Jamie Dixon: 'We Wanted Better'
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) – Pitt men's basketball head coach Jamie Dixon joined "The Fan Morning Show" on Wednesday to talk about the team as they prepare for Wednesday's ACC Tournament matchup with Syracuse.
Disappointing losses to Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech dropped Pitt's record in ACC play to 9-9 to end the season, and Dixon acknowledges that his team fell short of expectations.
"We wanted better," Dixon said.
His program has been mired in a bit of a decline over the past five seasons, and while he knew that transitioning from the Big East to the ACC would be tough, he also knows that this isn't good enough for Pitt hoops.
"Obviously, there's an adjustment in going into [the ACC]," Dixon said. "The numbers are not where they were. I mean, that's obvious. We know that. I'm well aware, and just striving to get better, so we're never satisfied. We had high standards...to keep those numbers up - we had the best record in the Big East for a 12-year span - well, to maintain that, you've got to do better than 9-9, and so we've got to go get back to where we were. Our goal is to be the best team in the conference, and we're certainly not there."
Dixon and his team have been criticized for falling flat after last Sunday's electrifying win over then-No. 15 Duke, and he understands that perception can change on a dime.
"Everybody, a week ago, was saying how great we were, and we had a lot of great wins," Dixon said. "Then we come up short in close games against two teams that are playing their best basketball...We know how things change...There is no middle game, there is no middle ground."
Pitt struggled with shooting and rebounding during their last two losses, and the defeats were undoubtedly disappointing, but Dixon sees some positives as Pitt enters the ACC Tournament.
"I think we've gotten better as [we] struggled shooting the ball in the last two games," Dixon said. "Over time, though, these last couple weeks, last three, four weeks, our defense has gotten better, and that's kind of got lost in these last two losses. So, I feel like we're defending better, and that puts us in position. The rebounding numbers were good until the other day...we're going to have to win a close game, and everybody's going to have to win some close games, and we didn't do it. You've got to make some shots, too."
Dixon believes that, if the Panthers can avoid another disastrous shooting performance, they'll be in good shape moving forward.
"I feel good," Dixon said. "Obviously, I wish we had won our last five going in, but that's not the case. We're going to go out there and play our best here, come tomorrow...I feel confident. We've got to make some shots, I do believe that, but I'm confident in how well we've done, and how we've come on the defensive end."
The interview can be heard here:
