Submit your Pitt basketball question

Q: I believe Jamie Dixon is a very good coach and I like what he and Ben Howland have done with Pitt hoops. But it seemed to me Monday night that Rick Pitino was a step or two ahead of Dixon throughout the entire game. It looked to me like it was a case of Dixon being out-coached and outclassed by one of the elite all-time coaches. Do you think Dixon can reach the level of a Pitino in terms of the total package of motivating, recruiting blue-chip talent and being a top X's and O's guy?

John Kline, Oyster Bay, N.Y.

FITTIPALDO: I think Dixon is already there in terms of X's and O's and motivating his players. You don't compile the type of record he has over the past four seasons without being able to coach in those two areas. Recruiting is an interesting topic. Pitt has won without the McDonald's All-American-caliber players. That's good and bad. Some argue that Pitt is being held back by not having an elite recruit or two, the type of kid that can take over a game when need be, someone who can create his own shot.

Louisville had much quicker and more athletic players than Pitt, and it showed. Those are the top recruits in the country. It's been a topic of much discussion this year and the Louisville game drove the point home even more. If Dixon can land one or two elite recruits, it just might be the thing Pitt needs to get over the hump. Who knows? The Panthers could still get over the hump this season. Don't count them out because of one bad game.

Q: There is a formula to beat Pitt. Quick guards are like Kryptonite to the Panthers. In all of Pitt's losses this season, more athletic guards caused Pitt to turn the ball over. What can Dixon do to combat this in the future?

Tim Oleniacz, Dormont

FITTIPALDO: Turnovers were the problem against Marquette and Louisville but not against Wisconsin and Oklahoma State, although Wisconsin and Oklahoma State's quick guards gave Pitt problems in other ways, such as defending them off the dribble and guarding them on the perimeter. Your point is well taken, but I don't see what Pitt can do other than make better decisions. The guards are not going to get quicker and more athletic overnight.

Q: I am sick of Dixon not making changes. Mike Cook does not deserve to play for our team let alone start. He looked like he never played basketball in his life in the game against Louisville. When will Dixon stop starting players such as Yuri Demetris, John DeGroat and now Cook?

Jeremy McIntire, Washington, Pa.

FITTIPALDO: Cook is not playing well, but let's not put him in the same group as Demetris and DeGroat. That's not fair. He is a much better player than both of them. If Dixon had a better option than Cook I'm sure he would make a change. But since only Keith Benjamin is behind Cook on the depth chart I don't think a change will be made. Keith is a nice player. I like what he does in his 12 or 15 minutes off the bench. I'm just not sure if he can provide any better production as a starter than Cook. Dixon's best bet is that Cook plays his way out of his slump.

Q: After reading your analysis of the three problem areas for the Panthers in Wednesday's Post-Gazette I thought there was one major weakness that was not discussed. Pitt has been giving up way too many easy baskets on defense all season long. This team seems to lack consistency when it comes to defense, unlike Pitt teams of the past. There are too many players on this team that do not display smart basketball IQ in terms of positioning on defense and also seem to lack urgency on every possession. Your thoughts on Pitt's defense?

Jacob Miller, Egg Harbor, N.J.

FITTIPALDO: Pitt certainly gave up too many easy baskets against Providence and Louisville, but as I pointed out in my story I thought that had more to do with Aaron Gray being in foul trouble more than anything. That and Louisville's quick guards penetrating and creating. If you look at the numbers on defense over the course of the season they're pretty impressive. And Dixon himself said last week that he thought this team had a chance to be the best-ever defensive team he has coached. If Washington shreds Pitt's the defense the way Providence and Louisville did, then I think you'll know there is a problem. But I wouldn't let two bad defensive games change my opinion that this is still a darn good defensive team when Gray is on the floor.

Q: Who do you think is the most improved player from last year to this year?

Leslie Montgomery, Pittsburgh

FITTIPALDO: There are a lot of options because Jamie Dixon does such a good job of getting players to improve from season to season. I guess if I had to pick one I would go with Antonio Graves. Here is someone who saw his minutes slashed from 27 as a sophomore to 18.5 as a junior. Instead of feeling sorry for himself and looking over his shoulder he found ways to get better. One could make an argument that Graves has been Pitt's most consistent player all season. He seems to find a way to make big plays every game. He is playing 28.3 minutes per game (third on the team) and is third on the team in scoring (10.1 ppg), is shooting 43.8 percent from 3-point range and has 61 assists compared to 31 turnovers. He has come a long way from last season.

Q: I know that networks like ESPN are often criticized for showing what seems like nothing but dunks on their respective highlight shows. That being said I would just once like to see 7-foot, 270-pound center Aaron Gray put a hard dunk down on the opposing center. How many times do we see Gray get fed underneath, and though he makes most of these shots, he'll miss a few easy ones. At his size, he is quite intimidating. I just think he would be more of a factor if he'd put down a vicious two-hander over someone's head every once in a while.

Bob Crusciel, Loretto, Pa.

FITTIPALDO: Gray has dunked on an occasion, but it's usually when he's all alone under the basket. Very rarely will you see him dunk in someone's face. For one, I don't think he has a ton of confidence that his vertical leap. For another, he is someone who is confident in playing angles around the basket. If you watch Gray, he will catch the ball in places and will know exactly what he has to do from there to get the ball in the hoop. He is shooting 59.5 percent from the field and is likely a first-team all-Big East player. In the pecking order of problems for this team, Gray's offensive efficiency is not very high on the list.

Q: I am originally from Butler and try to watch as many Pitt games as possible. I know that Pitt is known for its defense, but I have always questioned why Aaron Gray ends up outside trying to guard a quicker player. This only takes him away from inside where he can get blocks and rebounds. It makes no sense to me why you would not want a 7-footer under the basket. Can you answer this for me?

Paul E. Reed, Shelby Township, Pa.

FITTIPALDO: In this day and age there are all kinds of players who can step out and make 3-pointers, Paul. Because Pitt plays almost exclusively man-to-man defense, Gray is forced to cover his man wherever he goes. Against West Virginia, Gray was sometimes was guarding 6-7 Da'Sean Butler because Mountaineers coach John Beilein was playing without a center. Gray has become a better perimeter defender since last season when Kevin Pittsnogle and others had a high rate of success from 3-point range. It's not an ideal situation defensively, but there are plenty of opportunities when Pitt goes on offense to make the coaches pay for not having taller players on the court.

Q: Maybe this is looking too far ahead, but I've been viewing some of the national writers' seeding projections. Just about every mock bracket has Pitt as a No. 3 seed. I was not one of those people who cried about seeding in the past because I bought the argument that despite an excellent record the past teams had low RPIs. As of Sunday, Pitt's RPI was second in the nation. If Pitt's RPI does not drop below fifth or sixth by selection Sunday and Pitt ends up with a No. 3 seed, I will be calling foul this year and I believe the school administration should publicly cry foul.

Stephen Westrick, Johnstown

FITTIPALDO: After the Louisville game a No. 3 seed sounds about right to me. The Panthers could rise or fall depending upon how they and the other eight or nine teams in the top 10 finish. Pitt has a tough final schedule, so it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

Q: It's been a strong season, lots to be optimistic about. In the years past the NCAA selection committee has done us no favors with seeding and geographical placement. The trip to Milwaukee to play Wisconsin still stinks. Is there any way the selection committee will send Pitt any other place than Buffalo or Columbus?

Craig Pelini, North Canton, Ohio

FITTIPALDO: There's always a chance that the NCAA selection committee could put Pitt somewhere other than Buffalo or Columbus, but if things stay the same I would bet the Panthers end up playing in Buffalo or Columbus. The committee likes to reward teams with closer games for the first- and second-round games because it wants to guarantee good attendance. Plus, it saves schools and the NCAA money. That could all change, of course, if Pitt loses a few games between now and then and drops to a No. 4 or No. 5 seed. In that case, the NCAA does not reward schools and Pitt could end up in some far away place for the opening round.

Q: What are your thoughts on the fact that the three losses that we have were to ranked teams? And those are the only ranked teams that we have played?

Bob Zulka, La Mirada, Calif.

FITTIPALDO: It doesn't look good on paper, certainly, but the Panthers do have some quality victories the NCAA selection committee will notice. Pitt is undefeated on the road in Big East play and has impressive wins at Villanova and West Virginia. That win at West Virginia looks even better in the wake of the Mountaineers beating UCLA last weekend. The Panthers also have quality wins at Auburn and at home against Florida State and Georgetown, which is now ranked. Pitt has a few more chances to impress the committee with games at Georgetown and Marquette. And don't underestimate tomorrow's home game against Washington. The committee will want to know if Pitt can step out of the Big East and win games come tournament time. If the Panthers win two of those three games I doubt they would be penalized for their record against ranked teams all that much.

Q: Is there any way Jamie Dixon would consider using Sam Young more in place of Mike Cook? Cook brings almost nothing to the table except careless turnovers. It seems to me that he and Cook cannot bring the intensity and focus that you need every night in the Big East.

Dan Kuhar, Hamburg, N.J.

FITTIPALDO: Dixon tried playing Young at small forward at the beginning of the season and Young struggled mightily. He is not a small forward because he cannot handle the ball well and he has a hard time guarding smaller guards. He is an effective power forward because he causes match-up problems for opposing teams with his quickness.