Through the first 8 games of the Panthers season, fans are starting to get a sense of what exactly this team is set to look like coming off of its best season in years.
Jeff Capel’s group currently sits at 5-3 through its first eight games, an identical record from a season ago at this point in the schedule.
This year though saw Pitt with a little bit tougher of a non-conference schedule as the Panthers participated in the NIT Season Tip-Off in Brooklyn where they went 1-1 against Florida and Oregon State. Last year saw the ACC partner with the Big 10 where Pitt matched up against Northwestern, but this year’s schedule bumped it up a notch with the ACC/SEC Challenge and a battle with Missouri.
Even though the record might be the same through the first portion of the season, this group for Capel has the chance to be even better than the one from a year ago.
Takeaway #1: Carlton “Bub” Carrington is the real deal
Carrington’s impact on the Panthers this season is one that can just not be overlooked. The freshman from Baltimore showed right away this season what he is capable of doing with a triple-double in the season opener against NC A&T. Carrington’s triple-double was the first in history by a Pitt player in his first ever game and just the second in ACC history. He’s scored over 13 points in every game but one so far this season in the win over Oregon State and hasn’t recorded fewer than four assists.
For a Panthers group that lost multiple scorers last season such as Nelly Cummings, Nike Sibande, Jamarius Burton and Greg Elliott. Capel knew that some big-time players were going to have to step up that would be getting their first taste of Pitt basketball, and Carrington was one of the players to do just that.
Carrington’s rebounding abilities haven’t been able to consistently show yet, but he’s a very young freshman. There is plenty of time for him to grow into his body and figure out how to get more boards even as a guard. If he does just that, decisions will need to be made as to whether or not Carrington stays at Pitt for another year or declared for the NBA Draft.
Takeaway #2: Better rebounding and limiting turnovers are needed to be more successful
This Panthers group has the potential to be very special… but that potential won’t matter if the rebounding and number of turnovers aren’t corrected. These two areas of the game have been major contributors in Pitt’s three losses to this point. Turnovers hurt the Panthers against Florida while the team was outrebounded by Missouri and Clemson.
The Gators certainly made Pitt pay for the turnovers, scoring 19 as a result of them. Florida is a good team and when you give them extra possessions, it makes the game much more difficult to win. For the Panthers, their best basketball has to be played against the schools from big conferences like the SEC and ACC. While rebound was an issue in the two most recent games, the Tigers of Missouri and Clemson did not have a large amount of second chance points. This means that most of the teams’ rebounding was done defensively, and Pitt needs to do a better job of boxing out when their own players put up shots to try and extend the time of possession.
Takeaway #3: The goal of tightening down the defense has been noticeable
While Pitt is conceding an average of 66.2 points per game this season (down just 0.1 PPG from last season), the way in which this group is defending is much sounder than a year ago. The Panthers have allowed just four of their opponents (FGCU, Florida, Missouri and Clemson) to score more than 70 points and just one over 80 points (Florida). Two of the three losses Capel’s group has suffered this season ended in three-possession differences, meaning they found ways to stay in it until the end. That kind of resiliency is going to be important for a team that aspires of starting its March Madness journey in the round of 64 and trying to get to the Sweet 16 or beyond.
When you compare these numbers to the first eight games of last season, Pitt had one less team go above the 70-point threshold, but two of them scored over 80 (WVU and Michigan) and one went over 90 (Michigan). The games against the Mountaineers and Wolverines saw the Panthers blown out by 25 and 31 points, something that Capel will not want to see at all this year. Finding ways to reduce the number of points teams score in each game was a goal this season for Pitt, and Capel seems to have found a successful recipe so far.
The Panthers are back in action on Wednesday, Dec. 6 for the latest edition of the Backyard Brawl against the Mountaineers. Pitt will be seeking revenge after West Virginia made a statement in the Petersen Events Center last year.