Win or lose, one thing that Pitt Panthers’ head coach Jamie Dixon can almost certainly depend on is the fact that his team will crash the boards. Usually always one of the best rebounding teams in the nation, the Panthers can usually be counted on to limit opponents to one shot per possession and usually can create more than a few second shot opportunities for themselves at the offensive end.
However that hasn’t been the case the past three games as Pitt hasn’t done a great job rebounding the ball.
Throughout the first four games of the season, the Panthers outrebounded the opposition by an impressive 59 boards. However beginning with their loss to Michigan, Pitt has been outrebounded by seven in their past three games. That may not seem like a lot, but considering the fact that they also played Delaware and Howard in that span, it’s not a good sign.
“We have to do a better job rebounding, said Dixon. “We started off the year with good numbers but have been outrebounded in two of the past three games. We have spent time addressing it but it’s just not getting done. It is something that should be a strength of ours but it’s just not right now. We have to get it figured out.”
The overall rebounding numbers would suggest that Pitt is a poor rebounding team, but that’s not the case at all. Only two players average over five rebounds per game- Talib Zanna (6.0) and Dante Taylor (5.6) – and the Panthers rank 218th in the nation pulling down only 34.1 rebounds per game.
However there are circumstances that lead to such a low number, including forcing turnovers and shooting a high percentage from the floor.
“We’re forcing a lot of turnovers so there are less possessions and that’s part of it,” added Dixon. “But we still aren’t doing a good job. There are a lot of balls we are getting our hands on and not grabbing and that’s disappointing. But it is something we have to work on and get better at.”
Some of that has to do with freshman Steven Adams, who gets his hands on plenty of balls but only has averaged 4.6 rebounds per game so far, a number that will certainly increase as he gets accustomed to the college game.
Zanna and Taylor have been very aggressive crashing the glass, especially on the offensive end. Despite grabbing only 34 rebounds per game, 12 of those have been offensive rebounds, with the Taylor-Zanna combination accounting for half of that.
Because of the defense the Panthers play, it’s very doubtful they will be among the nation’s leaders in rebounding, but they have the talent to be a pretty good team crashing the glass.
After the past three games, Dixon should be a little concerned, but it’s nothing can’t become a strength of this team.
If the current group plays like any other Dixon coached team, they will be just fine.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
