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In the recap of Pitt's game with Central Arkansas, I mentioned that it was a little odd to not see guard Jonathan Milligan out there for the Panthers. Now, we know the reason from Chris Peak of Rivals:
#Pitt coach Jamie Dixon just said Jonathan Milligan will redshirt this year. Cited family issues.
— Chris Peak (@PantherLair) December 6, 2015
Hopefully, whatever issues Milligan is having at home will get sorted out. In respect to how that affects the team, we'll have to see. Early returns, though, suggest it won't be a big deal as long as the injury bug stays away. And even if the team does have some injuries, he could theoretically come in and burn the redshirt if he's healthy.
Milligan had averaged fewer than ten minutes a game this year and only gotten into four contests. He hasn't played in three of the past four games and in the one game he did play (Purdue), he had only three minutes.
Pitt has been using a backcourt rotation of James Robinson, Sterling Smith, Chris Jones, Cameron Johnson, and Damon Wilson. Those guys should be more than adequate to carry the load. Wilson sitting out this season should actually benefit the team as the Panthers will lose both Robinson and Smith after this season. He has two remaining years of eligibility.
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