Pitt vs. IUP: Panthers win preseason contest, 69-54

In case you missed it, Pitt's basketball season officially got underway with a preseason game against IUP on Friday night. The game wasn't the blowout you might expect, as the Panthers won by 15 points. That in itself isn't terrible, but Pitt couldn't pull away from IUP, holding a small lead for much of the game.

Heralded freshman center Steven Adams made his debut in the game. He played solidly, but didn't put up gigantic stats. He had six points, six rebounds, an assist, steal, and two blocks. All in all, not bad for 23 minutes of action, but it's clear that Adams still could use some time to work on his offensive game. He missed some shots from fairly close range and even badly airballed a shot only a few feet from the rim.

The surprise of the game came when head coach Jamie Dixon started Adams and fellow freshman James Robinson. Robinson got the start over highly touted transfer, Trey Zeigler. There's no guarantee that Robinson will be the starter in the regular season, but any questions for him to play a significant role should be disappearing.

Senior Tray Woodall led the way with 16 points, seven assists, five steals, and only one turnover.