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Panthers working with an eye on defense
Dave Mackall can be reached via e-mail or at 412-380-5617.
The Panthers dropped five of their final seven games, including first-round losses in the Big East and NCAA tournaments, to come away with a sour taste, despite a 20-9 record.
With 20 victories already this year and with three regular-season games remaining, the Panthers feel there is a great chance for significant improvement on last season's mark, in spite of a youthful roster.
"A lot of guys are putting time into working out more this year," Pitt sophomore guard Ronald Ramon said. "They know what happened last year. Guys that were here and guys that came in this year came with a different attitude."
Of course, what matters most to the Pitt players -- young and old -- are championships.
"Everybody wants to go farther in the (NCAA) tournament," Ramon said.
Pitt (20-4, 9-4) has an opportunity again to surpass last season's 20-win plateau on Saturday at Petersen Events Center against Providence (12-12, 5-8). The game will serve as a rematch of the Panthers' 85-77 victory last week in Providence, R.I., and will be followed by a trip to West Virginia on Monday and the regular-season finale at home against Seton Hall on March 3.
The Panthers failed in their first attempt at win No. 21, losing Saturday at Marquette, 84-82. They have not played since then, but there has been a spirited effort this week in practices to re-establish a type of sturdy defense the team possessed earlier in the season.
"I say it every week. I'll be the same next week and it'll be the same the week after that," Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. "I try to make it a new idea, but it's not changing. I'll never be satisfied with (the defense)."
Other than a 57-53 victory over West Virginia on Feb. 9, Pitt has yielded more than 60 points in every game since suffering its first defeat, 55-50 at St. John's on Jan. 21.
On four occasions during the stretch, the Panthers gave up more than 70 points, and against Connecticut and Marquette, the score uncharacteristically reached into the 80s.
"The time off gives us a great chance to rest some guys," said guard Levance Fields, one of three Pitt freshmen who regularly play. "This week couldn't be a better time for me personally. Everybody's getting things done, including classwork."
Fields stressed the thing that Dixon loves to emphasize: Play better defense.
"I haven't played good defense the last couple of games," Fields said. "We're definitely stressing defense and rebounding, and a couple of things on the offensive side."
For Pitt, the grind of a schedule that was top-heavy with home games at the start -- the Panthers played 11 of their first 13 at Petersen Events Center -- has turned into an exercise in road trips.
After playing mainly at home, Pitt has been on the road for seven of its past 11 games, but hopes to take advantage Saturday of the familiar confines of its house.
"We've just had some mental breakdowns," Fields said. "We have wins with this young team and we have losses with this young team. It is what it is now. We have to get better."
Fields said the Panthers are determined to get back to winning consistently after splitting their past six games, which includes three road losses to Connecticut (80-76), Georgetown (61-58) and Marquette.
"We're getting better, but our defense the last couple of games hasn't been there," Fields said. "Teams have been scoring on us. We've got three more games to get it right before the Big East Tournament -- three important games -- so, hopefully, we can get it started now."
