The Surprise Team
University of Pittsburgh Panthers
Voted to finish ninth in the Big East Conference this season by the coaches in the Big East, the Pitt Panthers (21-7, 10-5) have surprised many with their current ranking at 16 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. Head Coach Jamie Dixon’s Panthers have worked themselves into third place in the Big East, with signature wins over conference foes Syracuse, Connecticut, West Virginia, and Villanova.
With just one returning starter, Jermaine Dixon, Pitt has called on past role players to step up and lead the way. They have used their depth to their advantage, which allows guys to get a couple breathers per game. Ten players on Pitt’s team are averaging over ten minutes per game, and four are averaging at least ten points per game.
Averaging 16.4 points and 35.5 minutes per game is sharp-shooting Ashton Gibbs, who averaged just 4.3 points and 10.7 minutes per game last season. Gibbs is the man the Panthers need to stay hot for any shot at winning the Big East Tournament and going deep into the NCAA Tournament.
Jamie Dixon had the tough job of finding someone to replace Tyrell Biggs and the notorious offensive rebounder DeJuan Blair after last season. Junior Gary McGhee proved in workouts that he was worthy of being the big man in the post and has been a defensive force, grabbing rebounds and averaging 1.8 blocks per game. McGhee has been a vital part to Pitt’s success this season and will be another key component if the Panthers are able to fight deep into the NCAA Tournament.
Remaining on the schedule for Jamie Dixon and his squad are a trip Madison Square Garden on Saturday to play the St. John’s Red Storm, followed by two home games to wrap up the regular season versus the Providence Friars and Rutgers Scarlet Knights next week.
Player of the Year Candidate
John Wall, University of Kentucky Wildcats
This freshman has been the talk of college basketball all season, and for a very good reason. Wall is scoring 16.8 points per game, complimented by his 6.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds.
Since day one Wall has been a hit on the campus in Lexington, KY as the leader of the Wildcat offense. He has been phenomenal, leading Kentucky to a 26-1 overall record towards the regular season SEC championship. In UK’s lone loss this season Wall scored 19 points on 6 of 16 shooting. The diaper dandy, as Dick Vitale would say, has scored less than 10 points this season on just two occasions (Hartford and LSU) and shot 10 of 16 while scoring 25 points in a win over then- ranked Connecticut.
Wall has been the backbone of this team, leading the Wildcats in points per game, assists, and steals. Without him, Kentucky would not be in first place in the SEC and their championship hopes would not be as high. Look for Wall to exploit weaknesses in defenses the rest of this season, on Kentucky’s road to an NCAA Championship in April.
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