Pitt Alters Closing Lineup Against Missouri
PITTSBURGH -- The same five players that open games for the Pitt Panthers are typically the same five that close competitive games. That means Bub Carrington, Ishmael Leggett, Blake Hinson, Zack Austin and Federiko Federiko bookend just about
But Pitt head coach Jeff Capel - with his team struggling to find buckets, especially in the paint, late in the second half against Missouri - subbed Federiko out for Guillermo Diaz Graham. He had hoped the move would spark the Panthers offensively with how he spaced the floor.
"We were just trying to get spacing. Guillermo’s a guy that can make a shot," Capel said. "But Guillermo can stretch the floor, he can make a shot. They had [Connor] Vanover in, 7'5 guy, so we thought if we got some penetration, if G is in, at least maybe he takes Vanover away or if Vanover’s in there, we kick it to him and perhaps he can make a shot."
Diaz Graham's minutes were inconsistent against the Tigers. He played just 16:22, slightly less than the 17 minutes he'd been averaging entering the game. But he played 5:04 of the final 5:39 in the second half.
In his first shift on the floor, Diaz Graham sparked arguably Pitt's most successful run of the night. About three minutes after he checked in for the first time, he scored an and-1 layup, made his free throw and scored a put-back dunk. He checked out 1:06 later while the Panthers were in the midst of building what would become an 11-3 run and didn't play again until the 1:12 mark of the first half, spending 8:07 on the bench.
In a game during which Pitt struggled sorely to score, Diaz Graham was a part of some of this team's most productive lineups. The Panthers employed 11 different groups and seven averaged better than one point per possession while on the floor together. Diaz Graham was a part of five of those lineups and four of the groups he played with posted a points per possession rate greater the team's overall mark for the game.
Meanwhile, Federiko was struggling to give the Panthers much of anything offensively. He did grab five offensive rebounds but missed both his field goal attempts and went just 3-6 from the free throw line.
"We weren’t really getting anything at the rim with Fede," Capel said. "And also, just the fear of fouling and him getting to the line. We struggled there a little bit with him today."
Pitt is, in all likelihood, a long way away from even considering a full-on lineup change, but in striking contrast to his strong end to last season, Federiko has struggled, especially against teams with comparable size and strength like Florida and Missouri. Diaz Graham has been only marginally better, but he gives the Panthers a different dimension as a ball-handler and shooter that Federiko can't.
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