One of the strengths of the 2012-13 Pitt Panthers basketball team was the extraordinary depth that Panthers' head coach Jamie Dixon had at his disposal as Pitt was one of the rare teams in the country that could run 10 competent bodies out on a nightly basis. That's something that will likely change this season. Gone form that deep 2013 team are five players who were among the top eight Panthers in terms of minutes played. Steven Adams is in the NBA. Tray Woodall and Dante Taylor have ... Read More
Pitt Panthers Notebook: James Robinson help Team USA U19 Team to Championship
With not much new going on around the Pitt Panthers football and basketball teams this time of year, I'm back with my Pitt Panthers notebook to take a quick spin around Pitt's athletic programs. Perhaps the biggest news going on over the course of the past couple of weeks came in the form of Pitt freshman guard James Robinson, who helped Team USA capture the FIBA U19 World Championship Gold Medal with an 82-68 win over Serbia in Sunday’s title game. The victory gave the United States its ... Read More
Week 9 Preview – Tampa Bay Storm Vs. Pittsburgh Power
A rejuvenated Pittsburgh Power (2-5) squad returns to the Consol Energy Center eager to keep the momentum going from a 53-48 win on the road over their division rivals in Philadelphia. Standing in their way this week will be the franchise that once called Pittsburgh home, the Tampa Bay Storm (5-3). Pittsburgh’s new quarterback Steven Sheffield made the most out of his first opportunity by throwing for 272 yards and six touchdowns last week. He did only complete 54.3% of his passes and had an ... Read More
New Faces Could Take The Pittsburgh Power Places
Nothing has been more of a glaring need for the Pittsburgh Power (2-5) during the last two seasons of football than a quarterback. Many have tried, many have failed. The problem has always been trying to fit rookies into the starting lineup when experience is needed. Pittsburgh’s newest quarterback, Steven Sheffield, may not have gotten much playing time in the past but he has spent several seasons learning the AFL game from the bench. Last year in San Antonio he had the luxury of watching ... Read More
Tray Woodall’s passing of the torch to James Robinson
There comes a time in every freshman’s first season when they are no longer a freshman and instead are expected to be a major contributor as both the conference tournaments and NCAA Tournament approaches. That is the case for Pitt point guard James Robinson. Unlike many freshmen who make the transition from high school basketball to the Division I game, Robinson has played a big role in the Panthers success all season long, However the DeMatha Catholic product may have officially told ... Read More
Pitt’s Taylor and Woodall go out winners as Panthers defeat Villanova
There have been plenty of great Big East Conference moments at the Petersen Events Center over the years, but with the upcoming move to the ACC, the Pitt Panthers will be turning a new chapter in making history at The Pete. Thanks to a big effort in overtime from Talib Zanna and a couple big clutch three-pointers from freshman James Robinson, the Panthers closed their chapter of Big East history the same way they started it- with a win as No. 23 Pitt knocked off Villanova 73-64 in their final ... Read More
Pitt holds off U Conn rally to escape with 69-61 win
Jamie Dixon’s Pitt Panthers have made it a trend the first couple weeks of the Big East Conference season of playing their best basketball away from the Petersen Events Center. That trend ended Saturday afternoon as the Panthers finally won a conference game at home, defeating a gutsy Connecticut team 69-61. In typical Pitt (15-4, 3-3) fashion, it was a nail biter as the Panthers blew a 14point lead, only to see the Huskies tie the game at 55 with 4:38 remaining. But unlike the previous ... Read More
Pitt’s ability to take care of basketball should lead to more wins
There is no doubt that the 1-3 start to the Big East Conference season is nothing short of disappointing for Jamie Dixon's Pitt Panthers. But despite shooting woes and the inability to rebound the basketball costing them three games, including two in a row at home which never happens, there may be a silver lining in the way the Panthers' guards take care of the basketball. With the talent that Pitt has, you have to think the shooting problems will take care of themselves. But you win games ... Read More
Perimeter Shooting proving to be Pitt’s biggest weakness
There is a huge weakness on the Pitt basketball team that showed up in a big way during the Panthers' Big East Conference losses to both Cincinnati and Rutgers. A big reason that Pitt has gotten off to an 0-2 start in conference play is the fact that they can't hit a jump shot to save their lives right now. This is a problem that you saw coming during Pitt's soft non-conference schedule. They have some shooters, but they haven't been able to consistently knock shots down as a team. With ... Read More
Panthers use strong second half to cruise past Howard
The Pitt Panthers started a string Tuesday night of seven consecutive home games against lower competition when they hosted the Howard Bison at the Petersen Events Center. It took Pitt a while to get going, but Jamie Dixon’s squad did exactly what they were supposed to do to a team like the Bison- win going away. Pitt tied a season-high with eight three-pointers, including a career-high five from Lamar Patterson as the Panthers cruised to a 70-46 victory to improve to 6-1 on the ... Read More