4-1-Zoo: Pitt Basketball Quarterly Report Card

PITTSBURGH — Pitt is currently ranked No. 3 in the country and is 7-0 going in to the City Game tonight against Duquesne at Consol Energy Center.

That means we're already a quarter of the way in to the 2010-11 season. Thus, it's time to reflect back on what has happened so far and deal out some grades for the Panthers. I'll break it down by the back court, front court and coaching. Overall the Panthers get a solid B to B+ through seven games.

Back Court: B+

In my opinion, this is the strongest area for Pitt. The two biggest play makers on the team are Ashton Gibbs and Brad Wanamaker and they have been tremendous at the guard spots thus far. Gibbs leads the team with 18.1 points per game and Wanamaker isn't far behind with 14.3.

Both shoot around 50 percent from the field and 45 percent from 3-point range while taking care of the ball. Wanamaker has 36 assists to just 16 turnovers and is contributing 5.4 rebounds a game, which is huge from the point guard position.

Gilbert Brown and Travon Woodall have taken their turn at running the point along with Wanamaker and Gibbs, giving the Panthers four different options within games — a huge plus. Brown could be listed in the front court, but I'm listing him here in the guard conversation because he seems to take on that type of mentality and playing style.

Woodall has been the most responsible with the ball with 29 assists to just 9 turnovers and is giving the Panthers 7.6 points a game off the bench. Much was made of his work on his 3-point shot over the offseason and at times it has been effective. However that is an area he can definitely still improve on, as overall it hasn't been consistent.

Brown has been maybe the most erratic of the bunch with 12 turnovers while not handling the ball nearly as often as the previous three. He has made splash plays with his driving ability and finish at the hoop, but his jumper has left much to be desired. Shooting under 37 percent from the field, he needs to find more consistency — something he has struggled with throughout his career.

Front Court: C+

Without a doubt Pitt has been dominant on the boards, outrebounding teams by an average of 16 a game. With a physical Big East schedule less than a month away that's huge. However, there are a few areas this group can improve on.

For one, free throw shooting has been poor from the big men. Talib Zanna (44.4 percent) and Gary McGhee (50 percent) have been Pitt's starting power forward and center in all seven games this season and have been bad at the line. Dante Taylor (63.6 percent) could use some improving as well.

More than once, games are going to come down to making free throws and protecting leads late in games. It happened in New York at Madison Square Garden and Pitt did well. But numbers like these won't help in conference play.

Speaking of New York, Zanna showed the entire country that he can be a star. Only problem is, we haven't seen that same type of play from him since. He has battled some foul trouble recently, allowing Nasir Robinson to get in to the game and play well. Against Texas, Robert Morris and Penn, Zanna scored just 10 total points and averaged just 16 minutes of playing time.

In Pitt's 82-58 win over Penn Saturday, Robinson logged 23 minutes with Zanna on the bench with foul trouble and pulled in 11 rebounds. Such production is great to see from Robinson, who missed the opening three games of the year because of knee surgery.

Another great thing to see has been Taylor, who has clearly improved from his freshman season. He's been absolutely dominant on the offensive boards, pulling in 26. He has given the offense second and third chances to score points and, averaging just less than 7 points a game, has provided some spark offensively as well. I expect him to continue to grow, which his 11-point effort against Penn suggests.

And finally, Gary McGhee has been up and down so far this year. He recorded a double-double two games ago, but has displayed soft hands at times and has been beaten under the boards for loose balls. He doesn't need to be an offensive star, but responsibility on the defensive end is a must. He has served that role well. Some improvement on the boards would help.

Coaching: A

It's hard to scrutinize Dixon these days. He has his team behind only Duke and Ohio State in the rankings while rescuing people in car accidents along I-279.

Really, though, Dixon has been able to work out a rotation that has been a consistent 10, 11 players deep. That's not easy to do in close games, but he did so against Rhode Island, Maryland and Texas and all were close wins.

Young players are getting valuable experience and Dixon is coaching them along against legitimate non-conference opponents. That's exciting. Lamar Patterson has appeared in all seven games and J.J. Moore has played in six. It will serve both well down the road.

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Chris Gates | Area 4-1-Zoo Blog
Twitter.com/Chris_Gates
Chris.Gates@cbsradio.com