Is Jamie Dixon Overrated Or Much Better Than We Think?

After Pitt’s disappointing loss to UConn yesterday, my poker-playing buddy, EastEndJohnny, remarked that he thought that Pitt’s coach, Jamie Dixon, is overrated. As East points out, “He just can’t win the big one.” He might have a point. On March 2, 2011, Dixon won his 214th game and broke the all-time NCAA record for the most wins in a coach's first eight seasons. In the Big East and NCAA Tourneys, however, it’s been a succession of heartbreaking losses. He has taken Pitt to the final game of the Big East Men's Basketball Tournament four times in 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2008 but has only won once, and in his seven trips to the NCAA Tourney, Pitt has gone out in the first or second round four times and has been completely shut out of the final four.

But let’s take a look at it. My contention is that Pitt’s disappointing tournament record under Dixon has come about because he is so great at getting his teams to overachieve during the regular season. When they do get to the tourneys, we forget that his players are just not as good as their opponents. Sam Young, DeJuan Blair, Aaron Gray, Chris Taft, and Brandin Knight are the names of his star players, none of whom has become more than NBA bench warmers. The highest that any of them has been drafted is 36^th.

This year’s Panthers are another fine example of Jamie’s magic. With a cast of good-but-not-great players such as Ashton Gibbs, Brad Wanamaker, and Gilbert Brown (16.7, 12, and 10.9 ppg respectively), Dixon has put together another excellent regular season going 27-4. Now with Pitt’s flame-out in the Big East, it looks like all of us in Panther Nation are poised for another let-down. But wouldn’t it be nice if this year the March Madness gods smiled down on Jamie - just once? It couldn’t happen to a nicer, more deserving guy.