I just got back to Altoona after seeing Pitt defeat a determined Penn State team 84-71, going to Champs Sports Bar with Shawn and Patrick afterwards, and then visiting my parents (who live in State College) for awhile. Keeping in mind that I don’t understand the mechanics of basketball as well as Chas does, these are my brief impressions of the game.

First off, the Bryce Jordan Center may be the easiest sports venue to get to that I’ve ever seen — remarkable, given that the hardest sports venue to get to that I’ve ever seen is directly across the street. Even though there seemed to be around 10,000 fans in attendance, the only traffic backup coming in was due to a regularly-functioning stoplight at the corner of Park Avenue and Porter Road. The parking was surprisingly free and ample in the massive commuter parking lot that used to be called Lot 50 (between Beaver Stadium and Bryce Jordan). Overall, we made it from my parents house to the BJC in about the same amount of time that it would have taken us to do so on a normal day in July.

The Bryce Jordan Center is an attractive and functional enough building, although I personally feel that the Petersen Center is architecturally more impressive (especially on the exterior and in the lobby). However, where the BJC really fails is in the massive size of its floor — apparently built more for monster truck rallies than basketball games (the floor cannot be refrigerated for hockey, so we can’t blame that). People in the first row of permanent seating behind the basket on either end are easily 50-70 feet away from the action. Fortunately, our seats were at mid-court.

Probably a fifth to a sixth of those in attendance were fellow Panther fans — enough that our “LET’S GO PITT” chants were loud and clear across the arena. In the second deck where we were (Section 206), probably 80% of us were Panthers. At times, the Penn State student body did an impressive impression of the Cameron Crazies. But most of the time, only five or six of them were jumping up and down while we had the ball.

The clear comic highlight of the game occurred when a bunch of Panther fans a few sections over started chanting “BCS! BCS!” It quickly grew into a deafening chorus. In any case, I was surprised how offensive that seemed to be to the Nittany Lion faithful. Immediately, a chorus of boos and “OVERRATED” chants came flying back at us. After the Nittany Lion on the other side of my wife threw that particular line at me, I yelled back that at least we beat Boston College and that teams who have only had one winning season in the past five shouldn’t be throwing stones. Then my wife told me to shut the hell up. Most of you already know that I have a notoriously short fuse around Penn State fans.

But it was interesting to see how much in contempt they still hold Pitt football. To be fair, the feeling is mutual.

As for the game itself, Penn State seemed to be on fire from the perimeter and especially from behind the 3 point line (Mike Walker). This was partially due to some poor perimeter defense on our part: we regularly overpursued moves to the inside (can you tell that I’m more of a football fan?). Well, I guess it’s better to discover that we may have problems on the perimeter now than when we’re in Syracuse facing McNamara.

Of course, we got a sh!tload of fouls called on us. I expected that in a Big Ten arena, and I suspect that Dixon did too. I can live with that. Hey, it’s part of a Big East pedigree.

Really, I was flat-out impressed with Penn State’s heart in this game. Whereas they were clearly intimidated in the Petersen Center last December, they never really gave up this time. I’ve always liked their head coach, Ed DeChellis. His aggressive style may finally be taking hold up in State College. But in the end, Carl Krauser stopped Penn State’s biggest run and saved us again. Jeez, do I like that kid.

I’ll leave it up to Shawn and Pat to describe Penn State’s absolutely hideous dance team: all ballet and Broadway moves and none of the strip club fare that we Panther fans have come to expect. And of course, all white.

Hail a win over Penn State. For us old-school Panther fans, it’s always a good thing… even if its in synchronized swimming.

Gives you an idea of how bad Pitt hoops has been over the years as Penn State actually holds a 75-68 series lead. Granted, Pitt has blown out PSU the last 3 times, and should look to keep it going. Pitt has a decided advantage in talent.

For backup center Aaron Gray, he grew up a little more than an hour from State College. He’s looking forward to the game.

When Aaron Gray signed his letter of intent to play basketball at Pitt two years ago, he learned that finding Panthers apparel around his Eastern Pennsylvania hometown wasn’t an easy task.

“It’s all about Penn State there,” said the 7-footer from Emmaus, between Allentown and Philadelphia. “You can’t find articles of clothing on Pittsburgh. When I signed, I did it in front of a camera and it took me like a week and a half to go out and find a Pitt hat just so I could wear it.”

But Gray expects to see a Pittsburgh posse in the crowd when Pitt plays at Penn State’s Jordan Center in University Park at 2 p.m. today.

Sadly, I have the same problem whenever I visit my family. I can never find any Pitt gear.

A little more than 2 hours before the game.

Who knows. According a report from the San Jose Mercury News Harris will get the Stanford job:

Pittsburgh’s Walt Harris interviewed for the Stanford coaching position Friday and could be offered the job by the end of the weekend, a source close to Harris said. Stanford officials would only confirm that Harris interviewed.

Harris and USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow are the finalists. Chow interviewed on campus Wednesday.

Stanford Athletic Director Ted Leland will spend the weekend evaluating Harris and Chow with school officials and putting together a compensation package for the preferred candidate. The Cardinal would like to have a coach in place by early next week, if possible.

The only things that appears certain are that the choice will either be Chow or Harris. And that Stanford will make it’s decision this weekend.

This has been a joke in my view regarding Pitt’s handling of this whole thing. It seems to be about the school trying to get Harris to buy out the remaining years on his contract or just quit rather than pay him off. The report for the last week are that Harris has wanted to stay. This is all on Pitt. Sorry. I know it’s a lot of coin, but in the loopy world of college athletics, boosters and money, it is not that much.

It also doesn’t make me feel good about who they will hire when they finally push or get Harris to jump. If the school is trying to cut corners with buying out Harris — and doing so helps make the recruiting going on right now that much harder — what assurances will there be that Pitt won’t look to go cheap on the next coach and the coaching staff. Because they have to avoid looking stupid? Too late.

Is this part of the “extraordinary leadership” of Chancellor Nordenberg that got him his latest pay boost — to $415,000 — that places him at the top of all administrators at a public university in pay and in the top-8 overall?

Pitt did get a commit from a local offensive lineman. Who chose the instability of Pitt over the chaos of Indiana.

Bachman said he is committed to Pitt, regardless of coach Walt Harris’s future at the school.

“I don’t think Walt Harris is going to be there,” Bachman said. “But whether he’s there or not, I am committed more to a football program and I am going to Pitt no matter what happens. If coach Harris is there — and I don’t think he will be — then great. If not, Pitt is the kind of university that they can get a great coach. Either way, in my eyes, it’s a winning situation.”

At least with Pitt, he can feel more confident about getting to a bowl.

Speaking of bowls. Pitt still isn’t selling out its supply of tickets for the Fiesta. The coaching issue can’t be helping, but that is no excuse.