Monday night’s loss to Cincinnati should have served as a wakeup call to Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon.
It also should serve as a reminder of why the Panthers need to do a better job with their out of conference schedule.
Don’t get me wrong, there has been plenty to like about Pitt’s first 10 wins of the season. There’s also no shame in losing to a team like Cincinnati, although the Bearcats could be a bubble team at best in this year’s NCAA Tournament field. On a night where the Panthers shot just 31.4 percent from the floor, 2-for-13 from three, made only one field goal in the last 14:54 of the game, they still had a chance to win the game.
The problem is that Dixon still refuses to schedule well and once again we don’t know a whole heck of a lot about this Pitt team 11 games into the season.
Can they handle ACC play?
How can anyone know for sure and that’s a big question mark surrounding this team.
That’s why 11 games into the season, you better have played better completion than Cincinnati by now.
Looking at the Panthers schedule to date, the combined records of their opponents is only 67-57. They rank solidly in both the RPI and BPI, but Dixon has to schedule better in the future. It’s been a problem in the past and continues to be an issue.
Let’s look a little more closely at Pitt’s schedule and you will find that the average KenPom rating of the 10 teams that Pitt has beaten is only 183.9. Stanford is the best team they have beaten and they sit at only 46th in those rankings. The next best is Penn State, who sits at only 72nd and just lost at home to Princeton.
You can make the case that Pitt hasn’t played an NCAA Tournament team yet this season.
Dixon stands by his schedule though saying: “We played good people, we just didn’t get it done tonight (Cincinnati).”
It’s hard to agree with that, but that’s been Dixon’s style since taking over at Pitt.
Are the Panthers ready for the ACC?
It’s hard to say they are and upcoming games against Cal Poly and Albany will do little to get them ready.
When you play an NIT schedule, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are destined for the NIT at seasons end. It also doesn’t mean you are ready for the big time either.
The soft schedule Pitt continues to play does very little to get them ready for conference play and beyond. Playing in the best conference in the nation, the Panthers don’t have to play the toughest schedule in America, but it would be nice to see some legit competition sprinkled in occasionally.
Until they do that, we will continue to learn very little about this Panthers team as beating up on cupcakes doesn’t do much to answer any questions.
Photo Credit: Sporting News
