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Pittsburgh Basketball: Pittsburgh Panthers 2015-16 Season Preview

By James Fitzgerald

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Pittsburgh Panthers

2014-2015 Record: 19-15 (8-10, ACC)
Postseason: NIT Tournament – Lost to George Washington in the First Round 60-54

There is no denying that Jamie Dixon is a good coach when it comes to his philosophy and his clipboard skills. What is coming into question might be the way his teams are constructed.

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There is nothing wrong with grabbing graduate transfers at all. But it just seems that at some point you are going to have to make an impact on the recruiting trail in order to have sustained success in the ACC.

Pitt is bringing in three graduate transfer players to his roster while losing three players. Hopefully these players will put Coach Dixon back in the NCAA Tournament after missing the NCAA’s for only the second time in his 12-year tenure at the school.

There is a pretty good chance that the Panthers can get back in the NCAA tournament with the mix of players that are presently on the roster and the transfers coming in this season.

If everyone meshes together in time, Jamie Dixon will have his team back in the tournament again and possibly in the thick of things in the ACC.

Newcomers

G – Sterling Smith (transfer from Coppin St.)
F/C – Alonzo Nelson-Odonda (transfer from Richmond)
F – Rafael Maia (transfer from Brown)
C – Rozelle Nix (Pensicola State College/Cincina)
F – Damon Wilson (Our Savior New American (NY), Powder Springs, GA)

Key Non-Conference Games

Nov. 13 vs Gonzaga – Jamie Dixon is going to find out how good his team is immediately when his Panthers take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Armed Forces Classic from Okinawa, Japan.

The Panthers are going to have to be on top of their game to take out a Gonzaga team that is a possible Final Four contender and boasts one of the best frontcourts in the nation.

Pitt’s Jamel Artis and Michael Young vs Gonzaga’s Kyle Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis should be an outstanding matchup in the frontcourt.

Dec. 1 vs Purdue -Matt Painter’s Purdue Boilermakers will be a great test for the Pitt Panthers in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge since they are projected to be a Big Ten title contender and set for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

The Boilermakers only lost one player from last year’s 21-13 team that lost by a point in the Round of 64 to the Cincinnati Bearcats 66-65.

If the Panthers really feel that they can be a NCAA Tournament team this year, this is the type of team that you need to beat in order to build that confidence during the non-conference schedule.

Nov 14, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers forward Jamel Artis (1) drives to the basket against the Niagara Purple Eagles during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Key Players

Jamel Artis – The 6-foot-7 forward showed that he has inside-outside ability when last season he put up 13.6 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 46.9% from the floor and 39.4% from beyond the arc.

He is going into his junior season after starting 34 of 34 games as a sophomore. He is easily one of the more underrated players in the ACC, but has an opportunity to take his personal notoriety in the conference to the next level.

Artis should have a big season for the Panthers and should finish 2015-16 as an All-ACC performer if he builds on his strong 2014-15 campaign.

Michael Young – Michael Young had a solid sophomore campaign as well in 2014-15 after finishing with 13.7 points and a team high 7.3 rebounds.

The 6-foot-9, 235 pound forward shot 53.0% from the field last year and showed a knack for playing big on the offensive glass.

Young is one of the best power forwards in the ACC.  He is an impact player that will give Pitt the boost they need in order to get back to the NCAA Tournament.

James Robinson – Robinson is the most experienced backcourt player Pitt has and he will be tasked with setting the table once again in Jamie Dixon’s offense.

Last season Robinson averaged 5.1 assists per contest and led the ACC with a 3.1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

He has started in 102 games for Coach Dixon which should without a doubt give him the familiarity necessary to handle whatever situations he comes across on the floor.

It would be good to see Robinson become a bit more efficient when shooting the ball after shooting 36.7% from the field and 29.8% from three-point range last season.

Other than the shooting woes, Robinson is the type of experienced  lead guard you need in order to navigate through the ACC gauntlet.

Season Outlook

It would not be a stretch for Pittsburgh to make it back to the NCAA tournament after being away from it last  season.

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    • It also would not be a stretch if Pittsburgh finished with a better record than 8-10 in ACC play this season.

    Jamie Dixon has enough firepower returning and enough depth on his roster to make both things happen.

    We do need to keep in mind that this is only Pittsburgh’s third season in the ACC, so the style of play that they were able to be successful with in the Big East may not have translated as expected to the ACC.  They still appear to be finding the identity that will help them succeed in their new conference home.

    Pitt’s ACC success starts with getting back over the .500 mark in conference play which is something the team was able to do in their first ACC season.

    Pittsburgh is not as far off as people may think and last year might be more of an aberration than the beginning of a new trend for Jamie Dixon’s program.

    Next: Louisville Cardinals 2015-16 Season Preview

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