) in the final game of the Gotham Classic. Western Carolina, which competes in the Southern Conference with the likes of Wofford, Mercer and Chattanooga, is giving up 72.9 points per game but allowed 80 or more points in three of their past four games and gave up 97 earlier this year to Cincinnati.

Mike Young and Jamel Artis, who average 32.1 ppg, carry a lot of the scoring, but they are far from Create a free PG account. the only options offensively. “We are pretty balanced,” Dixon said. “I know Mike is our leading scorer and Jamel is up there, but Alonzo [Nelson­Ododa] can score, Ryan [Luther] can score, Register ­ FREE Sheldon [Jeter] can score — we have a lot of post players who can put the ball in the basket.” Already have an account?

Dixon said it is fun to watch his team play offense, because they are so good at sharing the Login basketball and value assists as much as baskets. He believes that leads to good shots and good shots lead to easy baskets as well positioning players for offensive rebounds and putbacks. ADVERTISEMENT

“When we take great shots it leads to offensive rebounds and making the right pass puts you in that position, that’s what we do.” Dixon said. “We have very skilled guys and very good passers and the unselfishness, I think it is spreading, because I think we have a lot of unselfish guys.”

Dixon said one big difference offensively between this team and last year’s team is the ability to score in the post and force teams to defend in the post, which opens up the offense because the post players aren’t afraid to pass and do a good job of finding open shooters on the perimeter.

Point guard James Robinson, as expected, leads the team in assists with 50, but forward Mike Young is second with 37 and many have come when he is double­teamed and pass to an open shooter.

“We think we are pretty good inside, we think we can go inside to any of our five big guys to score,” Dixon said. “We may not score every time but we are getting passes out of that and we are shooting and it is taking two to guard them when they do shoot it. And we are getting the offensive rebounds on the other side of the rim, so there is method of what we are trying to do.”

Paul Zeise: pzeise@post­gazette.com, 412­263­1720 and Twitter @paulzeise.

Sign up for free newsletters and get more of the Post­Gazette delivered to your inbox Return to Story Print This Page Larger text Smaller text Pitt guard Robinson says free­wheeling offense is 'a lot of fun'

Sidney Davis | Trib Total Media Pitt's James Robinson looks to pass as Kent State's Galal Cancer defends Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015, at Petersen Events Center.

By John Harris Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2015, 9:30 p.m. Updated 12 hours ago

Pitt senior James Robinson has won a lot of games under coach Jamie Dixon, but he doesn't recall ever playing such an enjoyable brand of basketball. The Panthers are winning courtesy of a free­wheeling style emphasizing ball movement and encouraging players to seek — and take — open shots early or late in the shot clock. “It's a lot of fun,” Robinson said before Tuesday night's game against No. 11 Purdue in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge at Petersen Events Center. “Coach has put a lot of trust in us at the offensive end. We're doing our thing.” More importantly, it's a matter of trust between Dixon, the veteran coach, and Robinson, the veteran point guard who has started all but one game since he arrived at Pitt. “Everybody can see that we're doing some pretty good things offensively,” Dixon said. “We're playing loose,” Robinson said. “We're playing free.” The Panthers averaged 89.2 points through four games, shooting 50.8 percent from the floor and 42.7 percent beyond the 3­point arc. Four of the Panthers' five starters were shooting better than 50 percent. Junior power forward Michael Young credited Robinson's willingness to change his game as an important explanation for Pitt's offensive explosion. “Last year, we weren't passing the ball as well,” Young said. “We didn't have as many shooters as we have now. James wasn't shooting the ball as aggressively and as well as he is shooting now. He was more reluctant to pass, and it was more (Young's) trying to score on double teams and triple teams and forcing shots. Moving back to (power forward) opens everything up for me.” “It's not really a scripted play or set,” Robinson said. “A lot of times, you've seen Mike initiating the offense and me coming off screens. We have a good feel for where each other is going to be. As a point guard, I know where guys like the ball the best. It's my job to put them in those positions.” The Panthers scored at least 84 points in each of their first four games, including two games over 90 points. They are becoming willing team players, evidenced by averaging 32.5 field goals on 22.5 assists. “We're unselfish,” Dixon said. “We've got good passing one through five. We shoot it well from the perimeter, and our inside guys can score.” John Harris is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at [email protected] or via Twitter @jharris_trib. Copyright © 2015 — Trib Total Media Pittsburgh SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS CBS Local Rewards 2 Log In Register Search 62° SPONSORED BY

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Pitt Basketball Game In Japan Cancelled At Halftime

November 14, 2015 12:49 PM By Kym Gable

Filed Under: Gonzaga, Japan, Kym Gable, Oakland, Petersen Event Center, Pitt, Pitt Men's Basketball, University Of Pittsburgh

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OAKLAND (KDKA) — The Pitt Men’s basketball team made the long journey to Japan, only to have their game cut short Friday night.

Pitt was playing Gonzaga at Camp Foster, a marine base in Okinawa, when dangerous court conditions prompted refs to call off Advertisements the game.  The humid conditions on the court created moisture on the surface, 2 and players started slipping and sliding. Pitt’s James Robinson fell 1. What's your flood and cut his face. risk? a month ago ad.doubleclick.net www.floodsmart.gov (sponsored) Find flood maps, interactive tools, “We are disappointed to not be able to finish the game but the FAQs, and agents in... tournament officials made the right call,” said head coach Jamie Dixon. “We want to thank all of the servicemen and women who came out to support the two teams and this event. I am proud of the way our guys competed and more importantly how they represented the University of Pittsburgh on this trip.”

Pitt fans, meanwhile, gathered to watch the game in Oakland.

The student body put together a watch party at the Petersen Events Center, knowing it was a unique experience for the team. They got to watch half a game before the ref called it.

“We’re watching it, we’re talking about, should they keep playing? “We’re watching it, we’re talking about, should they keep playing? Should we keep doing this?” Pitt student Eric Floyd said. “Would we MORE NEWS want them to call it? And I kind of wanted them to, ahead of time, and Dozens Of Local Families now that they’ve actually done it, I don’t like it.” Making High Salaries Living In Public Housing “Y’know, once James Robinson fell and he had an inch cut on his Big­Budget TV Show face, I mean, he was bleeding,” Pitt student Ian Maxwell said, “and Threatening To Leave Pittsburgh If Pa. Budget after that, everyone’s just taking half­steps. They were slipping all Stalemate Continues over the place. At that point, they might as well be ice skating.” Police Investigating Hill District Shooting

Rescheduling the game is obviously not an option in Japan. The Pitt basketball team left Japan Friday night and will return home Sunday morning. The team has a game at home on Tuesday against St. Joseph’s University.

Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter

Kym Gable Follow @Kymgable Kym Gable joined the KDKA News Team in 2006 as a part­time reporter. She can also occasionally be seen behind the anchor desk on weekends. Before coming to KDKA, Kym worked at FOX 53 in Pittsburgh and in her hometown of Wheeling, W. Va. as an... More from Kym Gable

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BASKETBALL Gonzaga-Pitt game called off AP

ARTICLE HISTORY NOV 14, 2015

CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA PREF. – The Armed Forces Classic between No. 9 Gonzaga and Pittsburgh was canceled at halftime because of slippery conditions on the court at Foster Field House on Okinawa.

Pittsburgh was leading 37-35 at halftime and the second half never got started.

“Out of an abundance of caution and after consultation with the officials, it was deemed appropriate to cancel this year’s game,” said Clint Overby of ESPN events, one of the agencies that staged and promoted the game.

Foster Field House is one of 10 indoor facilities operating on Marine Corps bases on Okinawa by Marine Corps Community Services, none of which are air-conditioned.

The three courts in the Foster Field House historically have been susceptible to slippery conditions due to condensation caused by humidity and rain.

Both coaches expressed disappointment with the decision, but agreed it had to be made.

“The way the court was, we just couldn’t finish it,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “It was about who didn’t fall down, that’s what the game was coming down to. Whoever didn’t fall was probably going to make a play. We tried and the officials called it. I don’t know what else to do.”

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said it was still a once-in-a-lifetime experience in more than one way.

“It was tough, coming this far. But we came for the experience, we came for the Marines and we’re certain we accomplished that goal,” Dixon said.

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Home » Sports » Pitt Panthers looking to get back to basics Pitt Panthers looking to get back to basics Comments: 0 | Leave A Comment Oct 28, 2015 By Will Graves, AP Sports Writer

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Pittsburgh's Jamel Artis, right, and Philadelphia's Andre Gibbs chase a loose ball in the second half of an exhibition NCAA college basketball game on Friday, Nov. 7, 2014, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic) PITTSBURGH (AP) _ Jamel Artis understands the way it works. Spend two yeFaorlsl oliwstening to Jamie Dixon talk about defense and rebounding, at some point it starts cFreoeplilnog win whether you want it to or not. “New Pittsburgh Sure, the Pittsburgh coach appreciates Artis’ ability to Cscooreu. rTihee vre”rsatile forward and teammate Michael Young were often the only consistent offensive options on a team that went 19­15 last season and missed the NCAA tournament for only the second time in Dixon’s 12­yeaGr teetn euvreer.y new post delivered to your Inbox. What Dixon would like to see from Artis _ and really frJoimn 1e5v,e1r4y1o noeth eelrs efo inllo aw perrosgram that hasn’t made it past the first weekend of the NCAAs in six years _ is a little more attention to detail on the other end of the floor. Making shots is great. Forcing opponents to miss them, and justE anst eimr pyourtra enmtlya icl haadsdinreg stshe ball down once it clangs off the rim, is a necessity.

“It’s what we’ve been known for and it’s something we’ve done weSlilg yne amr aef tuepr year,” Dixon said. “We need to get back to that and it’s what we’re going to do.” Build a website with WordPress.com If the Panthers want to make inroads on the upper tier of the crowded ACC, they don’t really have a choice. Pitt limped to the finish line last winter, dropping its final five games, including a lifeless loss at home to George Washington in the first round of the NIT. It wasn’t what Artis or Young signed up for when they arrived on campus. Their ability to become defensive anchors may be the key to the Panthers getting back some of the grit that for so long served as their trademark.

“That’s something that I look forward to improving from last year,” Artis said. “It’s just being in the right place at the right time. We have to do more on defense, and that’s what it takes to win.”

Dixon went out and tried to get his two big men some help. Junior college transfer Rozelle Nix has shed more than 50 pounds last year from his 6­foot­11 frame, though at 300 pounds he still might need to drop a few more. Graduate transfer Alonzo Nelson­Ododa is second on Richmond’s career block list. Redshirt freshman swingman Cameron Johnson bulked up after a shoulder injury cut short a promising start last fall.

While Dixon insists the Panthers will be versatile, the one thing they’ll almost certainly have to be is tough after going just 8­10 in the ACC and a marginal 6­5 in games decided by five points or less.

Other things to look for as Pitt prepares to face Gonzaga in the season opener at Camp Butler Marine Corps Base in Okinawa, Japan.

HERE’S TO YOU, MR. ROBINSON: Senior point guard James Robinson has put together a steady if not spectacular career. He’d like to be a little more dynamic in his final season. Robinson underwent foot surgery in the offseason and will need time to get into shape. Robinson will need to become a bigger threat offensively to take some of the pressure off Artis and Young.

POWER UP: Young was forced to play out of position at center last year, fighting nobly against slower (but often bigger) players. He’ll be a power forward more often this season, allowing him to show off some range to go with one of the better post games in the ACC if not the country. “I felt like I was the little brother to the big brother (last year),” Young said. “But this year I’m looking forward to being the big brother to the little brother at the four.” BIG BOY: Nix, whose half­brother Roosevelt is a fullback on the Pittsburgh Steelers, averaged 11.2 points and 9.5 rebounds at Pensacola State JC. He won’t get near those numbers for the Panthers, but if he can stay out of foul trouble he should free up Young to play extended minutes at power forward.

NEXT IN LINE: Damon Wilson appears to be the heir apparent to Robinson at the point. The 6­5, 200­pound Wilson has already won over Robinson.

“He’s quick and he’s confident about himself, so that’s a good thing,” Robinson said. “He may be in, I may be in. In practice we’re going to compete.” SUBSCRIBE LOG IN REGISTER Obituaries Events Jobs Real Estate Cars Classified PG Store

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Pitt basketball picked to finish 10th in ACC ADVERTISEMENT October 28, 2015 5:08 PM

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Reschenthaler defeats Arnet for state Senate seat about 11 hours ago

Matt Freed/Post­Gazette Salvation Army gets new regional commander about 11 hours ago Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon calls out a play to his team as they take on Louisville in the first half in the January game at the Petersen Events Center. The Panthers aren’t getting much love at ACC media day this year. TRAFFIC: Wabash Tunnel open til 8 a.m.; Warhol Bridge closed about 6 hours ago By Paul Zeise / Pittsburgh Post­Gazette

Malfunction interrupts T rail service Downtown this CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Under coach Jamie Dixon, the Pitt men’s basketball team has been regarded morning as a strong team in whichever league it plays, but a couple lean years has changed the perception about 3 hours ago about the Panthers. Gas drilling prompts fight against health department accreditation about 11 hours ago That much was apparent today at ACC media day when a preseason poll of writers who cover the league picked the Panthers to finish 10th. Democrats take all three open seats on Allegheny County bench about 13 hours ago That's the lowest they have been picked to finish in quite some time, but they are coming off a year in which they went 19­15 and finished 10th.

North Carolina was picked to win the league with 60 of 89 first­place votes, and Virginia was picked to finish second, receiving 18 first­place votes.

Defending national champion Duke was picked to finish third with eight first­place votes, followed by Notre Dame (one first­place vote) and Miami.

Florida State (1 first­place vote), Louisville, N.C State, Syracuse (1 first place vote) and Pitt rounded out the top 10.

No Panthers were picked to the preseason All­ACC first or second teams. The first team consists of Marcus Paige (North Carolina), Malcolm Brogdon (Virginia), Xavier Rathan­Mayes (Florida Four Quick Questions State), Brandon Ingram (Duke) and Demetrius Jackson (Notre Dame). The second team is Anthony Gill (Virginia), Grayson Allen (Duke), Zach Auguste (Notre Dame), Anthony "Cat" Barber (N.C. How do you feel about the Democrats taking control of the PA Supreme Court? State) and Brice Johnson (North Carolina). I'm happy about it Paige and Brogdon were the preseason ACC players of the year, and Ingram is the preseason I feel ok about it freshman of the year. I'm not happy about it Other No opinion Paul Zeise: pzeise@Post­gazette.com, 412­263­1720 and Twitter @paulzeise. Submit

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College basketball preview: Rules changes, ADVERTISEMENT points of emphasis could have big impact November 1, 2015 12:00 AM

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College basketball has become “unwatchable,” “awful” and “ugly.” The pace of the games is too slow. There are too many timeouts. They take too long. The games are too physical …

At least that is what national pundits, coaches and many fans of the game have said in recent years. As a result, the NCAA has developed sweeping rules changes to try and improve the flow and length of games. In total, there are 25 new rules being implemented this year, and nearly all are aimed at increasing scoring and the pace of games.

The most tangible change is the shot clock will be cut to 30 seconds from 35 seconds, in hopes it creates a faster pace, more possessions and more scoring.

There are other changes: Coaches will have one less timeout (four instead of five); coaches can’t call live­ball timeouts; substitution breaks have been shortened, and a coach­called timeout will also become a commercial break if it occurs within 30 seconds of a scheduled break. Four Quick Questions

And, just to add a little more excitement, players can now dunk during pregame warm­ups. How do you feel about the Democrats taking control of the PA Supreme Court?

I'm happy about it In addition to the new rule changes, officials have been asked to strictly enforce preexisting rules I feel ok about it meant to limit physical play, such as limits on hand­checking, and most coaches believe that will I'm not happy about it have a greater impact than any of the new rules implemented by the NCAA. Other No opinion “There are some visible changes that will be easy for people to see,” said Paul Brazeau, senior associate commissioner with the ACC and a member of the national basketball oversight Submit committee. “All of it is good, but it really comes down to, ‘Can we enforce these things?’ I mean, you Powered by Post­Gazette Question CivicScience can put a 50 mile­per­hour speed limit sign out on the road and, if it isn’t enforced, it is meaningless. ADVERTISEMENT

“So, really, in the beginning of the season, there will be some pain with all the foul calls, but we have to get the behaviors of the defenders to change. We have to have the stomach to withstand the noise and the complaints, but everybody is on board that we have to do this now or we will continue to watch our game suffer.”

Hand­checking has been a point of emphasis for the past several seasons, but after strictly enforcing the rules early in the season, officials reverted to a less­strict interpretation, which led to more physical games.

This year, however, the national basketball oversight committee has said officials who don’t comply will be penalized. Create a free PG account. “I have never seen a stronger mandate for something,” Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. “It was Register ­ FREE always a point of emphasis, but now it is a mandate that if you are one of those old veteran officials who is going to say, ‘Look this is how I’m gonna call it in league play,’ well, you are not going to get Already have an account? to ref in the NCAA tournament.” Login But while most coaches agree the points of emphasis will have a big impact, there is some debate how much the shorter shot clock will change the game. ADVERTISEMENT

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said the shorter shot clock will force teams to start running their offensive plays quicker, which means players won’t take their time walking the ball up the court.

“I don’t know that [30­second shot clock] will help scoring, but I think it will be better for the game,” Dixon said. “I know the thought is for more scoring, that may or may not happen, but I think it will be a better game to watch because I don’t think there will be the guy out there holding the ball every possession.”

Dixon said more teams will play zone defense, which takes longer to attack, and some might use more backcourt pressure so teams waste more time getting the ball across the half­court line.

Virginia coach Tony Bennett, whose team is notoriously deliberate on offense, said he is OK with the 30­second clock, but he doesn’t want to see it go down to 24 seconds, as is the case in the NBA, because that would change the way the college game is played.

“I wouldn't be a proponent of it going to 24. Having played in the NBA, I think that's a different animal,” Bennett said. “That's about being able to create your own shot and a lot of isolation and one­on­one play. I don't know if the college game is quite ready for that.”

One fear among some coaches, like Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton and Virginia Tech’s Buzz Williams, is that all the changes will make the game begin to mirror the NBA too much. “It is hard to pull out one of the rule changes and say ‘that one will have the most impact,’ but the combination of them all will completely change the game,” Williams said. “... Coaches and players will now be coaching and playing a completely different game, and I think it definitely trends towards the teams with the best players winning more.”

Williams said he doesn’t believe there is enough data to support the changes, especially to the shot clock, saying the new rules seem like a knee­jerk reaction to the criticism of the way the college game is played.

Hall of fame Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim doesn’t believe the changes will hurt the game, and he bases his opinion on his experience coaching at the international level.

“[Coaches who say there will be more zone played] are not very smart, don’t listen to them,” Boeheim said. “Five seconds? I mean, the longest team in the ACC last year was like 17 seconds to get a shot and most teams took about 15 seconds to get a shot. And, to be honest, teams that play faster, they hurt our zone — teams that play slow, in general, we beat ...

“And teams that think they need to use the whole shot clock to beat teams with more talent, well guess what, they lose every one of those games.”

Brazeau said no system is going to be perfect, but these are steps in the right direction and the quicker coaches, players and officials buy in, the quicker they will have a positive impact.

“Like I said, there will be some pain early,” Brazeau said. “But, in the end, we should have a better product and a better game, and that’s really what is at the heart of all of this.”

Paul Zeise: pzeise@post­gazette.com and Twitter @paulzeise.

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Pittsburgh Panthers

How Pitt Star Michael Young Escaped His Nightmarish Past

By Seth Gruen , Featured Columnist Mar 6, 2016

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PITTSBURGH — Michael Young leans forward in his chair and makes direct eye contact as he speaks, not showing any sign of uneasiness at the somber line of questioning. You can tell this is a topic he thinks about a lot.

"Everything a little kid shouldn't get into or shouldn't see," he says, "I basically have seen."

As he speaks, the star University of Pittsburgh junior sits in a room adjacent to the basketball court at the school's Petersen Events Center. Outside Petersen, ambitious­looking students hustle to grab lunch or get to class. It's an idyllic college scene. Everyone is in a hurry to get someplace—a pace that suits Young. He fits in here. His ambition fits in.

"I always knew that if I wanted to be something in life, I had to never let anything take me down the wrong path," he says.

He saw what happened to people who grew up where he grew up, and he knew he needed to find a way out. "No matter what."

Young is from Duquesne, one of the most crime­ridden areas in Pittsburgh. His first AAU team was based in nearby McKeesport, which was in the news last month when the Pittsburgh Post­Gazette reported that a joint task force of the FBI, city police, county police and sheriff's office arrested 21 people to "impact the emerging violence in McKeesport."

Positive influences weren't easy to come by. Young's mother is one—a rare college graduate from Duquesne. But his cousin and childhood best friend, also a talented athlete, went to prison. And his father, Michael Sr., was murdered during Young's sophomore year of high school, the details of which he does not discuss.

"You might see a kid lose their father and become depressed, and he'll fight in school, and he'll get kicked out, and he'll do things of that nature. He'll take a wrong path," Young says. "Then you might see another kid lose their father, and he might put it into school. He might become the valedictorian of the school eventually."

Young looks at a basketball sitting to his right, as if to acknowledge the role it played in getting him here.

But as you hear his story, you realize that if it hadn't been basketball—if not for his 6'9" frame and obvious talent—it would have been something else. He would've found a way to surround himself with the right people no matter what.

Robert Franklin/Associated Press

Someone who didn't know Young might point to an explosive season as a high schooler as having changed his life. That's when Young started to get high­major college basketball offers.

But Young's personal transformation didn't happen holding a basketball.

Through elementary school, Young played recreationally to get off the streets. But he never participated with an organized team. Then the summer before his eighth­grade year, Young was shooting around at a local Boys and Girls Club when a coach from the Pittsburgh Storm AAU program took notice of his already­ exceptional height. He offered him a spot on one of the program's teams.

Young accepted only because tournaments allowed him the opportunity to spend time away from Duquesne. He had no idea the Pittsburgh Storm would provide him a platform to showcase his talent to schools—no idea it would lead to him being offered a spot at a well­respected private school, Shady Side Academy.

Young attended Shady Side as a freshman, and it was there, he says, that his outlook changed. He grew as a player, sure. But his personal development was the result of spending time with the type of people who weren't in his life in Duquesne.

Young could go home to Duquesne on weekends but rarely took the opportunity. Instead, he stayed with newfound friends, focused on furthering their educations.

"Being around those different type of kids—kids that didn't have to deal with some of the things I had to deal with—that changed my life, just knowing that there is a different way of life," Young says.

After his freshman season, Young transferred to a better basketball school: famed St. Benedict's Prep in New Jersey.

St. Benedict's nationally recognized basketball program gave him more exposure to top schools. As a senior, he averaged 14.6 points per game for St. Benedict's and led the school to the New Jersey Prep Championship. He earned scholarship offers from schools like UConn and Florida.

As with Shady Side, St. Benedict's also exposed him to young men with different types of ambitions than he'd seen back in Duquesne. Prominent among those was a teammate who would become his best friend and whom he now refers to as his "brother."

Courtesy of Pittsburgh

Jamel Artis is nearly a carbon copy of Young. He grew up in a rough neighborhood in Baltimore, has a twin brother who went to prison and lost his mom. When the two met as sophomores at St. Benedict's, Artis was also a promising high school basketball player beginning to gain interest from top schools around the country.

"We instantly clicked—similar kids from similar backgrounds," Young says.

As sophomores at St. Benedict's, the two were roommates. After their sophomore season, Artis left the school, but the two remained close. They would see one another on the AAU circuit, talk on the phone and FaceTime regularly. When it came time to decide where each would play college basketball, they discussed their options. Wanting to play closer to friends and family, Young committed to Pittsburgh the summer before his senior year.

Artis played a postgraduate year at Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, then he joined Young and the Panthers. He says Young was the primary reason for his decision. The two are housemates this year. They spend most of their free time together and even some holidays. They call each other brothers.

But most importantly, one keeps the other focused.

"Sometimes, he might show his emotions too much, get angry, and you just have to talk to him, just calm him down a little bit, and he will sit down and listen," Artis says. "Coming from a tough background, we know the struggle, and we know how much hard work it takes to get to the next level."

The struggle is something Artis constantly references when he talks about Young. It's the two­word answer for everything he and Young have accomplished to date. What motivates Young? Where does his work ethic come from? How does he juggle basketball, academics and commitment as one of two players on the Division I Men's Basketball Oversight Committee?

The struggle.

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

Choosing a college a 20­minute drive from Duquesne might seem an odd choice considering what Young went through there and how much he wanted to get out, but he says he never believed he needed mileage to distance himself from his roots.

To him, choosing Pittsburgh meant returning to a community that would be supportive of his goals. He is reunited with former classmates from Shady Side Academy, including a Panthers manager who was his teammate his freshman year of high school. And another important person from his past is now his assistant coach.

Charles LeClaire­USA TODAY Sports

Young has known Brandin Knight, a former star at Pittsburgh and now assistant coach, since he was in elementary school—long before he played basketball competitively. Knight's best friend, Tariq Francis, was an assistant coach on Young's first AAU team.

Knight says he and Francis saw themselves as "father figures" to Young, especially after Michael Sr.'s murder.

"After his dad passed, our involvement was more," Knight says.

Knight was a four­year starter at point guard for Pittsburgh and holds Panthers records in career assists (785), career steals (298) and most minutes played in a season (1,284). In 2002, he was named an Associated Press All­American and had his No. 20 jersey retired in 2009—only the fourth Panthers player to earn that honor. He has served on Pittsburgh's basketball staff since 2006 and as an assistant coach since 2008.

Young aspires to be as successful as Knight was as a college player. But more than that, he has used him as a role model off the court.

"Just seeing how he goes about his days, his job and practice definitely, I don't know if he knows it, but definitely I watch him more outside of basketball," Young says. "It's more about life—how to be a man, how to conduct yourself, how to go about your job and be professional."

Asked to quantify his success, Young will tell you about the hours he has spent in the gym or how the Panthers' lifting program has helped him become a stronger inside player. It's all about the work. His statistics show the results of that work.

As a freshman, Young—who has started every game of his career at Pittsburgh—averaged only six points per game and shot 41.3 percent from the field. Over time, he has become head coach Jamie Dixon's most reliable player—a solid scorer around the rim and a player the team can run the offense through.

He leads the Panthers with 16.1 points per game this year and has the team in the tournament picture. He's shooting 54 percent from the field—the best mark of his career.

Michael Young's Pitt Career Stats Season MPG FG% RPG APG PPG 2013­14 21.6 .413 4.1 0.9 6.0 2014­15 31.7 .530 7.3 1.3 13.4 2015­16 29.2 .540 7.1 2.5 16.1

Sports­Reference.com

"There's no question that he's a guy that has worked as hard as any guy we've ever had in our program, and his development has been dramatic in every facet of the game," Dixon says.

"The intensity with which he does it [sets him apart]. He practices very hard. He goes very hard working out on his own. He really does push himself, and it's reflective in his improvement."

Young doesn't like to discuss his future or professional aspirations, but he would probably be well­served staying at Pitt for his senior year. None of the major mock drafts have him as a first­round pick this year.

"He's worth a closer look. I would probably say he's more of late second, undrafted kind of guy," a Western Conference executive says. "You can never say who might have put a cap on somebody's potential. The reality of it is that somebody isn't going to become a different player. But he definitely can improve [by returning for his senior season]."

Perhaps his greatest asset at the NBA level—be it this year or the next—would be the grit he could add to a team.

"Growing up where I grew up, you got to be tough," Young says. "The weak don't survive. You've got to be tough—mentally tough. You can't let a lot of situations bring you down or hinder your life or you're not going to make it in life," he says.

Young gives due credit for his success thus far to his upbringing. He has tattoos that represent his hometown. He isn't afraid or embarrassed to call Duquesne home.

But soon after he does, he steps out and joins those hustling college students outside the Petersen Events Center, reminding you what he's become—and that Duquesne is far from where he's going.

Seth Gruen covers college basketball for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @SethGruen and like him on Facebook at Facebook.com/SethGruen1.

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Alex Brandon/Associated Press Pittsburgh forwards Ryan Luther, left, and Michael Young celebrate after an NCAA college basketball game in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament against Syracuse on Wednesday. in Washington. Pittsburgh won 72­71.      LATEST IN Panthers' lack of NCAA tournament experience doesn't concern Dixon about 12 hours ago By Paul Zeise / Pittsburgh Post­Gazette Less than 24 hours after chemotherapy treatment, WASHINGTON — Pitt’s trip to the ACC tournament didn’t end in a championship, and it didn’t James Conner joins Pitt for spring drills change the Panthers’ NCAA tournament resume, either. 1 day ago

Five questions for Pitt football as 2016 spring But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a successful one. Two of the youngest Panthers came into their own practice begins 1 day ago and showed that the future of the program appears to be in good hands. Pitt, Wisconsin familiar foes in NCAA tournament 1 day ago Pitt beat Syracuse for the third time this season but lost to North Carolina in the quarterfinals. It’s http://www.post­gazette.com/sports/Pitt/2016/03/12/Emergence­of­Ryan­Luther­Cam­Johnson­give­Pitt­much­needed­lift/stories/201603110258 1/5 3/16/2016 Emergence of Ryan Luther, Cam Johnson give Pitt much­needed lift | Pittsburgh Post­Gazette

unclear if the games helped or hurt the Panthers’ NCAA tournament case, but the play of redshirt Ron Cook: A Pitt victory vs. Wisconsin will make it a freshman Cameron Johnson and sophomore Ryan Luther made coach Jamie Dixon smile. successful season 1 day ago

Johnson scored a career­high 24 points in the Panthers’ win against Syracuse. While he only scored NCAA tournament: Region­by­region breakdown 2 days ago four points against the Tar Heels, he started and played 29 minutes because he has developed into a much better defensive player. Dixon said Johnson’s growth in all the other areas has been clear, especially defensively, where his length on the perimeter has become a real asset. Four Quick Questions

News Quiz: A Sunoco in this neighborhood “He had a lot of confidence,” Dixon said. “He brought a lot of confidence with how he was shooting was just robbed for a second time in less the ball. Cameron has been playing so well, rebounding, defensively, and he makes shots. He has than a week. been playing better defensively every week; he is becoming one of our better defenders.” Shadyside Oakland Luther, who struggled through the early part of the season with scarce playing time and mixed East Liberty results, established himself as one of the Panthers’ most important players down the stretch in the Dormont regular season, and it continued into the ACC tournament. Submit

Powered by He is a forward but has played out of position at center all season. He has grown into a solid post Post­Gazette Question CivicScience defender, a very good rebounder and a player who stretches the other team’s defense with his ability to hit shots. College Basketball Luther had 13 points against Syracuse and sparked the Panthers when he scored two quick buckets Sooners' Lattin proud of grandfather's Texas that led to a run when the Panthers went from being down seven points to up by four. He said it Western legacy isn’t any secret that he has seen his playing time increase, almost weekly, but it didn’t happen by accident. President Obama makes his Final 4 picks; Kansas as champs

“That’s really all it is. I knew I couldn’t control anything but how hard I work, how much I worked Clemson leading scorer Jaron Blossomgame files for NBA draft and the parts of my game I needed to work on,” Luther said. “I really don’t think it is any more than that. I just know I have a lot more to work on and I need to keep getting better. Texas Western's championship looks different 50 years later

“All players want to play, but we have a lot of good players here in this locker room, and they all are 50 years later, Texas Western's win resonates capable and they all have contributed, so I just wanted to be ready when my number was called.” off the court

MORE HOME Luther’s emergence has been critical for the Panthers because they are undersized in the post and bigger teams can wear them down and create mismatches. But Luther gives Dixon another body to ADVERTISEMENT defend post players.

Luther can make 3­pointers and has the ability to hit mid­range jumpers, so he can pull bigger players away from the basket, much like Pitt’s top two post players, Mike Young and Sheldon Jeter.

Young said having two players like Johnson and Luther improve and become an important part of the rotation is huge for the Panthers because they ease some of the scoring load on him, James Robinson and Jamel Artis. He hopes it’s a good sign for next season.

“It was great to see Cam out there hitting shots for us, that really stretched things out for us,” Young said. “And you look at what Ryan has done, he has just gotten better and better. And when you see guys like that who just work hard and improve, you know that they are going to be successful. Create a free PG account. “They have made us better as they have gotten better.” Register ­ FREE

Robinson added, “We’re not surprised by Cam or Ryan. We have seen them play for two years now Already have an account? every day at practice. We know what they can do; we know what they are capable of.” Login

Johnson, who redshirted a year ago because his shoulder was hurt early in the season, came in to the program with Luther, and both are former WPIAL players (Johnson from Our Lady of the ADVERTISEMENT Sacred Heart, Luther from Hampton), so they share a bond.

http://www.post­gazette.com/sports/Pitt/2016/03/12/Emergence­of­Ryan­Luther­Cam­Johnson­give­Pitt­much­needed­lift/stories/201603110258 2/5 3/16/2016 Emergence of Ryan Luther, Cam Johnson give Pitt much­needed lift | Pittsburgh Post­Gazette Luther said he is happy he is playing more, but he’s also happy for Johnson because he’s worked just as hard on his game and it’s paying off now.

“Cam has crazy range,” Luther said. “But it is cool to see him get his chances, too, because he is a great player and a really good teammate. ... Like all of us, he just wants to do his part to help us win.”

Paul Zeise: pzeise@post­gazette.com and Twitter @paulzeise.

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JOHN MCVICKER 4 days ago Maybe find a couple of 6 ft 10 long bodies..move Johnson to shooting guard and Luther to small forwrd and you have more versatility Reply 0

Al Stark 4 days ago What drives me nuts about this team is they pass the ball around forever, dribble and dribble, run the game clock down to the final 5 seconds then make a panic throw at the hoop. Where's the guy that can drive down the lane? Where's the formidable go­to post­player? Right, there is none. Dixon continues to run this same offensive scheme each year and it get's him nowhere. We need a big man, we need to penetrate the post. Dixon needs to go or he needs an assistant coach without such blinders. Reply 2 replies 0

Kevin Dammeyer 4 days ago dixon doesn't have the personal, no one can beat their man off the dribble and get to the rim and the opposition knows this therefore they're forced to run a very boring, non threatening half court offense. They don't deserve a ticket to the dance and they probably won't get one ­ I would love to see them make a run at kevin willard. Reply 1 reply 0

Al Stark 4 days ago We're on the same page. The new sports AD needs to get involved, shake things up. Reply 0

Mick Kilyk 4 days ago Luther is an athletic 6' 8" with strength and will only get stronger. He hustles, runs the floor well, has some rebounding ability and shooting touch from the outside. I think he will be a tough match up for future opponents, if not in the first round game then next year. I think Jeter is in the same mold, but he has been so inconsistent that I do not feel like I can depend on him yet. Jeter has played a lot more than Luther this year. Reply 0

m g 4 days ago I was very down on Luther earlier this year. He really was pretty awful. He turned a corner in a hurry. Nice to see. He still has a tendency to turn the ball over, but it's still like night and day between early this year and now.

Now if only some folks on the team could shoot CONSISTENTLY well. :( http://www.post­gazette.com/sports/Pitt/2016/03/12/Emergence­of­Ryan­Luther­Cam­Johnson­give­Pitt­much­needed­lift/stories/201603110258 3/5 3/16/2016 Pitt redshirt freshman Johnson rises to challenge in ACC tourney opener | TribLIVE

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Figueroa (http://triblive.com/sports/pirates/10149683- using 74/figueroa-ball-spring) analytics, Getty Images physics Pitt's Cameron Johnson dunks in front of Syracuse's Michael Gbinije during the second half of their ACC Tournament second­round game Wednesday, March 9, 2016, in Washington. for edge in making Pirates' roster

BY JOHN HARRIS (MAILTO:[email protected]?SUBJECT=RE: PITT REDSHIRT FRESHMAN JOHNSON RISES TO CHALLENGE IN ACC TOURNEY OPENER STORY ON TRIBLIVE.COM) COLLEGE BASKETBALL VIDEOS http://triblive.com/sports/college/pitt/10115559­74/johnson­artis­pointers 1/4 3/16/2016 Pitt redshirt freshman Johnson rises to challenge in ACC tourney opener | TribLIVE

WASHIN G(hTttpOs:N//tw —itte rJ.uconmi/oJHr aJrarims_teribl )A r|tis W, wedhnoe sldeaayd, Ms aPrcitht 9in, 2 301-6, 7:48 p.m. pointers this year, presented a challenge that Pitt podcasts teammate Cameron Johnson eagerly accepted. Pitt Football 3‐15‐16 (http://sportstalk.triblive.com/download?  file=315PF16.mp3) “I actually told him at shootaround, ‘I'm a better Duration: 56:05 shooter than you.' He said, ‘No way,' ”Artis said after Hear from Pat Narduzzi, QB Nate Johnson responded with a career-high 24 points in Peterman and new Offensive Advertisement Pitt's 72-71 victory Wednesday over Syracuse in the Coordinator Matt Canada with Josh Taylor and Ken Lard on Pitt Football    second round of the ACC Tournament at Verizon Spring Practice. Center. (http://cinesport.triblive.com/triblive­ Pitt Podcast 3‐15‐16 (http://sportstalk.triblive.com/download? college­basketball/wichita­state­holds­ Johnson, a 6-foot-7 redshirt freshman who missed the file=315PITT16.mp3) vandy­advance/) final regular-season game at Georgia Tech with a Duration: 13:35 lacerated left elbow, also led the Panthers in field-goal Pitt Head Coach Jamie Dixon joins Wichita State Holds Off Vandy to Advance Ken Laird, Guy Junker and Tim Benz Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker combined for 28 points attempts (16), 3-point attempts (11) and rebounds to preview the NCAA Tournament to help Wichita State beat Vanderbilt 70­50 in a First (six). His minutes (32) and 3-pointers (four) also were Four game Tuesday night. Head coach Gregg Marshall game vs. Wisconsin. and VanVleet spoke after the game. career highs. Junker, Laird and Benz 3‐14‐16 (http://sportstalk.triblive.com/download? “We came here to shoot (Tuesday). I got a feel for the file=314TR16.mp3)  rims, for the hoop, for the environment,” Johnson said. Duration: 59:52 Steelers' Martavis Bryant faces 1-year “I was feeling it then.” suspension, Pens' Evgeni Malkin out More College BB Video Johnson, who starred at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart 6-8 wks, Pirates sign David Freese, Pitt (http://cinesport.triblive.com/triblive­ & WVU make NCAA Tournament (http://www.cinesport.com) and is third on the team in 3-pointers, was feeling it college­basketball/) when he stepped off the bus. Pitt Locker Room Blog

He replaced Artis with 13 minutes, 59 seconds to play (http://blog.triblive.com/college-locker- in the first half. He immediately fired off two 3-point room/) attempts, missing both. Narduzzi unsure about road Undaunted, he scored his first two baskets on layups trips in the spring 4‐QUESTION TRIB POLL before sandwiching a pair of 3-pointers around two (http://blog.triblive.com/college- free throws to close the half. locker- room/2016/03/15/narduzzi- “He has the mindset of a killer as far as shooting,” unsure-about-road-trips-in- junior Sheldon Jeter said. “He really believes in himself. the-spring/) He shoots a 3 whether it's contested, deep, no matter March 15, 2016 what.” When Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi met Johnson's 12 points in 14 minutes off the bench reporters Tuesday after the first helped the Panthers rally from a 10-point deficit and day of spring drills, I couldn’t resist asking him the ... grab a 31-29 lead at halftime. • Siragusa named broadcaster of the In the second half, Johnson hit two more 3-pointers, year (http://blog.triblive.com/college- locker-room/2016/03/12/siragusa- added a 2-point jumper and rammed down an named-broadcaster-of-the-year/) emphatic dunk in transition. • What if coaches could turn back the clock to their playing careers? “It's just a basketball game. That's how you approach (http://blog.triblive.com/college-locker- it,” said Johnson, whose scoring average increased room/2016/03/09/what-if-coaches-could- almost a point after Wednesday's performance, from turn-back-the-clock-to-their-playing- 4.3 to 5.0. “If you let the moment get to you, you won't careers/) play as well.” Email Newsletters

“Spoken like a coach,” said coach Jamie Dixon, who sat Sign up (http://signup.triblive.com/) for next to Johnson at the news conference. “We consider one of our email newsletters. him our best shooter, the guy we have the most confidence in.”

Back to Artis, who laid down the challenge to Johnson.

“They were keying on me a lot. I was distributing the basketball,” said Artis, who led the Panthers with five assists. “He has to keep shooting. If you don't, you let the team down. He was hot. Hopefully, he'll be hot the next game.”

John Harris is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or via Twitter @jharris_trib (https://twitter.com/jharris_trib).

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Jǻměș Řǿbįňșǿň ģěțțįňģ ħǿț ǻț řįģħț țįmě fǿř Pǻňțħěřș

Bỳ ČǻřđįǻčĦįŀŀ [1] @ǺňșǿňẄħǻŀěỳ [2] ǿň Mǻř 1, 2016, 8:00ǻ

Čħǻřŀěș ĿěČŀǻįřě-ŲȘǺ ŤǾĐǺỲ Șpǿřťș

ǿųř-ỳěǻř pǿįňť ģųǻřđ Jǻměș Řǿbįňșǿň ħǻș běěň mųčħ mǻŀįģňěđ ťħįș ỳěǻř. Bųť đǿẅň ťħě șťřěťčħ, ťħě Pįťť șěňįǿř įș F ťųřňįňģ įť ųp ǻ ŀěvěŀ ǻňđ ǻřģųǻbŀỳ pŀǻỳįňģ ťħě běșť bǻșķěťbǻŀŀ ǿf ħįș čǻřěěř ǻș ħěǻđ čǿǻčħ Jǻmįě Đįxǿň șǻįđ ǻfťěř ťħě Đųķě ģǻmě ǿň Șųňđǻỳ.

Řǿbįňșǿň įș ǻvěřǻģįňģ ǻ mǿđěșť 10.3 pǿįňťș pěř ģǻmě ťħįș șěǻșǿň ǻňđ ħǻș běěň ǻ fřěqųěňť ťǻřģěť fǿř čřįťįčįșm ťħǻť ħě ňěěđș ťǿ șčǿřě mǿřě. Ħě mųșť ħǻvě ħěǻřđ ťħǿșě čǿmpŀǻįňťș ŀǿųđ ǻňđ čŀěǻř běčǻųșě ŀǻťěŀỳ ħě'ș běčǿmě mǿřě ǿf ǻň ǿffěňșįvě fǿřčě. Ħě ħǻđ ħįș ǿňŀỳ 20-pǿįňť ģǻmě ťħįș șěǻșǿň įň ǻ 22-pǿįňť ěffǿřť įň ǻ đǿųbŀě ǿvěřťįmě ẅįň ǻģǻįňșť Ẅǻķě Fǿřěșť - ǻ ģǻmě ťħě Pǻňťħěřș čǿųŀđň'ť ǻffǿřđ ťǿ ŀǿșě. Ǿvěř ťħě pǻșť fįvě ģǻměș, ħě ħǻș ųppěđ ħįș ǻvěřǻģě ťǿ 15.2 pǿįňťș ǻ čǿňťěșť.

Ňǿẅ, ẅħįŀě Řǿbįňșǿň įșň'ť ěxǻčťŀỳ Șťěpħ Čųřřỳ ǿųť ťħěřě, ťħě Pįťť ģųǻřđ įș ǻť ŀěǻșť mǻķįňģ mǿřě ǿf ħįș șħǿťș. Ħě'ș ǿňŀỳ ǻť 38% ǿň ťħě șěǻșǿň bųť įň ťħě pǻșť fǿųř ģǻměș įș ųp ǿvěř 45%. Ťħǻť'ș ǻ mųčħ mǿřě mǻňǻģěǻbŀě ňųmběř ǻňđ mǻķěș įť ŀěșș đįffįčųŀť ťǿ ǻvǿįđ čřįňģįňģ ẅħěň ħě ħǿįșťș ųp ǻ jųmp șħǿť. Ħě'ș mǿřě čǿňșįșťěňť ǻňđ ěvěň ģěťťįňģ ťǿ ťħě bǻșķěť.

Ťħě ģǿǿđ ňěẅș įș ťħǻť ħįș ǿffěňșě ħǻș ģǿťťěň běťťěř ẅįťħǿųť ǻňỳ șǻčřįfįčě ťǿ ħįș řěňǿẅňěđ ǻșșįșť-ťǿ-ťųřňǿvěř mǻřģįň. İň fǻčť, ǿvěř ťħě ŀǻșť fǿųř ģǻměș, ħě įș ǻčťųǻŀŀỳ ǻvěřǻģįňģ mǿřě ǻșșįșťș (6.0) ťħǻň ħįș șěǻșǿň ǻvěřǻģě (5.2) ẅħįŀě ťųřňįňģ ťħě bǻŀŀ ǿvěř ŀěșș (1.0 ťųřňǿvěř pěř ģǻmě ǿvěř ťħě ŀǻșť fǿųř ťǿ ħįș 1.1 șěǻșǿň ǻvěřǻģě). İť'ș přěťťỳ řěmǻřķǻbŀě ťħǻť Řǿbįňșǿň ħǻș běěň ǻbŀě ťǿ șħǿųŀđěř mǿřě ǿf ǻň ǿffěňșįvě ŀǿǻđ ẅħįŀě șŀįģħťŀỳ įmpřǿvįňģ ųpǿň ǻň ǻŀřěǻđỳ șťěŀŀǻř ǻșșįșť-ťǿ-ťųřňǿvěř mǻřģįň.

İň ǻđđįťįǿň, ħě'ș ǻŀșǿ běěň ňěǻřŀỳ pěřfěčť fřǿm ťħě fřěě ťħřǿẅ ŀįňě ǿvěř ťħǻť șťřěťčħ, mǻķįňģ 15 ǿf ħįș 17 ǻťťěmpťș. Ħįș 88% čǿňvěřșįǿň řǻťě ťħěřě įș șįģňįfįčǻňťŀỳ ħįģħěř ťħǻň ħįș 77% șěǻșǿň ǻvěřǻģě. Řǿbįňșǿň ħǻș běěň čŀųťčħ, ťǿǿ. Ǻ běťťěř ěxǻmpŀě ǿf ťħǻť čǻň'ť bě fǿųňđ ťħǻň įň ħįș ěffǿřť ǻģǻįňșť ťħě Đěmǿň Đěǻčǿňș įň ťħǻť ǻfǿřěměňťįǿňěđ ģǻmě. Ħě čǿňňěčťěđ ǿň ǻ ťħřěě-pǿįňť șħǿť ťǿ șěňđ ťħě ģǻmě įňťǿ ǿvěřťįmě, mǻđě ǻ ķěỳ șťěǻŀ ǻňđ fřěě ťħřǿẅ ňěǻř ťħě ěňđ ǿf ťħǻť ǿvěřťįmě ťǿ șěňđ įť ťǿ ǻ șěčǿňđ ǿvěřťįmě, ťħěň mǻđě fįvě fřěě ťħřǿẅș įň ťħě fįňǻŀ ťħįřťỳ șěčǿňđș ǿf ťħě fįňǻŀ ǿvěřťįmě ťǿ ħěŀp ẅįň įť. Ẅįťħ ħįș ħěŀp, Pįťť ǻvǿįđěđ ťħě ŀǿșș ťħěỳ čǿųŀđň'ť ǻffǿřđ ǻňđ Řǿbįňșǿň ňěǻřŀỳ ħǻđ ǻ ťřįpŀě đǿųbŀě, ẅįťħ 22 pǿįňťș, ťěň řěbǿųňđș, ǻňđ ňįňě ǻșșįșťș.

Ǿvěřǻŀŀ, ħě jųșť șěěmș ťǿ bě pŀǻỳįňģ ẅįťħ ǻ ťǿň ǿf čǿňfįđěňčě. Ťħěřě ẅǻș ǻ pŀǻỳ įň ťħě Đųķě ģǻmě ẅħěřě ħě čǿmpŀěťěŀỳ șħǿǿķ ǻ đěfěňđěř ǿff ťħě đřįbbŀě ǻňđ ẅħįŀě įť đįđň'ť įmměđįǻťěŀỳ řěșųŀť įň ǻ bǻșķěť, įť ẅǻș ǻ șħǿẅ ǿf ěxťřěmě ǻťħŀěťįčįșm - șǿměťħįňģ ẅě řǻřěŀỳ ħǻvě șěěň fřǿm ħįm. Ħě ẅǻș ŀǿǿșě ǿųť ťħěřě ǻňđ pŀǻỳįňģ ẅěŀŀ. Ǻfťěř ťħě ģǻmě, Čǿǻčħ Ķ ģǻvě ħįm ǻ șųpřěmě čǿmpŀįměňť, șǻỳįňģ ħě ẅǻș "ǻ ģřěǻť řěpřěșěňťǻťįvě ťǿ ťħě přǿģřǻm, ťħě čįťỳ, ěvěřỳťħįňģ."

Řǿbįňșǿň įșň'ť pěřfěčť, ǿf čǿųřșě. Ħě șťįŀŀ pŀǻỳș přěťťỳ șųșpěčť đěfěňșě ǻňđ přǿbǻbŀỳ șťįŀŀ ťǻķěș ťǿǿ mǻňỳ ťħřěě-pǿįňťěřș. Ħįș čǻřěěř įș ẅįňđįňģ đǿẅň ǻňđ ħě'ș ňǿť ģǿįňģ ťǿ ťųřň įňťǿ ǻň ǻbșǿŀųťě șųpěřșťǻř ǿvěřňįģħť. Ťħǿșě ťħįňģș ǻřěň'ť ŀįķěŀỳ ťǿ čħǻňģě ťħě řěșť ǿf ťħě ẅǻỳ. Bųť ǿvěř ťħě ŀǻșť șěvěřǻŀ ģǻměș ẅħěň Pįťť'ș șěǻșǿň ħǻș běěň ǿň ťħě ŀįňě, ħě'ș șťěppěđ ųp bįģ ťįmě. Řǿbįňșǿň ħǻșň'ť běěň ťħě șǿŀě řěǻșǿň ťħě Pǻňťħěřș' șěǻșǿň ħǻș ǻ běťťěř ǿųťŀǿǿķ, bųť ǿvěř ťħě pǻșť șěvěřǻŀ ģǻměș, ħįș řǿŀě ǻș ǻ ťěǻm ŀěǻđěř čǻň'ť bě qųěșťįǿňěđ.

Bě șųřě ťǿ jǿįň Čǻřđįǻč Ħįŀŀ'ș Fǻčěbǿǿķ pǻģě [4] ǻňđ fǿŀŀǿẅ ųș ǿň Ťẅįťťěř@PįťťPǻňťħěřBŀǿģ [5] fǿř ǿųř SUBSCRIBE LOG IN REGISTER Obituaries Events Jobs Real Estate Cars Classified PG Store

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Panthers find complement to Mike Young, ADVERTISEMENT Jamel Artis and James Robinson January 1, 2016 12:00 AM

North Carolina Rising Early In ACC Play | ACC Now ACC Digital Network

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Kris Dunn College UVA Basketball: LATEST IN

Pitt leads Division I in free­throw shooting, and dividends are readily apparent about 14 hours ago

Pitt finalizes 2017 non­conference football schedule 1 day ago

Pitt basketball proves it has enough game to win on the road 1 day ago Matt Freed/Post­Gazette Pitt's Sheldon Jeter dunks against Syracuse late in the second half Wednesday night at Petersen Events Center. Pitt safety Jordan Whitehead named to another freshman All­American team      1 day ago By Paul Zeise / Pittsburgh Post­Gazette By Paul Zeise / Pittsburgh Post­Gazette Graduate transfers providing big boost for Pitt basketball Mike Young, Jamel Artis and James Robinson have been Pitt’s main three options on offense, but 2 days ago Jamie Dixon has been searching for a fourth player to emerge to help them carry the load. District roundup: Pitt women fall in 3 overtimes to N.C. State Enter Sheldon Jeter. 2 days ago

He had 11 points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench Wednesday in the Panthers’ 72­61 Four Quick Questions win against Syracuse in their ACC opener at Petersen Events Center. Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict said "I hate Pittsburgh." Do you hate the Bengals That included a personal 7­0 run in the final three minutes that featured two dunks and an old­ now? fashioned 3­point play that finished off the Orange. Yes, 100% I wouldn't say 'hate' Dixon has described Jeter as “streaky” and said that, although he comes off the bench, he really is No, not at all like a sixth starter. No opinion, honestly

Submit “I look at Sheldon as one of our four [main offensive weapons],” Dixon said. “When he comes in we Powered by run plays for him. We run plays for four guys — Jamel, Mike, James and Sheldon. That’s what we’re Post­Gazette Question CivicScience doing, and he knows that. During the last couple of games we’ve been doing that.

ADVERTISEMENT “He really is a starter, at least that’s how I see him. Call him what you will, but he’s going to be a guy who’s getting major minutes and probably a guy who’s going to get minutes late in games.”

Jeter, a 6­foot­8 junior from Beaver Falls who started a number of games down the stretch of last season, has been used off the bench this year because of the instant offense he usually provides when he gets into the game. He averages 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in 16 minutes per game, but those numbers figure to increase as his minutes increase.

But winning, not numbers, is what motivates him.

“Anytime I come into the game I just want to bring energy to the team,” Jeter said. “Usually if I don’t bring it, I’m coming back out so I really just look to come in with energy and finish plays.” College Basketball

Texas says no evidence of academic Jeter, Young, Robinson and Artis, along with either shooting guard (Sterling Smith or Chris Jones) misconduct have proven to be the best lineup the Panthers have, and Dixon has found a way to get Jeter minutes by using him at both power forward and center. When he is at center and Young at power Maine's up­tempo offensive blows past UMass Lowell 95­81 forward, the Panthers sacrifice size, but they cause other teams headaches with their ability to step out and knock down shots. Football's over. It's time for hoops

Dixon said that the versatility of Young, Artis and Jeter is a big reason the Panthers are so good UNLV defeats New Mexico 86­74 in coach offensively. Todd Simon's debut

Kingsley, Arkansas cruise past Missouri 94­61 “That is our best offensive group, with those three guys out there together,” Dixon said. “If we keep Jamel in against a zone in that group, it really is pretty hard to guard. Those three can make mid­ MORE HOME range shots, they make layups, which we need more of, and they make free throws.

ADVERTISEMENT “You talk about three guys that make free throws at a high rate like they do, and that is very rare, especially for three guys at 6­foot­7/6­foot­8 or whatever. And they all rebound, and we need their rebounding.”

Against Syracuse, Jeter and Artis had nine rebounds and Young had seven, a total of 25. And their ability to shoot free throws? The trio is 107 of 124 this season, a ridiculous success rate of 86.3 percent.

Pitt (11­1, 1­0 ACC) faces non­conference foe Maryland­Eastern Shore (3­11) Saturday, and then jumps back into ACC play for the rest of the season, starting Wednesday with a home game against Georgia Tech (10­3). SUBSCRIBE LOG IN REGISTER Obituaries Events Jobs Real Estate Cars Classified PG Store

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Michael Henniger/Post­Gazette Pitt's Mike Young, shooting during Pittsburgh Pro Am summer basketball.      By Paul Zeise / Pittsburgh Post­Gazette By Paul Zeise / Pittsburgh Post­Gazette Four Quick Questions

Mike Young knew that he was going to move from center to power forward for this season so he Will the Steelers make it to the Super Bowl decided to make sure that he transformed his game accordingly in the offseason. this year?

Yes That meant getting used to playing offense facing the basket and from outside the paint. But it also No meant he needed to develop his ballhandling and shooting. I'm not sure/no opinion

But Young’s focus wasn’t the same as many of these “stretch four” type players — power forwards Submit who stretch the defense away from the basket — who have become common in the modern game. Powered by Post­Gazette Question CivicScience He wanted to develop his mid­range game as opposed to his 3­point shot.

ADVERTISEMENT The results have been evident as Young, a junior, has become a good mid­range shooter, and that combined with his ability to drive to the basket has made him a really difficult player to guard.

Through nine games, Young is the Panthers’ leading scorer (17.4 points per game) and rebounder (8 per game); he is shooting 60 percent from the floor while attempting — and missing — only two 3­pointers.

“I definitely worked on my jump shot, and it was in anticipation of going back to the [power forward spot],” Young said. “I really tried at the beginning of the summer to work on my jump shot, I tried to get my rhythm back with that out to 18 feet, maybe out to 3­pointer a little bit, but really just trying to get my jump shot rhythm coming off last year when I played maybe 95 percent in the post.” Create a free PG account. Young said his first choice is to score in the post, but if he can do that and also pull the player defending him out to the perimeter, it will open up the offense and give teammates driving lanes Register ­ FREE and opportunities to score. Already have an account?

“My goal is to always to come out and rebound and play defense and start inside then go out,” Login Young said. “I want to start on the inside, get some layups try to get going and then hit a few jump shots if the opportunity presents itself, but my main goal is to get some rebounds and get to the ADVERTISEMENT basket.”

Young is coming off a 20­point, 6­rebound performance in a 72­62 win Sunday against Morehead State, and prior to that he scored 21 points Dec. 11 in the Panthers’ 84­51 rout of Eastern Washington.

Those performances sold Eastern Washington coach Jim Hayford on Young’s jump shot and ability to stretch defenses.

“Let me put it this way, he’s one of the best players that I’ve seen that can shoot the 15­17 footer that can’t shoot the 3,” Hayford said. “You have to respect him, and they do a good job of getting him the ball where he can be dangerous and then you have to guard the drive game, which he is really good at.”

Young and the Panthers (8­1) will travel to New York and play Davidson (7­1) at noon Sunday at Madison Square Garden in the featured game of the Gotham Classic.

It will be Young’s second opportunity to play at the Garden in his Pitt career as he was a freshman in 2013­14 when the Panthers lost to Cincinnati, 44­43, in the Jimmy V Classic.

Though the Panthers lost that game, Young said the opportunity to play at Madison Square Garden was special.

“My first time playing there was really fun,” Young said. “I think I was in kind of [amazement], thinking about all the great players who have played there and watching some of the present players — like Kobe [Bryant], Lebron [James] and Carmelo [Anthony] — play there, just to be out there in that atmosphere on the court and in the locker rooms and different aspects of the arena.

“Playing there, I was just really amazed. I was kind of starstruck by it all.”

Paul Zeise: pzeise@post­gazette.com and Twitter @paulzeise.

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Matt Freed/Post­Gazette Pitt's Ryan Luther dunks against Detroit in the first half Friday night at the Petersen Events Center.

By Paul Zeise / Pittsburgh Post­Gazette LATEST IN With two graduate transfer post players coming in and three others returning who had played Gene Collier: If Landry Jones is talking, something significant minutes for the Pitt Panthers last year, it appeared as if sophomore Ryan Luther’s best is amiss for Steelers path was to redshirt this season and then return in 2016­17 when the depth chart cleared up a little about 12 hours ago bit. Gene Collier: It's been a tough year for NFL quarterbacks, and not just with Steelers 5 days ago That might have been the plan, but Luther had other ideas. Gene Collier: Rule changes in college basketball require a trip to the classroom Early in the preseason, coach Jamie Dixon made it clear that Luther was not only competing to be 1 week ago in in the rotation, but also was going to be a big part of the rotation because of the way he had developed, physically and as a defender. Gene Collier: Cleveland Clowns help Steelers cruise to win 2 weeks ago In the 95­79 win Friday against Detroit, Luther, who is 6 feet 9, 220 pounds, showed a glimpse of Gene Collier: Steelers­Browns matchup a recipe the kind of player he can be, scoring a career­high 15 points and pulling down a career­high 11 for disaster rebounds. At one point, Luther scored six points in a row, and he had three dunks in the game, 2 weeks ago including an alley­oop to finish a fastbreak that brought the crowd at Petersen Events Center to its Gene Collier: Steelers defense must shake feet. inconsistency 2 weeks ago

Luther’s play might have surprised people outside the program, but not Dixon or his teammates. And, his coach said, Luther’s improvement should be a lesson for younger players ADVERTISEMENT about the value of hard work, effort and commitment.

“He is stronger and he is finishing better around the basket,” Dixon said. “He is working harder and he’s in the gym more. He has become a gym rat, which he thought he was until we showed him what working hard really is. He’s good and he has all the skills.”

Luther probably would have redshirted last season if not for a rash of injuries on the team. Dixon said that while Luther had a productive first season, he would have benefited from sitting out and getting bigger and stronger. But now Luther will use the experience he gained last season plus the work he put in the offseason to become a key player for the Panthers this year.

“I know that’s a guy that wasn’t so­called ranked high and all those different things, but he is going to be a good player,” Dixon said. “We would have liked to redshirt him last year. He’s ready to go and he’s a good player. You will be seeing a lot of him going forward.” Create a free PG account. Luther, who has played power forward and center, said he didn’t ever think he’d become strictly a post player in college but he has learned how to play both positions and is thankful he can get on the Register ­ FREE floor. Already have an account?

“I’m definitely a lot more comfortable this year,” Luther said. “I think most of that has been from Login improving on defense because once I get into the flow of the defense everything else comes easier, especially on the offensive end. I think emphasizing defense has really gotten me into the flow of ADVERTISEMENT the game rather than being cold.”

Starting forward Mike Young said he is happy that Luther’s hard work has paid off because it is clear he was committed in the summer to getting stronger and more physical.

“He really took the weight room seriously, as far as getting his body right, getting stronger and quicker.” Young said. “He upped his conditioning and his confidence. I think his confidence is the biggest improvement as far as him knowing that he should be out there playing, and knowing that when he gets out there that he belongs."

Luther said he knows that playing against Detroit, which didn’t have a big frontcourt and played mostly from the perimeter and in transition, was just a first step and that there will be bigger challenges down the road. Even though the game against Gonzaga was canceled at halftime, he did play against an imposing frontcourt for a half and held his own defensively.

“It gave me a lot of confidence because they have some of the best big­men in the country. So being able to defend and compete gave me confidence,” Luther said. “And although, these last two games they didn’t have the size; they were much smaller guys, but that competitiveness on the defensive end got me going.”

Pitt (2­0) will play twice this week around the Thanksgiving holiday, facing Cornell Wednesday and Kent State Saturday at Petersen Events Center.

Paul Zeise: pzeise@post­gazette.com, 412­263­1720 and Twitter @paulzeise.

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HEAD COACH JAMIE DIXON Jan. 4, 2016

PITTSBURGH – University of Pittsburgh men’s basketball head coach Jamie Dixon will compete in the Infiniti Coaches’ Charity Challenge in effort to earn $100,000 for the Maggie Dixon Foundation. Now in its fifth year, the program consists of 48 NCAA Division I men’s basketball coaches competing for fan votes in a four­round online bracket tournament that helps raise money for charities of the coaches’ choice.

Beginning January 4, fans will decide who the winner is over a four­round, 10­week period, casting votes on a custom online microsite at www.ESPN.com\Infiniti. Voters can cast their votes for one coach’s charity each day.

As an official corporate partner of the NCAA, Infiniti will make total donations throughout the competition of $349,000. As coaches advance throughout the competition, donations totaling $249,000 will be awarded to each of their charities of choice; the farther the coaches advance, the more money they raise. The final winning coach will receive a total of $100,000 to benefit his charity of choice.

The first round of voting takes place January 4 and runs through January 24, with half of the coaches advancing to a second round, held between January 25 and February 14. From February 15 to Feb. 28, the 16 advancing coaches from round two will compete in a third round where only four coaches advance to the final, fourth round. From Feb. 29 to March 13, fans can vote for one coach, per region, per day, with the top vote­getting coach and charity announced on March 14, 2016.

Maggie Dixon Foundation The Maggie Dixon Foundation promotes awareness of sudden cardiac death and the need for early diagnoses and preventative treatment. The foundation, created to honor of the late Maggie Dixon, who was the vibrant, passionate and successful head coach of the Army Black Knights women's basketball team, was co­founded by Jamie Dixon and his older sister, Julie. In 2006, Maggie Dixon guided her team to its first­ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Just weeks later, Maggie died suddenly due to a heart arrhythmia. She was only 28 years old. Dixon to Participate in Infiniti Coaches’ Charity Challenge Vote Now at ESPN.com\Infiniti Pittsburgh SIGN UP FOR NEWSLETTERS CBS Local Rewards 2 Log In Register Search 46° SPONSORED BY

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Jamie Dixon: Season­Opening ‘Half A Win’ Counts For Something

November 23, 2015 11:37 AM

Filed Under: Armed Forces Classic, Gonzaga, Jamie Dixon, Japan, Okinawa, Pitt basketball, Pitt Panthers, The Fan Morning Show

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GREENSBORO, NC ­ MARCH 15: Head coach Jamie Dixon of the Pittsburgh Panthers reacts against the Virginia Cavaliers during the semifinals of the 2014 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 15, 2014 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH (93­7 The Fan) – Pitt men’s basketball head coach Jamie Dixon joined “The Fan Morning Show” on Friday with his team sitting at 2­0 after three games.

Yes, you read that right. Advertisements Pitt’s season has become somewhat of an anomaly due to their  season­opening matchup against Gonzaga in Okinawa, Japan. 2 The game was called at halftime due to unsafe court conditions, 1. How Old Men Tighten making Pitt’s most visible and intriguing game to date one that didn’t Skin a month ago even count. api.avidadserver.com www.lifecellskin.com (sponsored) Products To Tighten Loose, Sagging The irony of that isn’t lost on Dixon, but he’s trying to embrace the Face Skin, Without... positive side of it.

“Obviously, there wasn’t a result,” Dixon said. “But, everybody in the country was watching, and probably watched it moreso because of how things turned out.”

Even though the game wasn’t official, Dixon liked that his team was able to show what it can do with so many people watching.

“They saw us with a lead at halftime,” Dixon said. “They saw a team that played hard. I don’t know that we played great, but we played hard. We played unselfish…we played with great energy…I know we’ve got a lot of work to do, and we know we’ve got some things to improve on.”

MORE NEWS In the wake of this game, some have questioned the wisdom in Injury Report: Steelers In sending college teams overseas for events like the Armed Forces Good Health For Week 12 Classic, due to logistical concerns such as scheduling, travel , and In Seattle court conditions. Opponent Profile: Colts A Better Match With But, Dixon wasn’t focused on that. Steelers In Week 13 Even Without Peyton “What an unbelievable experience,” Dixon said. “As far as Manning, Patriots­Broncos Is Game Of The Week representing the university and the city, and everybody watching the game, and seeing the Marines…unbelievable.”

And with that in mind, Dixon doesn’t view the event as a failure.

“Even with half a win, it was a great experience and a trip that I wish every team could go and be a part of,” Dixon said.

The interview can be heard here:

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More from The Fan Morning Show Jamie Dixon happy with Pitt's backcourt additions, especially Sterling Smith November 19, 2015 10:25 PM By Paul Zeise / Pittsburgh Post­Gazette

Sterling Smith was recruited to Pitt by Jamie Dixon as a graduate transfer because he was a tall guard who could hit the 3­pointer, and it didn’t take him long to find his way into the starting lineup.

Surprisingly, Smith’s sharpshooting isn’t what has earned him a spot in the lineup and the minutes he has played — it has been his defense, and that has been refreshing for him because it is something he takes a lot of pride in.

He said he found out pretty quickly after he arrived how important defense is to Pitt’s success, so he buckled down and made sure that he showed he was more than just a jump shooter.

“I definitely grasp the concept of defense, that’s what [Dixon] stresses,” Smith said. “My freshman year in college [at Coppin State], I was not as skilled, not a shooter so much. I would just hustle a lot, and that’s how I got my playing time, so I kind of had to get back to that coming here.

“But I definitely like it, because last year at Coppin State we lacked defense, but I know here that’s how we are going to win games.”

Smith, who is 6 feet 4, is expected to be in the starting lineup again tonight when Pitt (1­0) plays host to Detroit (1­0) in a game that feels a lot more like the Panthers’ home opener than Tuesday’s 84­43 destruction of Division II Saint Joseph’s, Ind.

Smith, along with junior­college transfer Jonathan Milligan and freshman Damon Wilson, was brought in to help bolster the backcourt depth after Cameron Wright graduated and Josh Newkirk and Durand Johnson transferred.

Dixon said all three have been welcome additions and bring different things to the Panthers, but Smith, because of his experience, has fit right in and stepped into a leadership role. He said the interesting thing about Smith earning a starting spot is that he hasn’t done the one thing he does really well — shoot — yet, but he has been very good in every other area and that includes his hustle.

“I like the size that Sterling brings, he plays bigger than he is, he rebounds well for his position and he plays with great intensity,” Dixon said. “We haven’t seen him shoot it great, but obviously he has done that, his percentages indicate that.

“If he gives us the shooting we think he can, I think he brings a lot to the table. His intensity and his unselfishness and his experience — he just has a maturity about him. He works really hard, he is improving and he has brought all those intangibles with him.”

Smith, who is from Chico, Calif., only took three 3­point attempts Tuesday and made just one, but he said he isn’t worried about getting his shot back because that will come as he gets more comfortable with the offense. He said there are times he might have passed up some shots or didn’t look for an opening to shoot Tuesday, but he will figure those things out as he plays more games with his new team.

In three years at Coppin State, Smith scored in double figures in 45 games and had three or more 3­ pointers in 20. He said that background gives him confidence to know that he will become a productive offensive player at Pitt, as well.

“I’m still kind of seeing the niches and figuring out where I can get shots in the offense,” Smith said. “I’m definitely picking it up, so I am not too worried about that right now. I know it will come along as we progress.”

Dixon said Smith’s ability to defend will ensure he gets plenty of opportunities to play and figure out his offense, and he said playing him alongside James Robinson means he has two veteran players in the backcourt to lean on.

But he also likes the potential of Wilson and Milligan and said they will have opportunities to play a lot of minutes, as well, particularly as they gain more experience.

“Damon, when he has practiced, he has practiced well, and he has some tools,” Dixon said. “I thought he played very well the last five minutes down the stretch the other night, so we just want to get him out there and see what he can do.

“And with Milligan, I think we have some options — they are both very coachable kids. In Jonathan, we have seen him really quickly pick up on things, so he has improved.” One thing the Panthers have going for them tonight is that Detroit will be without its best player, Paris Bass, who was a Horizon League preseason player of the year candidate, because he is suspended indefinitely for violating team rules.

Paul Zeise: pzeise@post­gazette.com, 412­263­1720 and Twitter @paulzeise.

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Jamie Dixon leaning on bench in early going Yes it has only been three games and no the competition hasn’t been very good at all, but Pitt head basketball coach Jamie Dixon may be able to do something this season that he hasn’t been able to the past few seasons.

That would be being able to turn to a bench that has depth and talent.

Through the Panthers three contests this season, Dixon has had the opportunity to go 12 deep against some weak competition, but of the 12 that are part of his regular rotation, the seven guys coming off the pine all bring something that can help the Panthers throughout the season.

Through three games, the Panthers bench has averaged 46.3 points per game, including a season­best 50 points against Detroit. They followed that up with a 45­point effort in a blowout win Wednesday against Cornell.

“We have some skill,” said Dixon. “We’ve been playing 12­13 guys. I don’t know that will continue all the way through, but we have some guys playing really well off the bench.”

One of those guys is redshirt junior Chris Jones who has experience as a starter and has adjusted nicely to coming off the bench as a shooter.

That was evident Wednesday night when Pitt steamrolled Cornell when Jones scored 15 points, knocking down 3­of­4 shots from behind the arc.

“We have a lot of guys that can come off the bench,” said Jones. “We are doing a good job. We have guys that can come in and play good defense and be energy guys and shoot the ball well. I think the bench is doing a good job of following up the starting five.”

Jones and Cameron Johnson add quality shooting off the bench for Dixon, something that has been invisible from Pitt teams the past couple seasons.

“Chris is getting better and better and is getting back in a rhythm,” said Dixon. “

It’s not just perimeter shooting that the bench can bring to the table as they can add frontcourt depth as well.

Sophomore Ryan Luther posted his first career double­double with 15 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Detroit and junior Sheldon Jeter posted a double­double in Pitt’s season opening win vs. St. Joseph’s College.

“I’m definitely a lot more comfortable,” said Luther. “I think most of that has been from improving on defense because once I get into the flow of the defense everything else comes easier, especially on the offensive end. I think emphasizing defense has really gotten me into the flow of the game rather than being cold.”

Throw Rafael Maia into the mix and Dixon can bring three solid options off the bench to spell starters Michael Young and Alonzo Nelson­Ododa. Not only can the bench add some scoring punch, but they can effectively help on the glass, which was a terrible weakness for Pitt last season.

“Rafael is playing better so we feel real good about him,” Dixon said. “Ryan had a big night the other night. Sheldon has been good. I like the interchangeable parts we can bring off the bench.”

Pitt also can bring a couple of young ball handlers off the bench in junior Jonathan Milligan and freshman Damon Wilson, who can spell starters James Robinson and Sterling Smith. Both Milligan and Wilson have shown some promise at times early on, which is an encouraging sign for Dixon.

“The defense is always the challenge,” Dixon said. “Damon has a real knack to make plays in transition. It’s just going to be getting used to the new rules and the college game. He’s been doing well considering how much practice he missed.”

Of course none of that matters if the bench can’t produce when the competition gets better and there’s a lot of basketball to be played this season before we can make a real assessment of the talent on this Pitt team.

But there is a lot more talent at Dixon’s disposal than he has had the past couple of seasons.

If he works things correctly, this bench could turn out to be a very nice weapon as the season goes on.

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Blogger Larger text Smaller text | Order Photo Reprints Dixon adds defense­first guard to Pitt's Class of 2016

By John Harris ACC Videos Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015, 2:12 p.m.

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon is demanding better defense from his players this season. Justice Kithcart, a member of the 2016­17 recruiting class who signed with the Panthers on Wednesday, is a defense­first guard. “That's one of the best things about him,” said Curtis Staples, a former star guard at Virginia who coaches Kithcart at Virginia Episcopal School. “He really brings it.” Kithcart was a late commitment who selected the Panthers in September over Creighton, Memphis, ACC: Irish Rally for Conference Title Duquesne, Wichita State and Charlotte. Notre Dame 90, North Carolina 82 ­ Jerian Grant led ND Kithcart is a member of Pitt's three­player class that with 24 points and 10 assists, earning him Tournament also includes forward Corey Manigault and combo guard MVP honors. Fellow senior Pat Connaughton also Crisshawn Clark. contributed with 20 points. Get More College Basketball Video All three players signed with the Panthers on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period. “He's tenacious,” Staples said about Kithcart, who is listed at 6­foot­2 and 170 pounds. “He plays that way on both sides of the ball. You can tell he wants to win. That stands out immediately.” Kithcart is expected to play point guard at Pitt. James Robinson is a senior, and junior­college transfer Jonathan Milligan will be a senior next season. Freshman Damon Wilson also plays point guard. Dixon said he wants to rotate multiple players at every position to keep them fresh, especially at the defensive end. John Harris is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at [email protected] or via Twitter @jharris_trib.

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Blogger Larger text Smaller text | Order Photo Reprints Two recruits sign letters of intent with Pitt

By John Harris ACC Videos Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015, 9:24 p.m.

Two members of the 2016 Pitt's men's basketball recruiting class signed letters of intent Wednesday on the first day of the early signing period. Paul VI High (Va.) forward Corey Manigault and Canada (Calif.) College guard Crisshawn Clark inked with the Panthers. A third recruit, Virginia Episcopal School guard Justice Kithcart, announced in September he also is expected to sign with the Panthers. The early signing period ends Nov. 18. Manigault (6­foot­9, 250 pounds) committed in March. ACC: Notre Dame NCAA Tournament Recruited by assistant coach Marlon Williamson, Preview Manigault selected the Panthers over Georgetown, As the ACC Champs prepared to start their journey in the Maryland, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest. He was rated NCAA tournament, we look forward to the opponents they as a three­star prospect by Scout and Rivals. will face on the way to the big dance as well as hear from “It's such a great fit,” Paul VI coach Glenn Farello said. head coach Mike Brey! “He's extended his shooting range, and he's gotten bigger and stronger.” A native of Ohio, the 6­4 Clark spent one year in junior college developing his game as a combo guard. He was rated as a three­star recruit by Rivals. Clark is expected to redshirt at Canada College this season. He will have three years of eligibility with the Panthers. The 6­1 Kithcart also received offers from Creighton, Wichita State, Charlotte, Duquesne, DePaul and Memphis. Scout ranks him as a three­star prospect. Note: The Pitt women's basketball team announced the signings of Alayna Gribble and Jasmine Whitney to letters of intent. Gribble, a 6­foot shooting guard from Norwin, is ranked the 33rd­best position player in the country and 118th overall by ProspectNation.com. Email Newsletters Whitney, a 5­9 point guard and a classmate of men's Sign up for one of our email newsletters. recruit Manigault at Paul VI High (Va.), is rated the 25th­best position player in her class by ESPN and is a VIDEO 4­star recruit according to ProspectNation.com. More Videos John Harris is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at [email protected] or via Twitter @jharris_trib.