Allow me to first summarize the first 30 minutes of this game.
If you don't get that joke, it's an apple turnover. You see, it's funny because Pitt was turning the ball over all game. With about 12 minutes left, Pitt was down 48-30.
Pitt would finish the entire game on a 42-14 run (including 28-10 to end regulation)
With under 3 minutes, two free throws by Durand Johnson cut the lead to 56-51, but both teams kept turning it over. Pitt would force 8 in the final 3 minutes. With 70 seconds left, Tray turned the ball over and some guy on Oakland named Bader (who hit unlimited 3's in the first half) made two free throws.
58-51 1:07 remaining
At this point, it did not look good, because Oakland was automatic from the line.
Robinson drove and got fouled, missed the first but made the second
58-52 0:59 left
Durand fouls Bader with 0:56, crap. He's going to make both of these, we have to foul someone else.
HE MISSES THE FRONT END!
Pitt heads back the other way, Lamar for 3...no good but the put back slam by Dante!
58-54 0:38
Oakland turns it over again, and Tray misses a three (he was ice cold) but JJ is there for another offensive board (he had 16 and 10). He feeds Tray underneath again for the lay-in.
58-56 0:29
The Zoo was NUTS!
An offensive foul off the in-bounds pass and Pitt has a chance to tie or take the lead. Robinson gets into the lane, but he shuffles his feet. One of the few mistakes he made all night.
58-56 0:14
And then Robinson made the play of his life, knocking the ball loose and getting fouled. He made both free throws to tie it.58-58 0:09
At this point, I'm thinking that Oakland is going to hit a buzzer beater to win it, because these are the things that happen to Pitt. But Pitt forced a jump ball with 4.9 seconds left. Unfortunately, Tray got off a terrible "shot" at the buzzer. And by "shot" I mean he drove, got turned around and threw the ball over his head from the base line.
Overtime city.
Pitt dominated the OT period. Game.
Grades:
Tray Woodall - He couldn't hit anything (2-14 from the field) but his two three pointers in the second half came at crucial points. He also had 9 assists but 4 turnovers. In the classic 3 overtime game against WVU three years ago, Woodall kept attacking the rim for quick twos and relied on a choking mountaineer team at the line. This time, however, Woodall kept jacking up "hero shots" from the corner. None of them fell and Pitt was bailed out by a ton of offensive rebounds from Moore and Dante. Tray better not turn into Ashton 2.0 and start taking 10 three-pointers a game. If he does, I'm going to be pissed.
Grade B-
Season GPA = 3.58
Side note, I made a spreadsheet that calculates the season GPA so I don't have to keep going back to previous posts. Go me.
James Robinson - The kid continues to impress. A career-high 14 points on 3-5 shooting and a clutch 7-8 from the line when Pitt needed every point during the comeback. 35 minutes played and only 1 turnover. He could have had another in the first half, but he regained possession after it was knocked away from him. Once he gained control he dished it to Taylor, who found Zanna for the dunk. Two incredible passes and an easy flush.
Grade A+
Season GPA = 4.00
Lamar Patterson - Yep, not a good game from Lamar. He was 0-fer from the field and 2-4 from the line. He forced a clutch backcourt violation in the frantic final minute with pressure defense. The JJ vs Lamar in the starting lineup debate keeps getting hotter and hotter with each game.
Grade C
Season GPA = 3.25
Talib Zanna - Quiet game from Zanna with only 8 points and 5 rebounds in 20 minutes. He also missed two free throws in the first half when Pitt was shooting about 8% from the line.
Grade B
Season GPA = 3.58
Steven Adams - Adams was outplayed/bullied by Oakland's big man for most of the night. Adams had good positioning on almost every play but Corey Petros kept getting friendly rolls from the rim. He had 19 on 8-11 shooting while Adams countered with only 4 points on 2-4 shooting.
10 years from now, Corey Petros will be telling his kids how he dominated NBA star Steven Adams on a cool November night in college.
His kids will think he's full of shit.
The Kiwi phenom's best play came on a huge block of a three pointer by Bader in the second half. He was in the middle of the post when Bader pulled up, but hey, being 7 feet tall helps you to close. He also had a big dunk during the comeback.
Grade C+
Season GPA = 3.58
JJ Moore (MVP)
He had a team-high 16 points and 10 rebounds. He hit 3-4 from three and made every one of his free throws. Just an incredible game from JJ. He had the biggest offensive rebound of his life in the final 30 seconds following a missed 3 from Tray. I'm officially on board with Moore starting over Patterson. A front court of Moore Zanna and Adams would get unlimited rebounds. I wouldn't mind seeing Lamar play a little at the two for stretches when either Robinson or Woodall are sitting because of his passing.
Grade A+
Season GPA = 3.91
Dante Taylor -
At one point during the comeback, an Oakland player grabbed a defensive rebound with two hands. Dante got one hand on it and snatched it from him. He went to work, 3-4 dribbles and a jump hook that closed the lead to 4.
"That was a man's rebound." - @BW628
On two other occasions he found both Zanna and Moore for easy dunks. Dante continues to do what is asked of him, and that is to grab offensive rebounds (he had 7 tonight!) and get second-chance points. In addition to a pair of jump hooks, he also had a tip-in and a tip-dunk.
Grade A+
Season GPA = 3.33
Trey Ziegler - He's struggling to fit in right now. He was the man at Central Michigan and right now he's usually the 4th or 5th option on offense when he's out there. He appears to be a big fan of "Iso-Ball" as well, which is a fantastic way to get yourself limited playing time from Dixon. He had 3 turnovers and shot 1-4 from the line. I have confidence he'll find his role on offense, but right now he's a defensive liability.
Grade C-
Season GPA = 2.91
Durand Johnson = He hit a corner three in the second half to cut into the lead, and missed his other three shots in his 11 minutes. He didn't turn the ball over, though, which is just about all you can ask from him at this point.
Grade B
Season GPA = 3.5
Note: Cameron Wright was in Cleveland with his family.
Team GPA = 3.02
Season Team GPA = 3.52
Pitt plays Michigan on Wednesday night.
Hail to Pitt,
J.O.
JO
ReplyDelete4.0 on the season.
Great post again Jordan! That shot you took of the Oakland Zoo makes me miss my Pitt basketball days in the Zoo so, so much. I wish I could re-do my Pitt grad school experience all over again - it was so fun there. And LOL the cow going all crazy! Close game but big props to Robinson. Remember this game in March. A game in early March is just as important to the record as a game in late February, and we have Robinson to thank.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which - wow! - it looks like Robinson is the real deal! That guy looks like he will be a star at Pitt, and the good thing is that he won't be a lottery pick this upcoming year. Also, major props to Dante. If he can get at-least six to seven rebounds per game off the bench, he is doing his job. He doesn't need to score a ton - just get rebounds as you said and play some quality defense. And, I agree that JJ Moore should start over Patterson at the 3 right now for the rebounds. The defense he provides really is key.
I guess my one big question with Pitt is this so far. They have a great Dixon-like composite team this year, but who is the go-to guy down the stretch when you need that automatic two or three points? It seems to me like that guy is Robinson right now.
A big thanks for posting this. Unfortunately, work calls in life, and it took me away from Pittsburgh, so I can only watch the team when they are on TV. Michigan is coming up. Pitt over Big Blue!