Everyone harped on how Pitt was looking for revenge against Syracuse for beating Pitt last February. Last year, Pitt decimated Providence at the Dunk. Now it’s Providence’s turn to look for revenge.
The memories are clear, painful and not very comforting as the Providence Friars pull into the Steel City today.
On March 2 of last year, the high-flying 12th-ranked Friars welcomed sixth-ranked Pittsburgh to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. First place, and the Big East regular-season title, was hanging in the balance.
On that night, nothing went right for the Friars. Pittsburgh claimed the league title in convincing fashion, throttling PC inside, holding Ryan Gomes (11 points) in check and rolling to an 88-61 win.
Unfortunately for the Friars, not much has gone right since that loss. PC lost its regular-season finale to Boston College, was outfought in the Big East Tournament by Villanova, and then upset by Pacific in the NCAA Tournament.
Almost a year later, that Panther-inspired hangover hasn’t ended. The Friars are off to an 0-6 Big East start, losing by an average of five points a game. Going back to last March’s Pittsburgh loss, that’s nine consecutive defeats against conference foes.
Man, that’s a lot to blame on one loss. It’s practically Ralph Willard-esque. Pertaining more to the game at hand, it is noted that Providence point guard Donnie McGrath’s sprained ankle isn’t as bad as feared. He will likely play. Against WVU after McGrath was out of the game, Providence committed 27 turnovers. 27? And they managed to only lose by 4? That reflects more on how badly WVU has fallen in Big East play.
surprisingly, this is not Providence’s first time going 0-6 to start Big East conference play. They started 0-6 in 1980 and 1992. They have never gone 0-7, though.
Mark McCarroll’s diminishing minutes and John DeGroat’s DNP against Syracuse are noted in passing.
Most of the love today, is reserved for Freshman Keith Benjamin. Benjamin suffered some knee injuries before the season began, and also had some issues with ankle sprains. The team considered redshirting him, but Benjamin fought that. Now, after the big game, he is trying to do the humble thing.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Benjamin, a 6-foot-2 leaper who led Mt. Vernon High to a state title last season. “I know a lot of people heard the hype about me, that I was supposed to come in and pick up where (former star shooting guard) Julius Page left off. And I know there was doubt in people’s minds about me. I just wanted to thank Coach (Jamie Dixon) for the opportunity and not looking me off and believing in me as a player, so that I could show everybody what I was made of.”
His teammate and coach on the other hand will show him some love.
“I felt all along that he was going to be a guy who would just continue to get better, progress as the year has gone on,” Dixon said. “And that’s what he has done, even with the injuries and everything that has happened to him.”
Dixon has spoken about Benjamin’s progress in recent weeks. But Saturday was the first evidence that Benjamin was capable of performing in a big game.
According to senior Chevon Troutman, Benjamin is capable of more the rest of the season.
“He’s a beast,” Troutman said. “He’s always on the other team in practice, and I hate that. He never misses. You can foul him, slam him and it still goes in the hole.”
…
“It just seemed like the last two days when he was out in practice that he really looked comfortable,” Dixon said.
If Benjamin remains free of injuries and develops the way we hope, he could not only give Pitt another good perimeter shooter, but a second guard who can penetrate and create his own shot along with Krauser. The one casualty, will likely be playing time for Antonio Graves who has really struggled in Big East play, and has already seen his minutes dropping. Graves has struggled on defense, and it seems to have effected his confidence.
Now that the Steelers are history and enough of a post-mortem has been done. You can expect the local columnists to start paying more attention to Pitt. What? You think they want to talk about the Pirates?
Ron Cook sends a love letter to Chevon Troutman.
The Chevon Troutman striptease.
Uh, I did say love letter. This is a family paper, isn’t it?
Pitt is a staggering 45-3 at the Petersen Events Center, the latest victory a 76-69 dandy against No. 4 Syracuse Saturday night. That means Troutman has pulled off his jersey 45 times at midcourt as the “How Do You Like Me Now?” song blares from the arena speakers, revealing not just his linebacker-sized upper body but also much of his character.
Before Troutman gets to the runway leading to the Panthers’ locker room, he turns the jersey just so in his hands so he can hold up the front — the side with Pittsburgh on it — to the appreciative crowd. “I’m just trying to say something to the fans,” he said. ” ‘I’m here for Pittsburgh. I rep Pittsburgh.’ “
Oh. Well, guess that helps to explain Chevy’s Bevy, and I did see them on camera during the Syracuse-Pitt game.
Cook points out that Pitt has only 5 home games left in Troutman’s fantastic Pitt career. Probably one of the most popular Pitt players. Even fans of other teams in the Big East like and appreciate the way he plays. Hard, tough, physical but not dirty. He may be the hardest player to replace.
