Since the Big East Conference season began for the Pitt Panthers’ basketball team, it has been one nail biter after another for the Panthers. With that being said, Jamie Dixon’s squad needed a cakewalk for a change and they got one in the form of the DePaul Blue Demons Saturday afternoon at the Petersen Events Center. Everything went Pitt’s way from the opening tip as the Panthers cruised to a 93-55 victory, setting a school record for largest Big East Conference victory in program ... Read More
Lamar Patterson stepping up to ignite Pitt offense
The Pitt Panthers have always been a team known for playing defense and this 2012-13 version of the Panthers is no exception to that rule. After holding the Providence Friars to 64 points in Pitt's 68-64 victory on Tuesday, the Panthers have held 19 of their 20 opponents on the season under 70 points. But while defense is still the backbone of Jamie Dixon's program, they still need a potent enough offense to win games. When it comes to scoring the basketball, Pitt's biggest strength is ... Read More
Pitt’s road back to NCAA Tournament a matter of opinion
Jamie Dixon's Pitt Panthers have become accustomed to playing in March and other than last season's disappointing season which saw Pitt miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time in Dixon's tenure; they usually are assured a spot in the "Big Dance." That should hold true this season as well as baring a major collapse down the stretch, Pitt should be one of the 68 teams selected to compete for the National Championship. Sitting at 3-3 in the Big East, they will likely have to win seven more ... Read More
Pitt’s Trey Zeigler starting to earn Jamie Dixon’s trust
Trey Zeigler's first season as a member of the Pitt basketball program has been a roller coaster ride to say the least. The Central Michigan transfer, who averaged 15.8 points per game a season ago, was thought to provide an immediate scoring option off the bench for the Panthers this season. But things haven't exactly gone the way Zeigler probably thought they would as the junior is only averaging 5.1 points per game in barely over 15 minutes per game. He came out of the gates slow; ... 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 must address rebounding issues Saturday vs. U Conn
There has been one common theme surrounding the four losses the Pitt Panthers basketball team has suffered so far during the 2012-13 campaign- the lack of rebounding. Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon has stressed the importance of rebounding over and over again, but the message hasn’t exactly gotten through yet. Currently Pitt ranks only 190th in the nation, pulling down only 34.7 boards per contest, which is not like a Pitt team. It has hurt them at stretches throughout the season, ... Read More
Tray Woodall could play vs. Villanova
One thing was pretty much absent during Pitt’s most recent loss to Marquette- the presence of point guard Tray Woodall. Woodall suffered a concussion during Saturday’s loss and played only four minutes, but that likely won’t be the case Wednesday night against Villanova as the senior floor general says he will be ready to go and plans to play. The fifth-year senior was injured at in the first half Saturday when he collided head-first with Golden Eagles guard Derrick Wilson. Woodall said he ... 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
Pitt rallies but falls short in overtime to Marquette
Jamie Dixon’s Pitt Panthers basketball team continues to show signs of being a good basketball team, but after continuously teasing fans of that fact, they continue to do things to lose games when it counts. Saturday afternoon was no exception, as despite some late-game heroics from Lamar Patterson, the Panthers were outplayed in overtime and dropped a 74-67 Big East Conference battle to Marquette. Other than taking a 2-0 lead in the first minute of the game, the Panthers never led in this ... Read More
Pitt gets back on track with route of No. 19 Georgetown
Well that was more like it. After back-to-back disappointing losses to begin their final Big East Conference season, Jamie Dixon’s Pitt Panthers came out with a sense of urgency we haven’t seen in a while. The end result was a performance unlike any other we have seen this season and an impressive 73-45 road win over No. 19 Georgetown. Just when you thought it was safe to write the Panthers off, they got back to doing what they do best- playing strong defense. Freshman center Steven Adams ... Read More