Maybe it’s me. Maybe I didn’t care that much about the game in school because I wasn’t from the ‘Burgh so playing a local foe that wasn’t really in the same competitive sphere didn’t really matter. It’s not like the two schools fight for the same recruits. Maybe I was just drunk. I just don’t recall much reference to the annual Pitt-Duquesne match up as “The City Game.”
I mean let’s be honest. This is not exactly up there with the Philly schools going at each other every year. It can’t compare with the annual Cinci-Xavier game, that comes complete with full corporate sponsorship.
Well, the game notes are out (PDF). I’d say the most shocking thing is not that Pitt has a 41-31 series lead. It’s that Pitt has won 22 of the last 25 games. That means in 1979, Duquesne actually held a 9 game lead in the series history. It also means Pitt only evened the series up at the earliest in 1988.
The game will be Fox Sports Net at 4pm. It doesn’t appear to be on the Fox Sports Atlantic channel, so I will have to wait until Tuesday when I can finally see the 2004-05 Panthers play.
ESPN.com pro-basketball “insider” (Read as subscription only) breaks down the top players for the NBA draft. Chris Taft was the #1B college player behind Wake Forest’s Chris Paul:
The skinny: Taft, over the summer, moved into a dead heat with Paul as a favorite for the No. 1. He definitely fits the more traditional bill.
Taft has the rare combination of size, athleticism, strength and power that NBA scouts covet in a good power forward. And unlike many players who possess those abilities, Taft prefers to score with his back to the basket. His footwork is sound and he’s patient in the paint always working for a good shot.
Taft, too, has enjoyed his share of hype this summer. And he, too, has struggled a bit to live up to it. Despite his superior strength and athleticism, he’s been just an average rebounder and shot blocker this season.
However, he’s also the only American big man with the talent to justify a No. 1 selection. In other words, he could end up on top by default, the way so many big men before him have.
From what I understand, part of the reason Taft’s numbers are down, is that he isn’t playing much more than 20 minutes against the present competition, he had an infection in his left elbow, and he just hasn’t been trying too hard against the teams so far because he hasn’t needed to.
