Big East Preview: #5 Pittsburgh Panthers

Previewing all 15 teams from #15 to #1

By:  Shane McCarthy

Last season was a disaster. Plain and simple. The Panthers only won five conference games, had an eight game losing streak and ended a 10 year run of making the NCAA Tournament.  But that was last year, and this year the Pitt Panthers look poised to return as a Big East contender.

Who’s Back:

Tray Woodall –G– Senior – 31 Min, 11.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 6.1 apg

Lamar Patterson –F– Junior – 28.5 Min, 9.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.6 apg

Talib Zanna –F– Junior – 19.3 Min, 6.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 0.3 apg

Dante Taylor –F– Senior – 18.8 Min, 5.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 0.5 apg

J.J. Moore –F– Junior – 18.4 Min, 7.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.4 apg

John Johnson –G– Soph – 14.1 Min, 4.2 ppg, 0.6 rpg, 1.2 apg 

Cameron Wright –G– Soph – 11.7 Min, 2.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 0.7 apg

Incoming Recruits:

Steven Adams – [Center] – 7 foot 0, 240

ESPN’s 6^th rated player and 4^th rated Center

Rivals.com’s 5^th rated player and 3^rd rated Center

James Robinson – [Point Guard] – 6 foot 3, 190

ESPN’s 43^rd ranked player and 4^th rated Point Guard

Rivals.com’s 59^th rated player and 8^th rated Point Guard

Chris Jones – [Shooting Guard] – 6 foot 5, 205

Incoming Transfers:

Trey Zeigler – [Shooting Guard] – 6 foot 5, 203

A transfer from Central Michigan, Trey will immediately be eligible for the Panthers this year.  He averaged 16 ppg, 6.1 rpg and 2.3 apg in his two seasons at Central Michigan.  In the 2010 recruiting class, Zeigler was the 28^th ranked player by Rivals and 33^rd ranked player by ESPN. 

Who’s Out:  Ashton Gibbs, Nasir Robinson

Overview:

Pittsburgh may have had the Preseason Big East Player of the Year on their roster last season (Ashton Gibbs), but it was clear they were going to go as far as Tray Woodall could take them.  Well Tray got hurt during their non-conference portion of their schedule, sat out an extended period of time and never got healthy until the very end of the season.  As a result, the Panthers were relegated to accepting an invitation to the College Basketball Invitation (CBI) – which they won!  Let’s just say, a return to the CBI is not the aspirations of the 2012-13 squad.

Woodall returns for his senior season, and he had offseason surgery to correct the issue he was hampered by last year.  Once again this team will likely go as far as he takes them, but unlike last year, Pitt has quality depth at point guard if needed.  Tray is one of the great distributors of the ball in the nation (he ranked third in the Big East with 6.1 apg), and it is paramount that he is on the floor as much as possible.  But when he’s not, Coach Dixon feels incoming recruit James Robinson can do a fine job of filling his shoes.

Pittsburgh will also be welcoming back upperclassmen Lamar Patterson and Dante Taylor.  Patterson really came on at the end of the season last year, but Taylor, a former McDonald’s All American, has battled through injuries throughout his career.  Both could be primed for enormous break-out seasons, not only based on potential and health, but also do to talented new-comers who will make the team better.

Trey Zeigler is a transfer from Central Michigan who is an excellent two guard.  Even though Gibbs underwhelmed last year, expect Zeigler (a highly touted recruit from 2010) to fill his role as the dynamic scorer on the Panthers.  And the already mentioned Robinson will provide excellent depth in the back court.

But the real prize is Steven Adams.

A true center from New Zealand, Adams immediately makes the Panthers a Big East contender.  There have been mixed reviews on him (mainly that his talents are raw), but one thing has been consistent – he is a defensive force.  The good news is that he will not have to carry this team, as he will be surrounded by talented players and an exceptional coach.  But if he does play at the level that already has pro scouts drooling, the whole country will have to be on watch.

The entire Pitt Panthers team, community and fan base would like to forget about last year.  I don’t think anyone saw that coming.  And after so many years of consistent excellence, such a drop-off didn’t even seem possible.  But the Panthers are retooled with a very talented lineup to make last year’s hangover-like season go away.  If this team runs through Woodall and Adams like it should, surrounded by talent all over the floor, a #5 finish in the Big East seems too low. The conference got a gift last year as playing Pitt meant a walk-over, but the Panthers should get back to their old ways of stomping opponents this year. 

Twitter:  @shane_t_mac