Um, I think the answer is Yes.Sam Young answered Srinivas' astute question today with an absolutely dominant performance -- attacking the basket, knocking down jumpers, and capping numerous run-outs with thunderous dunks -- to lead Pitt to a 70-60 win over UConn. Young's potential has never been in doubt, but he doesn't always bring his A game. Today, he showed just how good he can be, finishing with a career-high 31 points and 10 rebounds. He actually outrebounded the best rebounder in the country, teammate Dejuan Blair. (Blair had a relatively quiet game, especially as compared to his last performance against UConn, but Young more than made up for it.)
The other big factor in Pitt's offensive performance was their transition game. They pushed the ball up the court much more than they usually do, allowing them to get some easy buckets near the basket before Shot Blocker Extraordinaire Hasheem Thabeet could get back on defense. By my rough calculation, the game had 73 possessions per team*. UConn and Pitt both usually play in the 66-67 possession range. The transition game allowed Pitt to survive a so-so shooting game, as they went just 4-for-20 from 3-pt range.
*Possessions = field goals attempted + (0.4 x free throws attempted) + turnovers - offensive rebounds
As a UConn fan, I am relieved that we'll see Pitt in the Big East semis, assuming we both make it. I want one more shot at them. Would you bet against these two meeting in Detroit?
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