Game 3: Pitt

Forum Forum Lehigh Sports Lehigh Men’s Basketball Game 3: Pitt

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  • #7936

    LU65
    Participant

    Game Notes

    http://www.lehighsports.com/assets/1/workflow_staging/Sport/50395.PDF

     

    How big is this game?

    A win puts on center stage next Wednesday and Friday at MSG against national powerhouse programs the likes of Michigan (assuming they dispense with Cleveland State tonight) and either Kansas State or Virginia (again assuming they each care of business tonight at their respective PODs.  A loss sends us back to Stabler to host two teams vanquished from the NIT prelims on Monday and Tuesday.  Oh yeah, there a bit of money, school prestige, and RPI ranking implications riding on this game, as well.  How tough will it be for us to pull off the upset?  Mighty.  But you be the judge after reading the recap and lineups below.

     

    Recap of Pitt/Fordham game.

    Game Element                  Pitt         Fordham

    Assists                                  24           11

    TO’s                                       6              19

    Rebounds                           36           24

    Shooting 2’s                        .564        .346

    Shooting 3’s                        .412        .400

     

    Here’s what did Fordham Coach, Tom Pecora, had to say after the thrashing his team took.

    Well, one of our keys to the game was to not be out-physicaled. Obviously it was something we weren’t able to do. I told my team it was like being an eighth or ninth grader in the school yard and having the older guys beat you up pretty good in the game. If you learn from it, it makes you a better team. If we don’t, we will have issues. It was a great lesson. They are a very good basketball team. I know how committed they are to defending and rebounding and their physical size now with (Steven) Adams added to (Dante) Taylor and (Talib) Zanna. Their guards can really take a chance and pressure the basketball and the big guys are so physical and imposing that they do a really good job of getting in the passing lanes and taking away penetration even if you beat the first man. Their overall team size is exceptional. Their 16 offensive rebounds were huge. They turned us over a bit. Their ability to rebound the basketball and control the paint area really made a difference.”

    On J.J. Moore coming off the bench:

    “I have known J.J. (Moore) since he was a kid. He’s a Long-Island guy. I was at Hofstra when he was at high school. Our zone forced them to have to play small. They were able to pop him and play four on the perimeter against our matchup. By him making shots, it was a difference maker for sure. It really extended our zone and in turn they were able to penetrate the ball and get the ball into the bigs.”

    On the battle in the paint:

    I don’t think it was a battle at all. I think that was the problem. I talked to some of my guys about it. We are young. We have one senior, one junior. I can’t use that as an excuse with these guys. I told the freshman and sophomores that they (Pitt) were big and they have to learn from this on how to play physical, what you can do, how to get yourself into position to make plays but that was not a battle. That was a whooping in the paint.”

     

    Pitt’s likely starting lineup

    Patterson (f)  6’5″

    Zanna (f)  6’9″

    Adams (c)  7’0″

    Robinson (g) 6’3″

    Woodall (g) 6’0″ RSSr out of St. Anthony’s

     

    Key Forward Reserves

    Taylor @ 6’9″

    Moore @ 6’6″

     

     

    #7945

    lehigh90
    Participant

    Interesting stuff in the quotes.  Sounds like Fordham ran a lot of zone, with little success.  Wonder if we try to do the same, or go strictly man.

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