Roster Moves -- After the NBA Draft Deadline

Outbound Undergraduates
The Spring Signing Period is over, and the deadline for undergraduates to pull their names from the NBA draft has come and gone. The rosters of the Big East are hardly complete, but with the NBA draftees known and the first wave of outbound transfers identified, it seems a good time to pause and take stock of who (graduating seniors aside...) who else will not return to school in the fall. The Big East's undergraduate contribution to NBA draft list this time around seems light, and that is a good thing. The transfer list on the other hand, seems about as big as prior seasons (2009, when the economic uncertainties persuaded nearly everyone, coaches and players alike, to put "moving plans" on hold, excepted), depressingly so. The usual suspects (South Florida, Louisville, Georgetown) contribute their fair share to the outbound migration...

Connecticut

Player	Hgt	Pos	Class	Dest.
Jamal Coombs-McDaniel	6-7	Forward	Soph.	Trans - TBD
Kemba Walker	6-0	Guard	Junior	NBA

Though a junior, most in the Huskie Nation believed this would be Kemba Walker's last season in Storrs. The dynamic guard did not disappoint, delivering Coach Jim Calhoun a third National Championship before declaring for the NBA draft. If Walkers' departure was anticipated, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel's exit was not. Connecticut voluntarily surrendered a men's basketball scholarship as part of the penalty in the Nate Miles Affair. News in mid-May that their APR fell below the NCAA-mandated limit of 825 meant that the Huskies would yield two more next season. That leaves Coach Jim Calhoun with 10 scholarships to distribute next season. For a coach used to having a rotation of 10 or 11 players available, next season should be a very different experience. Losing Coombs-McDaniel, a rising junior who has been a contributor for two seasons, will hurt.

DePaul

Player	Hgt	Pos	Class	Dest.
Michael Bizoukas	6-1	Guard	Junior	Missouri State

Michael Bizoukas is a red shirt junior holdover from the Coach Wainwright Era. A sometime starter over the course of his three seasons at DePaul, his role would most likely have been reduced as Coach Purnell brought in more players he took a more direct hand in recruiting. Bizoukas should be able to contribute right away at Missouri State,

Georgetown

Player	Hgt	Pos	Class	Dest.
Vee Sanford	6-3	Guard	Soph.	Dayton
Jerrelle Benimon	6-7	Forward	Soph.	Trans - TBD

Though neither of the sophomores, forward Jerrelle Benimon and guard Vee Sanford were (per Ken Pomeroy) significant contributors to the Hoya offense, the loss of both is yet another example of an ongoing problem at Georgetown in the Coach Thompson Era -- the outbound transfer of many supporting players. A too short bench has come back to bite the Hoyas at times in the last three seasons. The Hoyas anticipate having 12 scholarship players available in 2012, with five of those players incoming freshmen. An untimely injury or two can expose the squad.

Louisville

Player	Hgt	Pos	Class	Dest.
Terrence Jennings	6-10	Forward	Junior	NBA
George Goode	6-8	Forward	Junior	Trans - TBD

Though he played behind Samardo Samuels for two seasons and he did not have the impact season he might have wanted, junior forward Terrence Jennings declared for the NBA draft and will not return to Louisville next season. The status of red shirt junior George Goode however is less clear. Early in the off season the forward was linked with rising sophomore Russ Smith as a pair who would follow Assistant Coach Steve Masiello to Manhattan College, play immediately (5th year senior) and finish out his career in the MAAC. With the normally chaotic scholarship situation at Louisville (right now they have 12 "on scholarship", with two more "verbals" on tap...that does not include the three walk-ons) even more up in the air this off season, is it possible that Goode might be back? Stay tuned...



Marquette

Player	Hgt	Pos	Class	Dest.
Reggie Smith	6-0	Guard	Frosh.	UNLV
Erik Williams	6-7	Forward	Soph.	Sam Houston State

Freshman Reggie Smith had already settled in a UNLV before the start of the spring semester. Forward Erik Williams is another story. The Texan was little used during most of the season, accumulating about 11% of the available minutes at the #4 per Ken Pomeroy. Williams did earn 11 starts over the course of the season, though Cracked Sidewalks points out that "...Buzz Williams decided to start Williams at the beginning of each half in nine of MU's final 10 games to reduce Jae Crowder's penchant for foul trouble. During that stretch, only once did Williams log more than 10 minutes -- the home blowout of Providence -- and he failed to score in half of those contests...". A homecoming of sorts, Williams should find a larger offensive role at Sam Houston State. And Coach Buzz Williams will continue to draw Texas players up to Milwaukee.

Notre Dame

Player	Hgt	Pos	Class	Dest.
Carleton Scott	6-8	Forward	Junior	NBA

Limited to a role player and having an additional year of eligibility available, Carleton Scott nevertheless threw his lot with the NBA draft this spring. Noted for defensive rebounding and scoring inside the arc, as a veteran contributor Scott will be missed. But it could have been worse, Coach Brey and the Notre Dame faithful can look forward to one last season from fifth year senior Tim Abromaitis.

Pittsburgh

Player	Hgt	Pos	Class	Dest.
J.J. Richardson	6-7	Forward	Soph.	Houston

Though he tore up the courts in the Panthers' Irish Tour last summer, JJ Richardson had difficulty carving his niche in the rotation with sophomore Dante Taylor, junior Nasir Robinson and red shirt freshman Talib Zanna ahead of him. A native of Texas, Richardson decided to go home and try again with Houston.

Seton Hall

Player	Hgt	Pos	Class	Dest.
Anali Okoloji	6-8	Forward	Frosh.	George Mason
Ferrakohn Hall	6-8	Forward	Soph.	Memphis

Sophomore Ferrakohn Hall was a reluctant recruit dating back to his freshman season, the tumultuous last season for Coach Bobby Gonzalez. Persuaded to try another season, Hall lasted a semester and decided to transfer back home, finding a place in Coach Josh Pastner's Memphis program. Anali Okoloji was an early recruit for current Coach Kevin Willard, but freshman forward saw only spot minutes playing behind fellow freshman Patrik Auda.

South Florida

Player	Hgt	Pos	Class	Dest.
Mike Burwell	6-6	Guard	Soph.	Towson
Shedrick Haynes	6-0	Guard	Junior	Tarleton St.

Like St. John's under former coach Norm Roberts, the South Florida program is acquiring a turnstile-like quality. The latest outbound transfers include sophomore guard Mike Burwell and JUCO Shedrick Haynes. Though he appeared in 31 of the Bulls' 33 games (and started five), Burwell logged a total of 251 minutes, averaging about eight minutes per appearance. Haynes appeared in 25 games, averaging about six minutes per appearance. Both should see more playing time at their next stop. Coach Stan Heath has replacements lined up already.

St. John's

Player	Hgt	Pos	Class	Dest.
Dwayne Polee	6-7	Forward	Frosh.	Trans - TBD
Quincy Roberts	6-5	Guard	Soph.	Trans - TBD

From viturally his first week on the job, St. John's Coach Steve Lavin has been shaking up the recruiting trail, compiling an impressive list of signees. While most understood that his very large 2010 senior class would require a large incoming 2011-12 class to replace them, few expected to see even more roster spots created by outbound transfers. Sophomore guard Quincy Roberts showed flashes in his freshman season, but an injury sidelined him in Coach Norm Roberts' last season, and the red shirt sophomore appeared in four games in the 2011 season, so his transfer is not a surprise. Freshman Dwayne Polee was one of the players the Red Storm staff consciously groomed for leadership going into the 2012 season. One of the few returning players with starting responsibilities in 2011, Polee seemed to be a player the staff looked to to form the nucleus of the next generation of St. John's teams.

West Virginia

Player	Hgt	Pos	Class	Dest.
Dan Jennings	6-8	Forward	Soph.	Trans - TBD
Dalton Pepper	6-5	Guard	Soph.	Temple

The subject of frequent transfer rumors in his freshman year, Dalton Pepper finally pulled the trigger after the 2011 season. At one time recruited by virtually all of Philadelphia's Division 1 teams, Pepper's eventual decision to cast his lot with Coach Fran Dunphy and his Temple Owls is entirely reasonable. Fellow sophomore Dan Jennings appeared in 14 games last season, starting in four. Jennings was most active in the Mountaineers' out of conference schedule, but left the bench two minutes into the second half of West Virginia's South Florida game and did not appear in any game after. Will he be missed? Not much according to Coach Bob Huggins.

2010-11 Preview -- Pittsburgh Panthers

Too Busy for the Details?
The 2009 Panthers made me a Jamie Dixon believer. Picking the Panthers to finish in hte second quartile in 2010 was a positive expression of faith, or so I thought. The 2011 edition has four returning starters, three very experienced rotation players and a boatload of promising newcomers. Returning players will be pushed by the freshmen early. Keeping everyone happy may be Coach Dixon's toughest job.  Prognosis -- A 1st quartile finish.

3 Years At a Glance

	Returning...
	2011	2010	2009
%Min	84.4	42.5	66.1
%Pts	79.7	48.2	48.7
%FGM	85.4	31.7	72.6
%3FGM	84.5	46.7	44.0
%OReb	92.6	24.4	82.9
%DReb	87.0	36.4	76.8
%TReb	88.7	32.1	79.1

A #3 finish in conference while returning only 42.5% of the minutes and so little of the rebounding is surprising for a Big East team, but a testimony to the resilience of the Pittsburgh program under Coach Dixon. The Panthers can stockpile and develop the talented stream of recruits they attract each year without regressing much in regular season play. The Panthers have won the conference regular season and tournaments under Coach Dixon. The next hurdle to clear is the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.

	According to Pomeroy...
	2009-10		2008-09		2007-08
	#	Rank	#	Rank	#	Rank
BE Pace	62.3	16	66.8	9	64.2	12
BE Off Eff.	109.3	6	117.7	1	109.2	3
BE Def Eff.	103.4	5	101.6	5	104.7	11
BE Def eFG%	46.3	2	49.0	7	50.9	13
BE Def TOv%	15.3	15	17.1	12	19.2	10
BE Def Reb%	66.0	7	71.9	1	66.2	10
BE Def FTR%	35.6	6	33.7	8	31.7	5

Certainly in keeping with the offensive philosophy, but perhaps consistent with the staff's preference for larger, longer front court players, Pitt executes one of the more deliberate offenses in the conference. While #16 is on the low side (that spot is usually reserved for perimeter-oriented DePaul, Georgetown or West Virginia under John Beilein) it may be attributed to evolving roles in the offense and many opponents' difficulty developing scoring opportunities against Pitt's defense. The revelation is that Pittsburgh does not have an "elite" defense. Pace plays a strong role in opponents' low scores. Though he used the Atlantic 10 conference to frame his point, contributor Ray Floriani illustrated in his article over at College Chalktalk that the differential between a team's offensive and defensive efficiency often determines where it ranks within the conference. A point Pittsburgh makes year in and year out. Defensive efficiency may serve as Pitt's "floor" while their offense might be their "ceiling", but it is the difference that determines their rank. And they consistently rank in the upper division, often among the best in the Big East.

The defensive numbers are not, as I expected, dominating at all. Their defensive rebounding rate in 2009 hinted at how tough they could be at that end of the floor, but taken as a whole over the three seasons, there is no single signature statistic that identifies a "Pittsburgh Defense".

	For the Record...
	2009-10			2008-09			2007-08
	W	L	Pct.	W	L	Pct.	W	L	Pct.
Overall	25	9	0.735	31	5	0.861	27	10	0.730
Big East	13	5	0.722	15	3	0.833	10	8	0.556
Post Season?	NCAA Rnd #2			NCAA Rnd #4			NCAA Rnd #2

The Panthers' Nucleus
Coach Jamie Dixon's biggest task this season will be keeping everyone healthy and focused on the staff's objectives. Freshman season is over for the front court, time to see how good they really can be. Gary McGhee is a solid presence whose lack of speed will not throw Pittsburgh's offensive or defensive systems out of synch. Coach Dixon's style of play places a premium on ball control, pace and physical play. Fans fondly refer to the Panther defense as a boa constictor, and McGhee and Taylor can guarantee that the lane will be crowded and closed to most half court sets and pesky 6-0 guards who venture into the lane.

On Offense
Player	Min%	Ortg	Poss%	Shot%	eFG%	OR%	PPWS	FTR%
Ashton Gibbs	84.7	116.2	21.4	26.1	49.4	1.5	1.12	38.7
Brad Wanamaker	79.6	105.8	24.7	21.0	48.0	6.3	1.08	57.8
Nasir Robinson	61.0	97.0	18.2	17.7	50.8	9.9	1.00	31.6
Gary McGhee	59.1	109.3	16.0	14.1	62.3	12.1	1.24	53.6
Travon Woodall	49.4	93.1	19.6	17.3	44.5	1.6	0.96	29.7
Gilbert Brown	39.3	110.9	23.2	23.5	56.0	4.7	1.19	50.3
Dante Taylor	34.1	115.0	16.2	14.4	58.4	16.1	1.18	68.5

McGhee will never be the #1 option on offense, but the junior center will always get his share of points from putbacks and the occasional low post entry pass. Dante Taylor is also an exceptional offensive rebounder, and will complement McGhee well as a second, (slightly) speedier low post presence. Both are very efficient, in part because they know when to take their shot and when to pass the ball out to the perimeter. Gilbert Brown has been a four (five?) year enigma for the Panthers. Athletic and talented, between injuries, academic problems and inconsistency his flashes have brought smiles to the staff, media and fans, while his game-to-game level of play brings head shakes and heartburn. This is his last chance to impress, and Pittsburgh could have a 38 or 39 game season if he does.

On Defense
Player	Min%	DR%	Ast%	TO%	Stl%	Blk%
Ashton Gibbs	84.7	7.7	11.8	10.0	0.3	1.4
Brad Wanamaker	79.6	14.0	31.3	21.3	0.9	2.3
Nasir Robinson	61.0	16.0	13.4	20.9	1.4	1.0
Gary McGhee	59.1	20.3	4.9	21.7	7.5	0.6
Travon Woodall	49.4	11.1	31.8	27.2	1.1	1.7
Gilbert Brown	39.3	10.9	17.9	17.9	1.0	1.3
Dante Taylor	34.1	15.4	1.8	14.8	4.4	2.0

Areas for improvement for guards/wings Travon Woodall and Bradley Wanamaker include turnovers. Each gets enough possesions (19.6 and 24.7 respectively) that turnover rates above 20% can drag down Pitt's offensive efficiency. J.J. Richardson, a 6-7, 235 pound forward and walk-on senior Nick Rivers round out the returning players.

Significant Additions
This year's entering class features recruits at both back court spots and the wing. All are very good, but they, along with a handful of red shirt players from 2010, will be have to be integrated into an already deep rotation. Among the players entering, J.J. Moore might be the most higly regarded. The 6-5, 200 pound wing who prepped at the South Kent School in Connecticut will see minutes behind Gil Brown. Moore scored the team-high as a starter against the Ireland National Team last August. A good start to his career as a Panther. Point guard-in-waiting is Isaiah Epps, a 6-2, 160 pound lead guard out of Plainfield, NJ by way of Hargrave Military Academy did not take the Ireland Tour last summer, but he should definitely see minutes in the back court roatation in 2011. 6-7, 200 pound forward Aron Nwankwo from Baltimore, Maryland and 6-4, 200 pound sg Cameron Wright from Cleveland, Ohio also made the Ireland Tour and took advantage of the structured practice and exhibition games. Both should see a few minutes in the early season. If Pittsburgh's Ireland Tour last August is any indication, the 6-9 225 pound red shirt freshmen Talib Zanna and his wing teammate Lamar Patterson, a 6-5 220 pound wing from Lancaster, Pennsylvania by way of St. Benedict's in New Jersey, will definitely see regular minutes in the front court rotation this season.

Explode If...
Define explode. Regular season conference title? And Big East Tournament Champion? A #1 seed in the NCAA's? Elite Eight? Final Four?
1. The team is deep enough to sustain an injury/absence or two from just about any position in the rotation and not miss a beat (almost, see below). The squad has to practice and play hard, but play together.

Implode If...
1. With a very talented and deep squad, the problem is finding a role and playing time for all of the important parts. Friction between the younger and older members of the squad could undermine squad cohesion. The staff will have to look for the signs and defuse early.
2. The team has been identified early and widely as "the team to beat", both in the conference and nationally. Unlike 2010, they will sneak up on no one. Can the team adjust to life continuously in the limelight? The expectations can be difficult to meet sometimes, and different teams react in different ways.
3. Depth is good, but the two positions where an extended absence of the starter could prove to be relatively more difficult to overcome immediately would be at the point where Ashton Gibbs starts and the low post where Gary McGhee rules. The team is well-stocked at both positions, but Gibbs and McGhee have emerged as leaders. Replacements can make up the stats, but developing the leadership characteristics from either the replacements or other members of the squad (Brown? Wannamaker?) may take a bit longer.

Crucial Run/Bellweather Games
If the Panthers are indeed in the hunt for the Big East title this season they will start fast and keep going. As pod hosts for the 2K Sports Classic/Coaches vs Cancer Invitational, Pitt should, despite the fact that advancing to Madison Square Garden is automatic, sweep the three game preliminary set. Of the three, Rhode Island will be the most challenging opponent, as the Rams are projected to finish in the upper division of the A-10 Conference this season. Two BCS opponents, Maryland followed by either Illinois or Texas (most likely the 'Horns) will be waiting for Pitt in MSG. The top team in the Big East should be able to take any combination of the three. Coach Dixon's squad drew Tennessee in the Big East-SEC Challenge. The Panther will host the Vols, on December 11 in downtown Pittsburgh, as the featured matchup for a double header that includes a Rutgers-Auburn game. If Villanova faces Tennessee in the NIT Tip-Off, analysts will have a nice common opponent comparison to chew on in the month before conference play commences. Unlike earlier seasons, Coach Dixon will clear the traditional local rivalry games (Duquesne and Robert Morris) before the start of conference play. 12-0 going into their Connecticut game on 12/27 ought to have Pittsburgh in the AP Top 5. 11-1 might bruise Panther pride, but would no impact on the conference race or title prospects (regular or BET). A 9-3 record (or worse, given the competition) would bring a torrent of "What's Wrong With Pittsburgh/the Big East?" stories.

The schedule maker dealt Pittsburgh South Florida, Villanova and Backyard Brawl rival West Virginia as 2011 mirrors. The trio may be one of the tougher draws based on last season's Pythagorean Winning Percentage (PWP), but the Panthers should log no worse than a 4-2 record (sweep USF, draw with 'Nova & WVU). A 4 game run that stretchs through 10 days starting in the second week in January, should provide an early hint about the Panthers' prospects. Pitt opens the run by hosting Marquette, then takes a road trip to DC for a game with Georgetown and returns to Steel Town for two games in 48 hours, versus Seton Hall and Syracuse. Georgetown has been previewed as a First Quartile team by most publications, the road game, set in that context, and with four days of preparation, should be even more difficult. A 4-0 record through that sequence, coming on the heels of a 2-0 start (Connecticut and Providence) would definitely put Pitt in the conversation about #1 seeds (for the NCAA). If the Panthers can break even on a two game road trip through Morgantown and Philadelphia in early February they should be in a good position to close the season with no worse than the top see in the Big East Conference. Their 2/12 date with Villanova, the backend of that road trip, will be the featured event in ESPN's College GameDay Series. Should things go badly on the Mainline, Pittsburgh will have the opportunity to return the favor in their season-closing match with Villanova at the Petersen on March 5. Split that series with Villanova and have those two end the season #1/#2 in conference and the ink and electronic media will tout the probable rubber match in the Garden a week later. And both are probably looking at #1 seeds on Selection Sunday.

Further Reading
I tracked player and team efficiencies during the Panthers' Ireland Tour last month, and provided a few post game breakdowns of the team's performance. Only the first game box score gave a hint about how much time each player logged, so it was the only game where I could devevelop possession-based statistics for each player who logged time in the game...
The Panthers' first win over the Irish Natioal Team
Pittsburgh's win over a collection of players from four Southern Ireland professional clubs.
Pittsburh's second win over the Irish National Team
The Panthers' win over the Dart Killister club. Dart Killister is one of the better teams in the Ireland Premier League. After rolling over the first three teams, Pitt found the last three teams a bit more challenging.
Pittsburgh's win over the Melbourne Tiger, an Australian professional team in Ireland for a summer festival and tune-up for their season.
The Panthers' win over the English National Team. An odd game statistically, as the English shot more efficiently and got to the line more than the Panthers. The game difference came down to turnovers and rebounding, two areas where Pitt really separated themselves from the Brits.

Ireland 2010 -- Pittsburgh Downs English Nationa Team 82-69

The England National Team
Pittsburgh closed out it's 2010 Ireland Tour with an 82-69 win over the England National Team at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Saturday evening. The win marks a perfect 6-0 record for the Panthers who will return to the USA on Sunday. The Odessey Arena and Ireland Basketball publicized the two day, four game event as the 2010 Belfast International Basketball Classic, with the Pittsburgh squad described as the "NCAA USA Powerhouse" Pittsburgh University Panthers" billed as the headliner. Other teams participating included the Melbourne Tigers and the England National Team, Pitts' two opponents, with the Scottish National Team rounding out the field. Pitt's official athletic website carries wire story game recap which highlights some of the play-by-play, along with a scoring summary. The official boxscore (.pdf format) is also posted on the site. The scoring by quarters...

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
Pittsburgh	25	27	16	14	82
England National Team	5	18	14	32	69

The Panthers decisively won the first quarter 25-5, jumping out to a 11-3 lead at the halfway mark of the quarter, cruising to the finish with a 14-2 run. England was stone cold from the field, converting at an 11.8% rate (2-17, 0-5, 2-12). Pitt continued their domination through the second quarter, 27-18, taking a 29 point lead (52-23) into the half. The English however, were beginning to find their range, improving their conversion rate to 45% (5-11, 1-3, 4-8). Having gathered themselves, England came out for the last two quarters and gave the Panthers a more competitive game. The Panthers found the English played them nearly even in the third quarter (16-14), the score close because the Panthers had difficulty converting their field goal attempts (6-22, 2-6, 4-16). The England Team shot at about the same accuracy as the second quarter (40% vs 45%), but failed to shave anything off of the Panthers' lead because Pittsburgh controlled the boards at both ends of the floor, simply cutting off second chance opportunities under England's basket, while (through offensive boards) giving themselves multiple opportunities to score. If the Panthers thought they could turn on the auto-pilot and cruise home, they were mistaken. Team England put on a furious, 32-14 blitz to cut the Panthers' edge to 13 before the final whistle. Taking three of the game's quarters, Pitt upped their "won quarter" mark to 20, taking 20 of the 24 quarters of basketball played on the tour. The 13 point margin of victory was the closest (for Pittsburgh) of the Tour. This game was played for just over 70 possessions (70.1), closer to Pittsburgh's comfort zone (60-65 roughly) of last season. The efficiencies and Oliver's four factors:

						FTA
	Pace	ORtg	eFG%	TO%	OR%	FGA	PPWS
Pittsburgh	70.1	117.0	42.7	10.0	47.9	18.3	0.92
England National Team		98.4	46.7	17.1	33.3	35.0	0.99

A glance at the Offensive Rating, 117.0, would leave the incurious reader with the impression this game was carried on an offensive outburst from Pitt, typical of the four games played in the south of Ireland. A closer look at the shooting and the confusion begins...a 42.7 eFG% is nothing to write home about, a lot of missed FGAs. A look over to the PPWS seems to confirm this was an off shooting night for the Panthers. Comparing Pitts' eFG% and PPWS to England's however should trigger a good round of head scratching. England shot better?! How did Pitt win (and by 13 points no less)? For the Panthers, a significant difference in turnovers was extremely helpful. In the 70 (or so) possession game, Pitt lost the ball only seven time, while England turned it over 12 times. Pitt converted possessions efficiently despite poor shooting by rebounding their misses, an awful lot of their misses. They were able to take that second (and third) shot with having the additional attempt tallied as a separate possession. A move very similar to the Georgetown teams in 2008. In the contest for 40 of those missed FGAs, Pitt won 15 times (typical would be about 10-12. More opportunities to score. The English had the best offensive night of any team facing Pitt in Ireland.

Notes
1. For the fifth straight game Coach Dixon used his entire squad, as all 14 players saw playing time. Continuing a trend initiated in virtually the second game of the tour, Coach Dixon opted to scramble his starting lineup. Tonight the back court consisted of rising junior Travon Woodall and rising senior Bradley Wannamaker. Freshman low post player JJ Richardson anchored the center, while rising junior Nasir Robinson and freshman Lamar Patterson played the #3 and #4 respectively.
2. The Woodall-Wannamaker tandem was effective logging a combined nine assists against a single turnover. Rising junior point Ashton Gibbs also posted five assists.
3. All 14 players took at least one FGA, and 12 managed to post at least a point. Gibbs, Woodall and redshirt freshman Talib Zanna co-tied with the team-high of 13 points. Those three were the only double digit scorers for Pittsburgh.
4. Only Dante Taylor picked up as many as four personals.

Next
Travel back to Dublin and take another day to tour the sights. The team will return to the USA Monday, August 9.

Ireland 2010 -- Pitt Rolls, 110-61, Over Team Ireland

Twice in Three Days
The University of Pittsburgh met the Irish National Team for the second time, this time on the court at Dublin City University, and swept their series with Team Ireland with a convincing 110-61 score. This brings the Panthers' Irish Tour record to 3-0. The Pittsburgh basketball site has the official boxscore (they included player minutes this time) and a game recap/story. The recap includes some of the action, and identifies a few elements to the Panther win. The scoring by quarters...

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
Pittsburgh	23	27	36	24	110
Team Ireland	15	16	11	19	61

Pittsburgh has controlled every game from virtually the opening tip to the final buzzer. Rolling out to a 19 point lead at the end of the half (second quarter), Pittsburgh decisively won the third quarter 36-11 to put the game out of reach. They then put on cruise control for the fourth quarter, and run out the time. The pattern has been the same -- a spurt in the second quarter puts the Panthers in control going into the half, and a furious third quarter puts the game out of reach. It will be interesting to see if the pattern holds against Division 1 opponents come the regular season (BEWARE THE FIRST 10 MINUTES OF THE SECOND HALF!). Consistent with their first game with the Irish National Team, the game was played for over 70 possessions (), very much out of character for the deliberate and disciplined pace shown by Jamie Dixon-coached teams. The efficiencies and Oliver's four factors:

						FTA
	Pace	ORtg	eFG%	TO%	OR%	FGA	PPWS
Pittsburgh	76.2	144.5	59.0	15.8	74.2	29.5	1.25
Team Ireland		80.1	34.9	13.1	17.6	49.2	0.79

Pitt's offensive efficiency, 144.5 shows a healthy differential from their defensive efficiency of 80.1, even better than their first game differential with Team Ireland. Their shot conversion efficiency (eFG%) was the best on the tour so far. The Panthers were for the most part, in character -- they dominated the boards (OR% of 74.2 vs 17.6), limited turnovers (15.8) and developed a high yield for their shots, scoring 1.25 points for every FGA they took. About the only out of character element was free throws. The Panthers got to the charity stripe about once for every field goal attempts, well below their Division rate (about 3 times for every 10 field goal attempts). Extremely large scoring margins combined with a very large rotation most likely explain the lack of low post physical play and lane penetration by the guards.

Notes
1. The rotation went 14 deep, and while the recap suggests the minutes were distributed evenly (more or less), the PT ranged from Dante Taylor's team-high 21 minutes to three minutes for one of the freshmen. The starters, Gilbert Brown (who started at the #2), Ashton Gibbs, J.J. Moore, Gary McGhee and J.J. Richardson had 43.9% of the playing time.
2. Four of the starters, JJ Moore, Gilbert Brown, JJ Richardson and Ashton Gibbs, along with rising junior Nasir Robinson scored double-digit points. Moore was the high scorer for the second straight game, this time notching 14 points on 6-12 (1-2, 5-10) and 1-2 shooting.
3. Gibbs, Brown, Robinson and JJ Richardson had particularly efficient outings, combining volume scoring with efficient shooting. Each scored double digit points while posting eFGs >57.0.
4. Brown dished a team-high five assists to go with his 12 points.
5. While the Panthers crushed the Irish National Team on the boards, only rising sophomore Dante Taylor grabbed, who grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds, gathered more than eight boards. This was truly a team effort, as all 14 players had at least one defensive board, and 13 of 14 players grabbed at least one offensive board.

Next
Pittsburgh will play one more game in Dublin, again at Dublin City University, tomorrow, when they face the Dart Killester Club Team. Dart Killester won the North Conference of the Ireland Super League (the premier league in Ireland), 13-5.