Plus:
Those are certainly impressive stats. Dixon's record as the head coach of Pitt is a very impressive 262-84, with a Big East conference record of 115-57. Dixon broke the all-time NCAA record for the most wins in a coach's first eight seasons. The accomplishments are many and very impressive. He along with Ben Howland, have helped put Pitt on the map as a "big-time" college basketball program.
Dixon has done a lot to help the Pittsburgh community and is very well liked. That being said, I think it's time for a change. In ten years, and despite all of the regular season success, the Panthers under Dixon have gotten past the sweet sixteen ONCE!
The last two seasons the Panthers have missed the NCAA tournament last year and lost to Wichita State in the first round this year. And the loss to Wichita State this year was bad. Wichita State shot a measly 38% from the field and still beat the Panthers by 18! How in the hell does that even happen. And to think that Pitt fans were complaining about being an eight seed. Maybe the professionals that pick the seeds knew a little something after all.
In the last two seasons the Panthers have gone 17-19 in Big East play. They didn't even make the tournament last year. Overall, Dixon's record in the NCAA tournament is 10-9. Isn't that supposed to be the most important part of judging college b-ball teams, players, and coaches? They've gotten past the sweet 16 once under Dixon. They've never been passed the Elite Eight in 10 seasons. Under Dixon, Pitt has now lost in the first round twice, losing to Pacific and Wichita State. They have only made it to the Sweet 16 or beyond THREE times out of ten seasons under Dixon.
"His 262 wins are third most in NCAA history through any coach's first decade, his Big East winning percentage was the greatest in conference history, he won three conference titles, and yeah, he's at least gotten the Panthers to the Big Dance nine times now. Every year but last year." - Dejan Kovacevic Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/dejankovacevic/dejancolumns/3685403-74/dixon-pitt-coach#ixzz2OD5xhvVO
Those are certainly impressive stats. Dixon's record as the head coach of Pitt is a very impressive 262-84, with a Big East conference record of 115-57. Dixon broke the all-time NCAA record for the most wins in a coach's first eight seasons. The accomplishments are many and very impressive. He along with Ben Howland, have helped put Pitt on the map as a "big-time" college basketball program.
Dixon has done a lot to help the Pittsburgh community and is very well liked. That being said, I think it's time for a change. In ten years, and despite all of the regular season success, the Panthers under Dixon have gotten past the sweet sixteen ONCE!
The last two seasons the Panthers have missed the NCAA tournament last year and lost to Wichita State in the first round this year. And the loss to Wichita State this year was bad. Wichita State shot a measly 38% from the field and still beat the Panthers by 18! How in the hell does that even happen. And to think that Pitt fans were complaining about being an eight seed. Maybe the professionals that pick the seeds knew a little something after all.
In the last two seasons the Panthers have gone 17-19 in Big East play. They didn't even make the tournament last year. Overall, Dixon's record in the NCAA tournament is 10-9. Isn't that supposed to be the most important part of judging college b-ball teams, players, and coaches? They've gotten past the sweet 16 once under Dixon. They've never been passed the Elite Eight in 10 seasons. Under Dixon, Pitt has now lost in the first round twice, losing to Pacific and Wichita State. They have only made it to the Sweet 16 or beyond THREE times out of ten seasons under Dixon.
Dixon's great regular season stats are awesome but the sting of NCAA tournament failure stings so bad. It's like getting Kate Upton to agree to let you take her on a date. Then you have the best date of your life with her. Your funny, charming, she's smiling, laughing, and flirting with you. Then you walk her to her door and she says "You're a nice guy, we should be friends". Ouch, NCAA tournament blue balls.
So you can either continue to keep Dixon as the coach, and you'll win a lot of regular season games, and probably never get over this deep NCAA tournament hump. Or you can look elsewhere. I think it depends on what the actual expectations are for this program. If the Final Four is supposed to be realistic, I think it's definitely time for a change. Or at the very least, time to look at where the program is going.
Pitt is leaving the Big East and going to the ACC next season. That's going to be a big challenge in terms of competition, but it's also a big opportunity to compete in what is going to be the deepest and best basketball conference in the country. They'll be competing against Duke and North Carolina. Is Dixon the guy that's supposed to take this program to the next level. Based on what I've seen the past ten years, I don't think you can say that with much confidence.
So you can either continue to keep Dixon as the coach, and you'll win a lot of regular season games, and probably never get over this deep NCAA tournament hump. Or you can look elsewhere. I think it depends on what the actual expectations are for this program. If the Final Four is supposed to be realistic, I think it's definitely time for a change. Or at the very least, time to look at where the program is going.
Pitt is leaving the Big East and going to the ACC next season. That's going to be a big challenge in terms of competition, but it's also a big opportunity to compete in what is going to be the deepest and best basketball conference in the country. They'll be competing against Duke and North Carolina. Is Dixon the guy that's supposed to take this program to the next level. Based on what I've seen the past ten years, I don't think you can say that with much confidence.
Not to mention that the rumors about Dixon going to USC are back. USC is without a coach right now and Dixon would be the obvious choice to take that job. Then the question if Dixon leaves for whatever reason becomes who would replace him? Chris Taft already has a suggestion about who should replace Dixon if Pitt and Dixon do end up parting ways.
No comments:
Post a Comment