Georgetown will try to win its fourth straight Saturday when it hits the road to face a struggling but dangerous Pittsburgh squad. Here’s what you need to get yourself ready.
When & Where. Saturday, Jan. 28, 4 p.m. EST, Petersen Events Center.
TV/Internet/Radio. ESPN/ESPN3/SportsTalk570.
It’s Been So Long Since Last We Met. Pitt has been the model of excellence over the past decade. Since 2003, the Panthers have averaged27 wins per season, have lost 10 games just once, and have compiled an astounding 101-41 record in the Big East, never failing to win more than 2/3 of their games overall or more than 1/2 of their Big East contests. That astoundingly consistent record made this year’s early-season collapse all the more surprising. Sure, Pitt lost a trio of seniors from last year’s team, including top playmaker Brad Wannamaker, rim defender Gary McGhee, and glue guy Gilbert Brown. But they returned a bevy of talent and had even more coming in. An early season home loss to Long Beach State was disconcerting, but the Panthers still stood at 11-1 heading into their Dec. 23 Christmas tune-up against Danny Hurley’s Wagner squad. But then the Seahawks improbably pulled off the upset. Big East play, and more losses, followed. The defense–for so long the Panthers’ calling card, emblematic as it was of coach Jamie Dixon’s unrivaled intensity–was suddenly porous, compounded by a key injury (more on that below) and the transfer, after barely one semester, of freshman phenom Khem Birch. The nadir came with a 23-point home beat-down by Rutgers, or maybe it was an earlier loss at DePaul. That defeat concluded with the Demon faithful rushing the floor, a show of exuberance that was all the more painful because it bore no relation to the Panthers’ record this season. By the time this Wednesday rolled around, Pitt had lost eight straight, including four at the once-inhospitable Petersen Events Center. Finally, this week, the bleeding stopped, or at least paused, when the Panthers finally got off the schneid by dispatching Providence at home. In other words, Pitt is now 1-7 in conference but perhaps finding its winning ways just in time to welcome your Hoyas into town.
Panthers to Know. The Pitt perimeter resembles those of their previous top-flight squads. Big East preseason Player of the Year Ashton Gibbs (16.7 ppg, 3.1 apg, 35.2 3FG%) anchors the Panther back-court and, despite shooting struggles this season, remains a threat to go for 20-plus. Gibbs’ load has been made a bit easier by the return of junior point guard Tray Woodall (11.6 ppg, 7.1 apg, 44.4 3FG%), an all-court menace who missed several games with a sore groin, from which he’s still feeling the effects. Still, Woodall seems to be rounding into form, as he went off for 17 points, including 4 three-pointers, and 9 assists against the Friars. Senior forward Nasir Robinson (12.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg) leads the team in rebounding despite standing just 6’5″, while sophomore guard Lamar Patterson (9.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 40 3FG%) provides some outside shooting while also out-rebounding his 6’5″ frame.
When Pittsburgh Has the Ball.
Panthers’ Strength. Offensive rebounding. Pitt always is tough on the boards, but this year is especially remarkable. The Panthers’ starting line-up goes, shortest to tallest, 5’11″, 6’2″, 6’5″, 6’5″, 6’9″, the last being sophomore Talib Zanna (6.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg). And yet the Panthers are the best offensive rebounding team in the country, grabbing more than 45 percent of their own misses. That gaudy number hardly has been affected by conference play, as the Panthers have continued to lead the Big East in generating second chances despite their losing streak. As is often the case with rebounding, Pitt’s success is a team effort, with Robinson (63 O. Reb.) leading the charge and Zanna (56), Patterson (40), and junior forward Dante Taylor (6.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 56 O. Reb.) bringing reinforcements.
Hoyas’ Strength. Use length to force bad shots. Neither team’s strength has changed from the Rutgers game. Like Rutgers, Pitt is a tenacious but somewhat undersized team that struggles to get clean looks. Woodall’s returns has made good shots easier to come by, but a Hoya zone featuring the freshmen still should frustrate the Panthers. Pitt has been particularly susceptible to blocked shots this year, an area in which the Hoyas, led by Henry Sims (1.6 blk pg), excel.
Looming Question. Gibbs? Woodall’s return to form should help Gibbs, who intermittently was tasked with running the point during the former’s convalescence. Having to be more distributor than scorer, and not benefiting from easy looks set up by his teammate, Gibbs struggled to score. As a consequence, while his scoring average remains the same as last year, he has had to shoot more to get there: while last year he shot 47 percent from the field and a scorching 49 percent from three, this year he’s shot just 39 percent from the field and 35 percent from three. But Wednesday’s game against Providence may have been the turning point. In addition to Woodall’s excellent performance, Gibbs went for 22 points on the strength of five three-pointers. Whether Jason Clark or, in reserve, Greg Whittington is assigned to guard him, keeping Gibbs in check will be essential Saturday.
When Georgetown Has the Ball.
Hoyas’ Strength. Establish the (high and low) posts. One of the confusing aspects of Pitt’s struggles this year has been the Panthers’ defensive ineptitude. Previously a stout defensive team, Pitt has plummeted this year, rarely forcing turnovers and yielding plenty of open shots. In particular, the Panthers have given up more than 50 percent of opponents’ shots from two-point range, and have blocked less than 6 percent of opposing shots, both numbers that reflect the absence of a true interior defensive presence. Georgetown would do well to establish Sims, Nate Lubick, and Otto Porter inside on Saturday, and particularly to set up Sims in the high post, where he can attack the basket or feed a cutting teammate.
Panthers’ Strength. Defensive rebounding. As they do on offense, the Panthers clean the defensive boards effectively, yielding less than 35 percent of opposing misses as second chances. A Georgetown team that of late has generated plenty of extra possessions on the offensive glass will need to be more efficient against Pitt.
Looming Question. Free-throw shooting? Georgetown has been parading to the free throw line during conference play, leading the conference in free throw attempts as a percentage of shots overall. While getting the line has been easy, converting those opportunities hasn’t been, as the Hoyas have made just 65 percent of their free throws, the third-worst mark in the conference. Shaking off the slump may prove decisive tomorrow.
Prediction. It’s often said of rivalry games that, in predicting the outcome, the spectator should throw the teams’ records out the window. While the Panthers aren’t the Hoyas’ most natural rival, Georgetown should have its blood up a bit after last year’s embarrassing 72-57 stomping in Verizon. In any case, the proposition holds true: Pitt is better coached, more talented, and more dangerous, particularly at home, than its modest record suggests. Still, the Hoyas have proven themselves able road warriors this year, going 4-1 on the road, including wins over Louisville and Alabama. A bit of hand-to-hand combat in a hostile venue will be nothing new. Expect a tight, slow-paced affair that comes down the final minute. Georgetown 65, Pittsburgh 60.
