PITT too Black And White With Gray

Pitt Better Without BIG CITY?

Maybe the University of Pittsburgh basketball team is better without their 7-foot, Big East pre-season player of the year Aaron Gray. Could that be? I first had this thought last week before Pitt played Seton Hall and it was clear that his ankle injury was more severe than originally believed. I was further convinced after Pitt was able to leave New Jersey with a three-point win. Now, after traveling to our nation’s capital to watch the Panthers and Georgetown Hoyas square off for the Big East regular season title, I am more convinced than ever.

Sure, Georgetown beat Pitt Saturday, and all but wrapped up the Big East regular season title while doing so, but during that game, one thing became very apparent to me: Big City Aaron Gray should not have played. This is not intended to take anything away from Gray’s play on Saturday. I thought he was very effective, scoring 10 points and grabbing six rebounds in his 21 minutes. Here is my argument; Pitt is too dependent of Aaron Gray being in the line-up.

Pitt has already wrapped up a bye in the Big East Tournament, which begins next Wednesday in the World’s Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden. So, if you really break it down, their last two regular season games do not mean much. Pitt is already a lock for the NCAA Tournament. Seeding is the only thing that might be affected if Gray misses the next two games, and we have seen how seeding doesn’t matter much. Pitt has lost to a worse seed every year in the NCAA tournament since they started making regular appearances six seasons ago. The key for any sports team is to be playing their best at the end of the season. Two of the key factors in playing your best are getting favorable match-ups and being healthy. Right now, Aaron Gray is not healthy, and playing on his bad ankle will only prevent him from becoming healthy.

As I mentioned before, the team is too dependent on Gray being in the line-up. Playing two good teams without him could really benefit the team in the long run. Pitt is much more athletic and a faster team with Sam Young in the starting line-up, moving Levon Kendall to the center position. They are much more aggressive and balanced offensively when Gray is on the bench. Rather than running the entire offense through Gray, every player will need to step up a bit and become more of a scorer. This team is missing that with him in the game. It seems to me that the Panthers run their offense for the first 20-25 seconds of the shot clock through Gray. Then, and only then, if they don’t have something, someone else steps up and makes a play.

I am in no way saying that Aaron Gray in not a valuable member of this team, I think he is the MOST valuable member, but I think it is even more valuable to the team if they learn to play without him on the court. This team needs someone with a killer instinct, and right now, they don’t have that. Pitt needs to learn to put teams away. They need a scorer to step up. They have the scorers, but those players just haven’t had the chance to step up due to the style Pitt plays with Gray in the game. Without him out there, they get that opportunity.

Aaron Gray sits out this week and misses games against West Virginia and Marquette. He gets healthy for the important part of the season. The team gets better for the important part of the season. Add Gray back into a confident bunch of scorers, and this team becomes a tough match-up for teams in the tournament. All of the sudden, if teams take Gray out of the game, the rest of the players know exactly what to do. They don’t panic. They don’t lose confidence. They just pick up the slack. By doing that, they become a better team, and it gives them the best chance to reach the Promised Land in Pitt basketball- a trip PAST the Sweet 16.