SB Nation Pittsburgh - VMI Vs. Pitt: Panthers Crush Keydets, 97-70https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48827/pitt-fv.png2011-12-06T21:16:02-05:00http://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/rss/stream/23810252011-12-06T21:16:02-05:002011-12-06T21:16:02-05:00VMI Vs. Pitt: Panthers Win Sixth Straight
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<p>Pitt played perhaps its best game of the season in crushing the <span class="caps">VMI</span> Keydets on Tuesday night, 97-70. The game was never in doubt as the Panthers had five players score in double figures. Ashton Gibbs had 20 points, but the star of the game was Nasir Robinson, who finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists.</p>
<p>J.J. Moore had 16 and John Johnson had 13.</p>
<p>Also playing a third consecutive good game was backup center Dante Taylor. Taylor outplayed starter Khem Birch again as Birch was in early foul trouble and only played 11 minutes. Taylor had ten points, seven rebounds, two blocks, and a steal in the game and again made a case for regaining his starting spot.</p>
<p>Freshman Cameron Wright again got the start for the second straight game in place of the injured Tray Woodall. He again had a lackluster performance, shooting only 1-4 from the field for two points. He also had two turnovers in 16 minutes of action.</p>
<p>The Panthers had a whopping 47 bench points to VMI’s 37 by its starting lineup. Pitt also dominated the rebounding battle, 55-27. No <span class="caps">VMI</span> player had more than five boards, while Pitt had seven players with at least that many.</p>
<p><a target="new" href="http://www.cardiachill.com">For more on Pitt and the <span class="caps">VMI</span> game, check out SB Nation blog Cardiac Hill</a>.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/pittsburgh-panthers/2011/12/6/2617006/vmi-vs-pitt-basketball-pittsburgh-panthers-keydets-ashton-gibbs-pitt-recruiting-score-spread-2011Anson Whaley2011-12-06T13:15:29-05:002011-12-06T13:15:29-05:00VMI Vs. Pitt: Panthers Back At Home For Game Against Keydets
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<p>After winning a tough road game against Tennessee, the Panthers are back at home for a game against VMI.</p>
<p>While Pitt should win this one, they'd be wise not to overlook the Keydets. Most importantly, VMI enters the game as the 12th highest scoring team in college basketball, averaging nearly 84 points per game. Only once this season have they been held to under 70 points. They also have seven players averaging at least six points, so they spread the wealth around quite a bit.</p>
<p>That doesn't mean they're without star power, though. VMI's two main scorers are junior forward <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/100144/stan-okoye" class="sbn-auto-link">Stan Okoye</a> and senior guard <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/52672/keith-gabriel" class="sbn-auto-link">Keith Gabriel</a>. Both average 17 points per game and Okoye is also the team's leading rebounder, grabbing more than five per contest.</p>
<p>Despite all those points, though, the fact is that VMI simply isn't a great team. They were blown out by 33 points in their only game against a ranked opponent, Ohio State. The Keydets have also lost three straight games and are only 3-4 on the season. Two of those recent losses have come at the hands of Coastal Carolina and Charleston Southern.</p>
<p>Another interesting fact is that VMI is 3-0 at home, but 0-4 on the road. Playing at the Pete, one of the nation's toughest arena's to play in, the Keydets will have a tough time picking up their first road win.</p>
<p>The Panthers will be playing their second game without starting point guard <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/52465/tray-woodall" class="sbn-auto-link">Tray Woodall</a>, who's out for about a month due to injury. Head coach Jamie Dixon started redshirt freshman guard <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/124154/cameron-wright" class="sbn-auto-link">Cameron Wright</a> in Pitt's last game against Tennessee on Saturday, but he didn't produce much offensively, going 0-6 from the field and scoring zero points in 25 minutes of action. Dixon may again start Wright, but I'm not sure he'll get as many minutes.</p>
<p>Another interesting position to look at will be center. <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/100021/dante-taylor" class="sbn-auto-link">Dante Taylor</a> has outplayed true freshman <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-basketball/players/145934/khem-birch" class="sbn-auto-link">Khem Birch</a> in the team's past two games, but Birch has started each one. Taylor was previously the starter before missing a couple of games with migranes. Even more important than who starts is the number of minutes each will receive.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.cardiachill.com" target="_blank">For more on Pitt basketball and the game, check out SB Nation's Pitt blog, Cardiac Hill</a>.</p>
https://pittsburgh.sbnation.com/pittsburgh-panthers/2011/12/6/2614645/pitt-vs-vmi-basketball-pittsburgh-panthers-vmi-keydets-tray-woodall-injuryAnson Whaley