I Bleed Blue and White

Sorry for the late post everyone. I forgot I emailed Chas and just realized he probably answered. Which he had. So for the latest installment of …Keep Your Enemies Closer we talked with Chas Rich of Pitt Blather, the best Pitt Panther blog out there for my money. As you’ll see in a few minutes, Chas was not happy when we raised “the incident” in Boston.

Enjoy everyone, and make sure you head to Pitt Blather for some more Pittsburgh coverage before the game tomorrow!

(Note: No pick’em as it is a noon game and the turnaround time is too quick)

Chris (IBBW): If this season doesn’t cement Jamie Dixon as one of the top coaches in America, I don’t know what will. You lost 3 players who were so important to the program, and many people expected you to struggle, yet that hasn’t been the case. Talk about all that for me.

Chas (PB): Oh, there have been struggles. Plenty early. It’s just that the team has made steady improvement as the season continued. Gary McGhee has gone from an awkward foul machine to, in the words of Bill Raftery, “a very serviceable center.” Jermaine Dixon is healthy and has reprised his role as the defensive stopper. They are more of a perimeter team. While the offense hasn’t changed, the emphasis is less on pounding it inside. There’s more driving an shooting jump shots.

Chris (IBBW): I’ve got Ashton Gibbs as my Most Improved Player this year. Did you see this jump coming?

Chas (PB): I expected some improvement, but beyond the shooting it has been the way he has been able to handle the need for him to lead the team that has been surprising. There were parts early in the Big East schedule where he not only had to run the offense, but generate his own shot. He’s not a lockdown defender by any stretch, but he plays solid and is already like another coach on the court.

Chris (IBBW): Dante Taylor was pegged by many to be one of the biggest impact freshman in the conference. Were those predictions premature? What’s been the story with him this year?

Chas (PB): First, he is playing out of position. He’s a power forward and he plays center because of need and because he isn’t ready to play the 4 in Pitt’s offense. The second, is that he is still a freshman big man. It’s astounding how few have the immediate impact expected. I covered this a couple weeks ago, and if you take a look at the top freshman big men, most are in the same boat.

Expectations and pressure were too high because he followed DeJuan Blair and there was arguably an unrealistic expectation that since he was a McDonald’s All-American he would be an immediate force. That isn’t the way it has worked. He will be great in time. He needs to get his conditioning improved and he needs to play better on defense.

Chris (IBBW): How much will last year’s Elite 8 loss serve as motivation for this Sunday’s game? That team was Fields’, Blair’s and Young’s, but do these guys feel that pain too?

Chas (PB): Jermaine Dixon is still bitter. He blames himself for the turnover late in the game when Pitt was up 5 and the game got away. Guys like Brad Wanamaker I am sure thinks about this one.

(IBBW Note: Short answer. We think Chas is still bitter as well.)

Chris (IBBW): What have been the keys to stopping Pitt this year in your losses?

Chas (PB): Turnovers. Lots of turnovers. Strong guard play that forces Pitt out of tempo by speeding the pace. It disrupts the offense and you see them struggle to execute. Basically, Villanova’s strength.

Chris (IBBW): Give me a prediction for Sunday’s game.

Chas (PB): Ugh. I hate predictions. Fine. It won’t be pretty, but Pitt guts it out at home in a close one.

Thanks to Chas for the quick work on a busy weekend! Good luck tomorrow brother, so long as it doesn’t interfere with ours!