Friars Taken Care Of

Well, finally a bit of a breather at the Pete. Providence did manage to keep it close in the first half, but that was mostly due to some incredibly lucky three-point shooting early on. By the end of the half, it was fairly obvious to see the Panthers step up the defensive pressure, setting the tone for the 8-0 and 13-0 runs in the 2nd half. Providence is really a struggling team, and Tim Walsh is having his job called for as head coach- but really, considering the injuries and suspensions he’s had to deal with, Providence played well-coached basketball. Maybe I’d just like to see Pitt’s continued dominance over the Friars, but this isn’t entirely his fault.

Player of the game today was clearly Sam Young- a fantastic day from the field (10-14) in addition to his 7 rebounds, 2 assists, as well as a block and a steal. He really did a great job on both ends of the court, limiting Providence’s top player, Geoff McDermott, to only 7 points on 3-8 shooting. However, Sam wasn’t the only Pitt player with a solid game- DeJuan, Keith, and Ronny all had double digits, and it was particularly refreshing to see improved shot selection and Ronny’s 5-7 from beyond the arc heading into the Marquette game.

I was a little disappointed that Levance didn’t dress, but I know that he’ll play when he’s ready, so I don’t want to be too selfish for wanting to see him break McDermott’s ankles with a crossover. That’s my negative news for the day, and back to the positive. Really solid contributions again from Gil and Brad, making me incredibly excited for this team’s prognosis heading forward. I don’t want to talk too much about next year yet, but I don’t see this team dropping off at all at the end of this season, and seeing 20 very solid minutes from Bradley really got me excited. He’s been improving so much in this Big East season, and reports of Dixon’s getting on him in practice are a huge factor in that.