Pitt Basketball Update

I haven't done anything with Pitt basketball in a few weeks, and with the Panthers sticking mostly to the playing-as-many-bad-teams-as-humanly-possible logic of non-conference scheduling, there isn't really a whole lot to say until the Big East season gets fired up in a few weeks. And while I was at the game last night and watched the Panthers coast, I don't really have a ton of stuff to add to the kinds of things you already know. Still, here are some random thoughts.

-Gary McGhee put 6 points on the board, which I have to believe is a career-high. Don't be fooled into thinking he is making some kind of Aaron Gray-like progress, though. All 3 of his made shots were monster slam dunks that would've never happened against a good team. But at least he has that shot down. Oh and by the way, I figured out who Gary McGhee looks like: That's right the Koopa Troopas from the Super Mario Bros. Movie!!! Especially those top two pictures. Anyway, I think McGhee might be making some strides, but I wouldn't expect to see much of him come the Big East season, as he does not look like he's progressed enough just yet, and this means the Panthers will once again be one of the more undersized teams in the league.

-I like what I see out of Nas Robinson in the limited amount of work he's had so far this season. However, I highly doubt we'll really see much of Nas once Big East play rolls around, and it will have little to do with how the talented true freshman is playing. He is just too similar of a player to Gil Brown, and since Gil is such a dynamic force on the wing and is definitely further along, I think Nas will likely be relegated mainly to mop-up duty or playing when others are in foul trouble.

-Why is Tyrell Biggs shooting from the perimeter? I found myself asking that twice early on in the game last night. One was from just inside the three point line so it didn't show up as a long-ranger on the stat sheet, but still he clanged two in the first few minutes as the Panthers got off to a very slow start.

-I was very impressed by Ashton Gibbs' scoring skills last night. Granted his 13 points in 11 minutes were mostly mop-up, but the kid has some definite ability, and I think should be given some more opportunities to play if he can keep filling the basket like that.

-Despite a 35 point W, the Panthers were very ho-hum last night, and I've yet to see this team really be challenged by a legitimately talented team. Wazzou and Texas Tech are both okay teams that idle in the middle of decent conferences, but neither compares to the cream of the crop in the Big East. Siena will be an interesting game because the Saints are a frisky mid-major squad that has some tournament experience and knows how to play with the big boys, even if this team doesn't appear to be the school's best in recent years. They played within 14 of Tennessee a few weeks back, but even that one likely won't pose a big challenge to the Panthers, at least I hope, and Florida State doesn't figure to either, even though the game is in Tallahassee, so the Panthers figure to go into Big East play 12-0, where they start at the always tricky RAC against Rutgers. Until that day comes, it's going to be tough to really gauge just how good this Panthers squad is, but they've done nothing to suggest they don't deserve their lofty ranking yet. Let's hope it stays that way.