Game 15: Pitt 79 Maryland 59

Pitt opened ACC play at the Pete in style with an easy 79-59 win over Maryland.  Pitt pulled away from the Terps in the second half as they shot 53% for the game to Maryland's 36%.  The Panthers also shut down Dez Wells whose only two baskets of the game came on two consecutive jumpers midway through the first half.  Maryland got a boost from the return of injured sharpshooter Seth Allen, who was playing in only his 4th game of the season.  Allen led Maryland with 18 points off the bench including 4 three-pointers.  Pitt had a super sub of its own as Durand Johnson finished second on the team with a career high 17 points.  Here are the grades.

Lamar Patterson - Another ho-hum performance from Lamar.  He scored 19 points on 8-12 shooting.  In today's issue of "Obscure Stats I Just Made Up," Patterson is 4th in the country in field goal percentage among players 6'5" or shorter who play in major conferences.  Could I have just told you that he's 73rd in all of college basketball, yes, but that's no fun.  For starters, Lamar is a perimeter player, and field goal percentage leaders are usually reserved for big men who dunk a lot.  Secondly, he plays against much bigger players.  A 6'3" guard from Colgate can shoot well because his competition stinks and at 6'3" he might be one of the bigger guys on the floor.  Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that Patterson is awesome and we should give him a key to Oakland.  Actually, Tyler Boyd can have one too.

Grade:  A+

James Robinson - Speaking of stats, James Robinson leads the nation in assist to turnover ratio with 5.17 assists for every turnover.  Let's go back in time and compare this to great Pitt point guards of the past.

Assist to Turnover Ratio in Sophomore Seasons
1. James Robinson 5.17
2. Levance Fields 2.4
3. Brandin Knight 1.8

A typical James Robinson game should consist of 2-4 shooting (4-4 FT) 5 assists 1 turnover and maybe a steal.  He came close to this, but with a missed free throw and 2 more assists.

Grade:  A+

Cameron Wright - It was a poor shooting night for Cam (2-10).  He also missed 3-5 from the line.  Just not a good offensive effort.

Grade:  C-

Michael Young - Young was a non-factor, only scoring 3 points and grabbing 2 rebounds in 18 minutes.

Grade:  C-

Talib Zanna - Often criticized for disappearing in conference play, Zanna scored in double figures again with 13 points to go along with 9 rebounds.  He's picked up his defense recently as well with another 2 blocks.

Grade:  A

Durand Johnson - I already mentioned his 17 points.  Perhaps equally impressive were his 3 assists (just one off a career high).  Johnson is Pitt's X-Factor.  On a given night, Pitt is probably a top 20 team.  If Durand plays like he did against Maryland, they're top 10 material.

Grade:  A+ (MVP)

Jamel Artis - He shot 2-3 for 4 points in 10 minutes.

Grade:  B

Josh Newkirk - This was one of Newkirk's better offensive games.  He had 8 points and made both of his three point attempts.  The first brought Pitt back after Maryland built a 12-8 lead, and the second helped bury them after they closed to 8 at 52-44.

Grade:  A

Derrick Randall - He had a layup in garbage time.

Grade: C

Chris Jones - He missed a shot in garbage time.

Grade: C-

Joseph Uchebo - He made his Pitt debut and grabbed a rebound, but his knees are basically ticking time bombs.  He can barely run.  It's sad, really.

Grade:  B because he did not hurt himself.

Joshua Ko, Mike Lecak - They didn't register any stats.

Grade:  n/a

Pitt will play and probably beat Wake Forest 80-65 on Saturday.  I feel good about that prediction.  That recap will come shortly.

Hail to Pitt,
J.O.