Several thoughts on last night:
1. First, Capel has done a tremendous job at Pitt. He inherited one of the worst teams in D-1, and they now look like a team that could compete for a postseason slot. Champagnie is terrific and could be ACC POY.
2. Jalen Johnson is legit. 24-15-7, with 4 blocks and no turnovers. He obviously needs to cut down on the fouls, which were also a problem before his injury. But he must be the focus of the offense going forward. I said several weeks ago that he reminded me of Grant in his all-around game (at least on offense) and that was certainly true last night. He makes Hurt the second best player on the team, which raises their ceiling. And with both on the court, Moore can become the useful role player he has been in the past.
3. Unfortunately, Hurt had his worst game of the season last night, and Steward and Roach were also way off. If 3 or 4 of those guys are on the same night, Duke becomes Duke.
4. While I understand K’s belief that they will need to play zone against some teams, I didn’t understand why he stuck with it last night. 24 fouls playing zone is mind-boggling. I would have liked to see Moore take on Champagnie—that seems like the type of matchup designed for Moore.
Time is starting to run out for things to get turned around. They won’t be favored on Saturday.
1. First, Capel has done a tremendous job at Pitt. He inherited one of the worst teams in D-1, and they now look like a team that could compete for a postseason slot. Champagnie is terrific and could be ACC POY.
2. Jalen Johnson is legit. 24-15-7, with 4 blocks and no turnovers. He obviously needs to cut down on the fouls, which were also a problem before his injury. But he must be the focus of the offense going forward. I said several weeks ago that he reminded me of Grant in his all-around game (at least on offense) and that was certainly true last night. He makes Hurt the second best player on the team, which raises their ceiling. And with both on the court, Moore can become the useful role player he has been in the past.
3. Unfortunately, Hurt had his worst game of the season last night, and Steward and Roach were also way off. If 3 or 4 of those guys are on the same night, Duke becomes Duke.
4. While I understand K’s belief that they will need to play zone against some teams, I didn’t understand why he stuck with it last night. 24 fouls playing zone is mind-boggling. I would have liked to see Moore take on Champagnie—that seems like the type of matchup designed for Moore.
Time is starting to run out for things to get turned around. They won’t be favored on Saturday.
