Little things from national media. Some directly about Pitt, some that just have potential impact and another thing that just caught my attention.

In the stories rounding up weekend basketball games, UConn is having its stature questioned.

With Connecticut still leading Pittsburgh by double digits early in the second half Saturday night, Dick Vitale said, “I just don’t think Pittsburgh is the same team as they were last year when they had Julius Page and Jarron Brown.” By the time the Panthers had completed their stunning comeback from 17 down to win 76-66, a more appropriate observation might have been, “I just don’t think UConn is the same team as they were last year when they had two NBA lottery picks and a four-year point guard.”

Of course, I think back to last year, when UConn appeared to be faltering and people were breaking legs jumping off their bandwagon. Calhoun is one of the best coaches in the game, I expect this team to regroup some time soon. Stewart Mandel also looks ahead to this week’s action and may be hedging on a key game.

Syracuse at Pittsburgh, Saturday. I don’t know how many people are aware of this, but the Orangemen are 19-1. But they’ve also barely been skating by lately and have yet to play a road game nearly as tough as this one.

I wish there was another game for Pitt this week before Saturday. Greg Doyel at Sportsline notes the game and how important it was for Pitt.

By the way, did anyone else notice all the 25-point halves last week? Pittsburgh’s Chevon Troutman had 25 in the second half against Connecticut, Florida State’s Von Wafer did it to Wake Forest in the first half and Boston College’s Jared Dudley rung up 25 on Villanova. All three of their teams won, too. Go figure.

Best wins

* No team picked up a more-needed win than No. 21 Pittsburgh, 76-66 at No. 16 UConn.

Mike DeCourcy at the Sporting News notes that the basketball scheduling for the, soon to be bloated, Big East is going to be reviewed after the first two years.

The Big East is planning to re-evaluate its basketball scheduling format after two seasons in the expanded 16-team format. Conference members will play 16 games, facing 10 teams once and three designated teams twice each. That means that each team will have two league partners each year that it does not play in the regular season. There are some in the league who would like to see the Big East go to an 18-game regular season. But the majority of coaches oppose that move because it would mean league members doing more damage to one another in the pursuit of NCAA Tournament bids.

That fits in my theory that the BE will split after about 5 years. They’ll find a lot of unhappy coaches and programs because of the system. Try something else that still won’t solve the problem of plain bloat and finally the football schools will say goodbye.

A couple weeks ago, I mentioned that Joe Crawford a much heralded freshman recruit to Kentucky was considering transferring, and Pitt was one of the schools looking at him. Problem was that his National Letter of Intent bound him to Kentucky for the full year, unless the school chose to release him from it. If he left, it would cost him a full year of eligibility, and he couldn’t play until his Junior year — losing a year and a half, really. Kentucky wouldn’t budge, and he has now returned. Both Seth Davis at SI and DeCourcy at TSN, see the same message for top blue chippers: Don’t sign a NLI. Here’s what Davis said (subs. req’d):

Memo to future blue-chip recruits: Do not, under any circumstances, sign a national letter of intent. That should be obvious in the wake of Kentucky’s decision to use the NLI’s guidelines to force freshman guard Joe Crawford to return to school after he told coach Tubby Smith last week that he wanted to transfer. The NLI says that if a player doesn’t finish his freshman season, he loses a year of eligibility unless his school waives that penalty. Kentucky administrators chose not to do that, leaving Crawford little choice but to stay in Lexington and give the Wildcats another chance. Most players are unaware that they don’t have to sign a letter of intent. The NLI program is administered not by the NCAA but by the Collegiate Commissioners Association, and its provisions are written to protect schools and coaches, not players. Had Crawford known last April what a bad deal the NLI is for players, it’s doubtful he would have signed on the dotted line.

DeCourcy followed up from a question in his mailbag.

…You make a bold statement saying: “Future Joe Crawfords might want to think twice before even signing a letter. Players don’t have to sign to receive an athletic scholarship, and a letter does not guarantee a scholarship.”

This may well be true for a Division II or III school, however in competitive Division I basketball there is no way that a big-time program is going to risk a McDonald’s All-American not showing up to campus. Letters of Intent are necessary for NCAA basketball recruitment to run smoothly.

Were I the parent of an elite recruit, I would never let him or her sign a letter of intent. I’d tell the school that my kid would be showing up for classes and workouts in the summer, and that if my word wasn’t good enough then I’d find a coach and program that were more trusting.

I understand why schools feel the need to have the letter — I just do not understand why they choose to make the letter favor the university to such a great degree. You say that no program would risk a McDonald’s All-American not showing up? What school is going to turn down a commitment from somebody like Joe Crawford on the grounds he refused to sign?

I have to say, Davis and DeCourcy look right. Crawford may not have gotten what he wanted, but you have to think at least some future recruits and their parents will have noticed what happened and fight against signing.

Sticking with Mike DeCourcy, who had a real busy day, a lot of stuff seeing how the preseason predictions look at mid season. From the hits and misses list. First a Miss then a Hit

Chris Taft. We had the wrong Big East sophomore making a huge advance. Taft was ranked as the No. 5 center; UConn’s Josh Boone was No. 10. Reversing their spots would have been more accurate.
…
Penn State. Hours of research and years of experience went into designating the Nittany Lions as No. 11 in the Big Ten.

He also singles out what Pitt needs to fix to save the season.

Pittsburgh’s defense. Unyielding man-to-man defense was the foundation of the Panthers’ three straight Big East championships, and they spent most of a cushy December pretending nothing had changed. But as the Panthers went 3-3 in a six-game stretch, their opponents shot 48.2 percent from the field. Pitt switched to zone defense when it could not keep St. John’s from penetrating. This team needs a new defensive identity in a big hurry.

Yep.

For those who still think (or may be hoping) that Carl Krauser might try to go pro after this season. Consider this (subs. req’d)

This draft is shaping up to be one of the best point-guard drafts ever. Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Raymond Felton, John Gilchrist, Ronnie Brewer, Jarrett Jack and Curtis Stintson along with international prospects Roki Leni Ukic and Uros Tripkovic, are all possible first-round picks if they declare.

Factor in Krauser’s shoulder issue and poor play in January, and if Krauser tried to come out this year, he’d be lucky to get signed to play in the NBDL.

Final, unrelated to Pitt but something I find interesting. Colorado University has run a huge deficit for its athletic department because of all the money it had to pay for investigations and still has to pay in litigation because of its football program. As such, all programs are forced to make major cuts — especially in the travel budget — and it appears to be putting the basketball teams at academic risk (via College Basketball Blog — #9). The charter flights have been cancelled, so kids aren’t getting back to campus to make class. And speaking of Colorado, that hard recruiting code they instituted with much fanfare and pride. Already being relaxed when faced with reality.

It took the administration at Colorado less than two months into the heart of recruiting season to realize the university’s new stringent standards weren’t going to cut it. Idealism was fun while it lasted.

The new standards aren’t unrealistic, but they make the coaches sell the program by themselves. Which is why with two weeks remaining until national signing day, the university quietly agreed to allow current players to meet recruits and sell the university.
…
It’s too late for the relaxed standards to help this season, but they will have an impact on future recruiting classes. And, by next year, don’t be surprised if those standards are — quietly — all but eliminated.

Shocked that is happening. Well, shocked they couldn’t even last a year.

I’m not trying to rub it in the Husky-nation’s face over this loss. Really. I just find some of the coverage hilarious. I also think their Coach, Jim Calhoun, is one of the most caustic, biting, best quote guy in college basketball.

“Most of the first half we played exceptional basketball in the sense of moving the ball,” Calhoun said. “We did the exact opposite in the second half. We’ve lost four games this year and, far and away, that was the most disappointing. It’s not even close.”

Though, with every coach, the most disappointing loss is always the most recent.

“They didn’t let us run our offense and we decided to take 10 3-pointers because that’s the easy way out as opposed to the best way out,” Calhoun said.

Sophomore point guard Marcus Williams (4 points, 11 assists, three turnovers) and junior Rashad Anderson (19 points on 6-of-12 shooting) both jacked up ill-advised treys that rankled Calhoun.

“We ran a play to go inside and the next thing I know I see Rashad fading away at 23 (feet),” Calhoun said. “It was the last thing we needed, and that’s a junior by the way. Maybe, like when he’s a postgraduate student doing his doctorate work, he’ll pick that concept up. We, as a team, had better do that. We had better realize what we are and who we are and understand we have some very good things about us.”

[Emphasis added.]

Wow. The sports writers covering UConn, must absolutely love this guy for spicing up stories.

But this loss seemed to come suddenly after taking the big lead. And during the big lead, the Huskies were acting like the game was over while mugging it up for ESPN cameras in front of a nationally televised audience.

“We got up 17 points and we were celebrating,” Calhoun said. “But they came back and we lost. We lost at Gampel, where the atmosphere was great.”

Calhoun pointed to the Huskies getting out of their offense in the second half. UConn took 10 3-pointers in each half, but the difference was Rashad Anderson made four in the first half and just one in the second. Anderson was 5-for-10 from beyond the arc, and his teammates were a woeful 0-for-10.

“In God’s name, why do we have to take 10 3-pointers?” Calhoun asked.

You know, I said I didn’t see much of the player celebrating on the TV, but maybe I’ve just become desensitized to seeing players mugging for the camera. It’s not uncommon or original any longer, so it could be I just didn’t notice. I noticed, more the panning to the students.

If you’re Jim Calhoun, though, one of your big guys whining about physical play should be a bigger concern.

“It was real physical in there,” said Villanueva, who had 14 points and 10 rebounds. “Troutman was throwing a lot of elbows, (center Chris) Taft was pushing. It was real physical. We told the refs and they didn’t make the call, but you can’t blame the game on the refs. We had the game in our hands, we just let it slip.”

Sounds like you were blaming the refs.

An article listing the problems UConn showed during the game. This one has Husky players still trying to figure out what happened.

One big win doesn’t mean everything is perfect for Pitt. For better or worse, Pitt how has to wait until Saturday night before they play again. The bad news is that it takes away from the immediate positive energy and momentum the team might feel after such a big win. The good news, is it gives Pitt more time to work on their defense and prepare for Syracuse.

The talk is still about Chevy Troutman. Dick Weiss at the NY Daily News was impressed. It was just astounding to all at the way he took over the game.

Troutman was described as relentless, passionate and overpowering. But the word everyone kept coming back to was possessed.

“Chevy has this look on his face when he’s anxious, and he starts shaking,” Pitt junior point guard Carl Krauser said. “Once you see Chevy shaking, you know he wants the ball, and we just kept feeding him the ball.”
…
“That boy is an animal down there,” Krauser said. “He was just down there outworking those guys. It was all about the will and passion of the player, and he showed he had more will and passion for the game. He wanted to win that game and he did whatever it took.”

The victory was huge because Pitt had lost three of its past five and was coming off a bad loss at St. John’s. Plus, it was a win against the defending national champions on their home floor.

Troutman was taunted at halftime by Connecticut’s student body. At the time, he had four points and three turnovers and had been shut down by Connecticut’s strong front line. Once he got into the locker room, reserve center Aaron Gray said he saw something change in Troutman.

“People were chanting in the crowd, ‘Hey, great half, Chevy.’ ” Gray said. “He was like, ‘All right, I’ll go to work now.’ He was possessed in the second half. You could see the fire in his eyes.”

Apparently the UConn Husky players were getting a little too into things in the first half, thinking the game was over as well.

A season’s worth of celebration was pent up inside Rashad Anderson. And when he hit his second three-pointer of the first half Saturday night, it all came tumbling out.

The junior forward raced into the corner of Gampel Pavilion and saluted the UConn students, who were creating an unsustainable din, as Pittsburgh coach Jaime Dixon called timeout.

Near the UConn bench, Jim Calhoun surveyed this wild scene – Anderson was not the only one taking it to the seats – and saw trouble.

The Huskies were ahead by nine – a lead they would stretch to 17 in short order – but wilted when Pittsburgh mounted its inevitable challenge.

“We were all so happy, jumping around and running to the corners and stuff like that, and that really concerned me,” Calhoun said. “If someone did that to us, I think it would inspire us. And secondly, games are 40 minutes. That’s what the rules say.”

I’m really not sure the Pitt players noticed. The ESPN cameras didn’t show anything.

What may have helped Pitt, was a 3-hour team meeting after the St. John’s loss.

Team members agreed they were taking things for granted, they were reading too many press clippings and they were getting caught up in the hype. And, while it’s far too early to determine if the meeting caused a complete reversal of fortune, the Panthers took major strides in that direction with a 77-67 comeback win at Connecticut on Saturday.

“We were believing what we were reading,” said 7-foot sophomore center Aaron Gray, who went 3 of 4 from the field against UConn and had seven points and four rebounds in 12 minutes. Gray’s hook shot gave Pitt the lead for good with 7:37 remaining. “We got a little lazy and a little too confident, but we were humbled (in three last-minute losses to Bucknell, Georgetown and St. John’s) real quick. We realized things aren’t going to be easy anymore.”

Senior Chevon Troutman, who had 25 of his 29 points in the second half against UConn, said the Panthers were victims of previous successes, considering they had posted the top winning percentage in the nation the past three years and have played in three consecutive Sweet 16s.

“We were always used to winning, so we just felt like, ‘Oh, this is another one of those games we’re going to win, no matter who it is,’ ” Troutman said. “And then, the other team came up with bigger plays than us.”

Of course if Pitt goes out and lays an egg against Syracuse or just plays at a .500 clip, then...

Come March, a three-hour team meeting Tuesday night at the New York Hilton might be considered a turning point in Pitt’s season. Or, it might merely be a footnote in the 2004-05 history of the Panthers.

That all depends upon the way Pitt completes the final six weeks of the regular season. But judging from their 76-66 victory against defending national champion Connecticut Saturday night, something positive happened in that meeting, which came after an embarrassing loss to St. John’s at Madison Square Garden.
…
Senior forward Chevon Troutman said the team’s consistency of effort was also called into question.

“I felt like it put our team back into perspective,” Troutman said. “We have to work for everything we get. We can’t take plays off if we want to win. Coach has been doing a good job of getting us ready. We just didn’t do a good job of executing for him.”

Now they just need to show that it wasn’t a one game thing.

Here’s a brief story on Dante Milligan announcing his transfer.

Just over a week before National Letter of Intent Day, or as most sane people call it: the first Wednesday of February. Pitt can add another recruit to the list, and it looks like a good one.

Conredge Collins from Florida. He’s a Fullback, and considered by Rivals.com to be the 3rd best FB prospect in the country and 24th overall in their “Postseason Florida Top 100.” Scout.com (used to be Insiders.com) has him listed as the 98th overall prospect in the Southeast. Collins had offers from Miami, FSU, Florida, NC St., Ohio St. and Penn St.

Nice.

Actual phone call, received about 6:17pm this evening.

What’s up Shawn?

Let me just say that was one of the greatest comebacks ever.

Yeah…

I was at the Cage (Squirrel Hill Cafe) last night watching it. Awesome, man.

Yeah. I know. You called me after the game.

I did?

You called Pat, then me. I was on the phone with Pat. Just how much did you drink last night, Shawn?

Only 7 or 8 beers. I called you? …
Oh, yeah, now I remember.

Uh-huh.

I do. You know I don’t remember things.

Right. Especially when you’ve had a few.

No I remember, really.

Sure…

Just some of the top flight, intelligent analysis you can expect at this site.

The thing about a game that ends at 11 pm, there isn’t a lot of stories. Even less, when it is the 2nd biggest upset in the Big East (‘Nova over Kansas) and third biggest in the top-25 (VT over GT) that day.

Going into the game, the entire crew from Bristol was picking UConn (subs. req’d)

Jon (Coral Springs, Fl): With Charlie V finally looking like the player we hoped he would be and Josh Boone picking up where Emeka left off, how far do you see Uconn going this year?

Digger Phelps: (3:33 PM ET ) They’ll handle Pitt today, but Anderson has to find his shot. He is 27-for-100 shooting threes. The perimeter defense is suspect. Don’t forget that BC got 14 offensive rebounds against GAy, Villanueva and Boone, and they still have a long way to go, especially without any seniors.
…
Mike (Stratford): Hey Andy, Who do you think is going to come out a winner in the Uconn-Pitt game?

Andy Glockner: (6:50 PM ET ) uconn
…
Dennis (Tucson, AZ): Pitt has an RPI of 94, has lost to Bucknell and St. John’s, and their best win is an OT win over Rutgers… am I the only thinking these guys are way overrated?

Andy Glockner: (7:26 PM ET ) Nope. They are in real danger of not making the NCAAs.

Right now, Pitt is in, but they need more quality wins. They relied on the strength of the Big East to propel them, but that means they have to win the games, not just show up. This was a great step, though.

In an article that would have been interesting only for the ongoing slip in the headline:

I’m sure that will be corrected at some point. But more importantly, and something I’m sure that will be in the news locally — or at least once the collective hangover after the Steeler loss recedes– is this:

Pittsburgh’s roster got a little thinner as 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman forward Dante Milligan has elected to transfer. Milligan, from Trinity-Pawling (N.Y.) School, saw action in five of the Panthers’ first 15 games, amassing seven points and six rebounds.

Guess he realized that his DNPs weren’t going to decrease. Hard to have a real opinion on this, since he hasn’t played nearly enough to judge whether Pitt was making a mistake by not playing him. At the very least, it frees up another scholarship over the spring and summer (which was how Graves came to the Panthers). Actually, it was also in the endnotes of this story about Pitt’s win.

The only annoying thing about a game where Chevon Troutman leads the team to victory on a night where snow blankets the East, headlines like this:

Plowed By A Chevy

The story of the game, of course was Chevy Troutman. Troutman apparently responded to a halftime lecture:

Pittsburgh coach Jamie Dixon gave one of his more fiery speeches at halftime, about as inspired as the oft-maligned Dixon can be in the locker room.

He tried to rally Pittsburgh. He talked about toughness and playing together. He mentioned some names. He singled out Chevon Troutman.

What did Troutman say?

When Pittsburgh fourth-year junior point guard Carl Krauser was asked that question after the Panthers’ stunning 76-66 victory over Connecticut on Saturday night, Krauser didn’t say a word.

Did we miss something?

“That’s what he said,” Krauser said laughing.

What? Troutman didn’t say anything?

“I know,” Krauser said. “I just told you what he said. Nothing. Chevy doesn’t say anything. He just sits there and just plays. He might clap and say, ‘let’s go.’ But he just plays.

“I’ve been playing with him for four years. I know that look on his face when he’s anxious. He wants the ball. He gets down low in position and gets the ball and usually the foul.”

Boy, did he Saturday night.

The only thing I question is the phrase “the oft-maligned Dixon.” Really, where has he been ripped in any way that can be taken seriously? My major complaint is that he is boring copy. This is only his second year, and his record is 44-8. So, exactly who is ripping him and at what high frequency? Just have to ask, because I kind of follow these sort of things.

Dick Vitale was his usual restrained and cautious self.

This game could be the defining moment if the Panthers come on strong. Remember, Pittsburgh suffered tough defeats to Bucknell and Georgetown at home, as well as a stunning defeat to St. John’s at Madison Square Garden during its spiral.

Several times this season, Pittsburgh failed to sustain late leads. Against Connecticut, it was the Troutman show in the second half as he scored 25 of his 29 points after halftime.

Jamie Dixon’s kids showed resiliency, guts, heart and pride. It all came against a Connecticut team that was ready to play and a crowd the was in a frenzy with more students on campus due to a snowstorm that left more than 2,000 season-ticket holders donating their seats back to the university. College Gameday was there, too, to get the crowd going. Gampel was rocking and rolling.

The Huskies came out and looked great as Rashad Anderson broke out of his slump with 16 first-half points. Josh Boone and Rudy Gay were held to a total of eight points. In the second half, Pittsburgh went back to its physically tough brand of ball, especially on the defensive side.

Chevy became an All-Rolls Royce player in that second half, and Krauser, who predicted a Pittsburgh W when I saw him at the shootaround, responded at the foul line by making 10-of-11 free throws. Krauser played the last nine minutes with four fouls, yet he handled the ball effectively and made good decisions.

Krauser came over late in the game and reminded Brad Nessler and Yours Truly about the correct prediction.

Pittsburgh beat the team that I believe has the best baseline beauties in America.

Of course if Pitt doesn’t, then this was merely some lingering excitement and you can’t hold him to it. I’d say Pitt is holding up its end of the “new rivalry” and clearly some aren’t disagreeing.

It’s always March when the University of Connecticut and Pittsburgh hook up in men’s basketball.

Saturday was no exception. Although the date indicated otherwise – as did the foot of snow outside of Gampel Pavilion – the Huskies and Panthers played another instant classic before 10,167.

UConn coach Jim Calhoun, however, may have thought differently as the Huskies blew a big first-half lead to suffer one of their worst losses at Gampel before a revved-up crowd and a national television audience.

Trey Whitaker at HuskyBlog has his own view of the game. He’s more than a little disappointed. I also think its safe to say that the re-match at the Pete on Saturday, February 26 has been re-highlighted.

I took a ton of notes during this game, this will be long. I like it, because it’s like reliving the whole thing. Haven’t read the papers yet, just have the play-by-play and box score to keep things straight.

Pregame
Started with the College GameDay. Missed the 11 am debut. Doesn’t look bad. Digger Phelps has his problems with names and teams. Disconcerting. Big fear: that they decide that they need someone with more energy in the mix at the table — Phelps and Bilas are low key guys — and they shoehorn Gottlieb in there.

Show a taped interview with Coach Jamie Dixon by Andy Katz. Dixon is still one of the worst interviews. He hems and haws and clings to cliches like they are gold. On the issue of Krauser’s play he completely ducks the question. I don’t expect or want him throwing players under the bus, but I just want him to let a little of his personality to show.

The ticket exchange apparently netted some 2500 extra students for the game. Over half the crowd will be students. The place should be loud and enthusiastic.

During the “All-Access” segment with UConn practices and Coach Jim Calhoun, the coach says he sets a goal of about 75 shots taken in a game by his squad, because even if you make some mistakes it reduces their importance if you get more chances. After seeing Pitt shoot well, but not have enough attempts in this month, that sounds so very, very right.

In their game breakdown, they give a slight edge in the frontcourt to Pitt (both Phelps and Bilas). Bilas talking about Krauser needing to play under control and get quick passes to his teammates. If you see Krauser overdribbling, then you know he is trying to do it all himself.

The backcourt has a huge edge to UConn with Boone, Villanueva and Gay. I left the room because Vitale was there to screech. I’d like to make it until the second half before my ears start bleeding.

Everyone picks UConn to win this game.

First Half
In the starting lineup, McCarroll and Graves are both in there. Hmm. I thought that Ramon might get the start over Graves. Coach Dixon still isn’t changing the line-up much.

Pitt wins the tip. Graves drives inside before pulling up for a jumper that missed. Graves was actually trying to take it inside, though, something I haven’t seen him do very often. UConn gets the rebound and runs. In the paint, Freshman Rudy Gay misses his shot, but Josh Boone has the position to grab the rebound and put it back.

Pitt works the ball to McCarroll who is fouled by Gay while shooting. Dumb foul by the freshman. Of course, it is for no harm, as McCarroll misses the first and airballs (airballs?) the second attempt. Crap. The same thing happened to McCarroll in the St. John’s game. Gay picks up a second foul less than a minute later going for a rebound on the other end.

Pitt still hasn’t scored when Taft gets whistled for a charge. Seemed kind of questionable, but there was no replay. Taft was out of position to shoot, though. Just like his first shot. He is not getting position. At the other end, Graves fouls the ice cold Rahsard Anderson while shooting. Anderson sinks them both and it is now 6-0, with less than 2:30 played.

McCarroll comes out and in comes Ronald Ramon. Josh Boone commits a dumb foul trying to apply the pressure defense. That’s 3 fouls by their front court already. Ramon misses his first attempt — a 3 pointer — and UConn grabs the rebound. UConn misses, but gets the offensive rebounds — twice, before Krauser fouls. Denham Brown then shoots an open shot on the inbounds play. 8-0 and Pitt has to take a timeout at 16:40.

Pitt is not getting any position under the glass early. UConn, though, is getting plenty of second chance opportunities and forcing Pitt into one and done possessions.

Out of the timeout, though, Pitt starts playing a little better. Troutman gets a put back when Villanueva comes out to block a drive and shot by Krauser, then Graves hits a quick 3. Now it’s 8-5 and for a few minutes it looks like it will be a close game. Both teams seem to be playing their game. Pitt setting up its shots, especially looking outside. UConn running, and exploiting Pitt’s weakness on transition. Anderson, also seems to be hitting some shots.

Aaron Gray and Levon Kendall come in and play at the same time, confusing the daylights out of me. Had trouble keeping them straight. Never saw them on the court at the same time. Both though, provide some energy. Gray even ties the game with a slam and is fouled by Boone. He makes his shot and it was 15-15. More important, though, it was Boone’s 2nd foul with 12 minutes left. Boone had to sit. Both Boone and Gay — 2 of 3 of UConn’s heralded frontcourt — are sitting with 2 fouls.

Then after another UConn jumper, just inside the line, gives them a 17-15 lead, Calhoun picks up a technical for over-barking at the officials. Last year at the Pete, Calhoun was given a technical early and Pitt proceeded to run over the Huskies the rest of the game. Krauser sinks both shots and the game is tied at 17-17.

Unfortunately, unlike last year, UConn gets fired up. They go on an absolute tear inside and out. Troutman commits turnovers and is blocked in some attempts. Troutman can’t seem to get position against Villanueva. Around the 10 minute mark, ESPN flashes a stat showing Pitt being out-rebounded 15-8. UConn absolutely dominates for about 10 minutes. Outscoring Pitt 26-9 to have a 43-26 lead with 2:31 left in the half. Pitt couldn’t get anything going, and there were so many subs as Dixon was emptying the bench looking for some any combinations to get Pitt going. Benjamin, DeGroat came in along with Gray and Kendall. Everything wasn’t going right. UConn was scoring with ease, all the calls seemed to be going to UConn. Anderson was scorching during this stretch shooting outside.

In the final 2:31, though, UConn seemed to take their foot off the gas a bit. Pitt actually made a 6-0 run to be down only 43-32. Krauesr got to the line and so did Taft. Both sank all their free throws. Taft even showed some aggressiveness going for some offensive rebounds and a put back. Still in my notes I wrote, “Too big a deficit against this team.”

UConn had control. Anderson was 5-8 in the first half (4-6 on 3s) and had 16 points. Guard Denham Brown had 8 points on 4-7 shooting. Villanueva played well for most of the first half picking up 6 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks. And their point guard Marcus Williams was seeing everything. He had 7 assists in the first half. UConn only had 1 turnover. Were it not for the foul problems for Boone and Gay, this could have been the best half played by UConn on all facets. 17-35 shooting overall.

Pitt on the other hand was bad. Krauser was looking to pass. He only had 3 assists and was 0-4 shooting, but still had 4 points off of free throws, but only had one turnover. His assists would have been better, but Pitt committed 6 turnovers. Troutman accounted for half of them. Troutman did not look good in the first half. He seemed out of position, and not getting position. Same for Taft. Taft seemed to be forcing a couple shots, refusing to give up the ball. May have been part of the reason he only played 13 minutes. Pitt just played poorly. Shooting a pathetic 11-30. Pitt was outrebounded in the half 23-17. The closest thing to a bright side, was that Pitt was 7-10 on free throws.
Second Half
The start of the second half looked like it would be more of the same. In fact, I was thinking they would run Pitt off the court when Troutman missed 2 put backs in the first minute then Anderson drained another 3. UConn was still getting second chance shots. When McCarroll committed another turnover in the first minute of the second half, I couldn’t help but think he was doing his best to play himself further down the depth chart. Especially with the energy Kendall seemed to provide in the same amount of time in the first half. A minute later, McCarroll seemed to confirm that view by being called for a blocking foul.

UConn was coming out attacking to start the second half. Pitt was on its heels. Krauser tried to drive and got called for an offensive foul. It looked like a flop to me, but this was UConn’s home court, they were on the roll, so they were going to get the call. Then Troutman fouls Boone on a shot. Boone goes only 1-2, but the lead is back to 15, and a little more than 17 minutes left.

Taft gets a score when UConn goaltends, and then Boone commits his 3rd foul when his team is on offense. Ramon tries a 3, but Villanueva came way out for a block. Pitt ends up with the ball and Krauser hits a huge 3 as the shot clock was running down.

UConn quickly answers with some good ball movement and an easy lay-in. It’s 51-39 with more than 15 minutes left. Pitt counters with a solid possession of its own and Troutman gets a lay-up. UConn however, again blows through Pitt’s transition D for an easy Villanueva lay-up.

Pitt then turns the ball over when Krauser and Kendall don’t communicate. After the TV timeout, Kendall atones with a steal. He runs the floor well, but was fouled on the shot. Vitale complains he should have given it up to the trailing Krauser for the easy lay-in. I doubt Kendall even was sure where Krauser was. Kendall makes 1-2 FT to make it an 11 point game. 14:23 left.

On UConn’s next possession, they miss a couple shots in the paint, before Gray gets the rebound. UConn’s frontcourt has an amazing series of breakdowns as Anderson, Brown and Williams all commit fouls in a 14 second span. The last was a big mistake as Williams fouled Krauser as he was attempting a 3. Krauser nails all 3 and it is now an 8 point game.

UConn seems off-balance. Williams throws an ill-advised 3. Gray grabs another rebound. Gray is having a big effect playing for Taft. He gets the ball to Krauser who gets a great pass to Troutman for the easy lay-up. The team seems to be playing with a lot more energy. UConn takes a quick timeout.

Kendall gets Denham Brown in a bad spot and forces a turnover. Unfortunately, Gray turns the ball over on a bad pass attempt to Krauser. Even worse, Gray sprains his ankle trying to get the ball back, stepping on Graves’ foot. Krauser also fouls holding trying to prevent the steal on the pass. Just a bad series.

As Gray is on the floor, they show the replay of the sprain. Ouch.

UConn, though, is completely rattled. Another turnover. Graves misses a 3, but Troutman who has really come alive grabs the offensive board and is fouled going back up. After a TV timeout, Troutman sinks both free throws (amazing in and of itself), and the game is now 53-49.

Another quick shot by UConn, this time a missed 3 by Anderson. Taft gets a rebound and the moment of the game for Pitt fans, the moment when they know Troutman is feeling it and Pitt can win this game. Troutman drains a 3 pointer! Pitt is only down 1, 53-52. If this was at the Pete, the place would be exploding. Instead, Gampel has started to sound like a tomb. Pitt has gone on an 11-0 run in just under 4 minutes. Troutman accounted for 7 points

Pitt has started dominating. Playing team ball. UConn is going the opposite way. Starting to play as individuals. How else to explain why Villanueva tries to answer with his own 3-point shot?

Kendall grabs the rebound. Graves tries to drive to the hoop, but misses his layup. Someone must have been getting on Graves to try to penetrate more. That was his second or third drive inside. That’s 2-3 more times than he usually does. Despite the miss, Pitt does a good job this time to get back on defense, and not give up the bucket in transition. Boone, back in the game for UConn, grabs an offensive board and is fouled on the put back. He only goes 1-2 and it is 54-52 with 10 minutes left.

Pitt’s next possession is all Troutman. He wants the ball. He takes 3 shots, gets blocked by Villanueva on the first, but Troutman out-muscles everyone for the rebounds. Troutman is just playing different in the second half. It’s like he woke up. Realized how much he wants this game. Finally, Villanueva can’t keep up with Troutman’s energy on the glass and fouls him. Troutman only hits 1-2 (his first missed FT). 54-53 UConn.

UConn again does nothing with the ball. Troutman grabs another rebound. Pitt, however, has a bad possession as Krauser ends up with the ball, but not aware of the shot clock has to throw one up that misses the rim and UConn gets the ball back.

UConn is just desperate. Denham Brown hoists a quick 3 that misses. Of course it is Troutman who grabs the rebound and runs the floor to get the lay-up and Boone commits his 4th foul trying to stop him. Troutman converts the +1 FT and Pitt has its first lead of the game 56-54 at 8:13 left. Amazingly, Troutman is then taken out of the game. A WTF? moment. I mean, I get that there will be a TV timeout when the clock goes under 8 minutes and there is a stop in play, but why? How much extra rest does it really provide. You have to keep Troutman in the game. He’s the best player out there right now. Step on the throat! I was actually screaming that at the TV. McCarroll comes in for him, and Gray is taped up and comes back in.

Showing how much I know, McCarroll is feeling the energy as he blocks a Villanueva shot. Gray ends up fouling Villanueva as UConn got the rebound. After the TV timeout, Villanueva sinks the shots to tie the game. Troutman is right back in there.

Gray showing a nice touch puts in a jump hook, then runs the floor to grab the defensive rebound as Anderson hoisted yet another quick, errant 3. UConn has not been getting set for their perimeter player shots. Their perimeter players are set shooters, they need time to get their place.

Pitt looks to step on the throat as Graves drains a 3. Only his second basket of the night, but both were key 3s. Armstrong nails a jumper to stop the bleeding at 6:33. Pitt has outscored UConn 20-3 in over 8 minutes. 61-58. It was UConn’s first basket since the 15:06 mark.

Pitt nearly gives up the ball when UConn traps, but during the scrum, the refs call a held ball. The possession arrow favored Pitt. Unfortunately, Graves misses another 3-point attempt. Marcus Williams chases down the ball, then bounces it off Kendall’s leg before falling out of bounds. A smart play that Kendall didn’t expect.

UConn, again fails to take advantage, as Rudy Gay decides to throw up a 3 that misses. Pitt pushes the and Troutman gets a lay-up in transition. 63-58 Pitt, 5:21 left.

UConn answers to make it 63-60. Then gets another quick score off a Pitt miss to be down by only 1 with 4:20 left. Lots of time. UConn is trying to deny the ball inside. Trying to keep Troutman from getting a shot.

Denham Brown steals the ball from Krauser, but Kendall has a huge block to prevent a score. The ball goes out of bounds to Pitt and there is a TV time out.

Out of the timeout, Pitt gets the ball inside to Troutman. Troutman just is too much for Boone who fouls him as he shoots. Boone fouls out with 3:28 left. Big. Troutman sinks both of his FT. Bigger. Pitt up 65-62.

UConn is falling apart. They can’t get the play together on offense, and nearly turn the ball over. Forced to call a time out rather than risk the held ball. Villanueva is blocked by Kendall on a jumper. Ramon grabbed the rebound and Troutman scores on an up and under basket. 67-62, 2:32 left.

UConn is ready to play with both hands grasped around the neck. They throw the ball away on a pass while trying to find an open man. Pitt has the ball with 2:04.

Unfortunately, Pitt chooses not to go for the kill. Instead tries to run off clock. I’m screaming at the TV at this point. Sure enough, it gives UConn time to get a trap on Ramon far from the basket. Turnover as Ramon threw it away. I blame Coach Dixon for that. He made the decision not to try and get the ball inside and get the points. Instead, he kept the ball on the perimeter to run 30 seconds off.

Gay gets the ball inside, and Kendall commits the foul while he was in the shooting motion. Gay sinks both (his first points of the game) and it is 67-64. Krauser then gets trapped and throws the ball away. Vitale and Nessler (both of whom I’ve done an outstanding job of not hearing all game) mention that Pitt has lost all 3 of its games in the last minute or so. Thanks for the reminder.

Rudy Gay, who hasn’t hit anything all game, tries another 3 and misses. Taft grabs the rebound. Pitt nearly trapped again, calls a quick timeout. Pitt regroups. They start running their play, and time, but nearly blow it again. Ramon makes a bad pass to Krauser, but Armstrong panicked and fouled Krauser. A big bailout, and Krauser sinks both free throws. 69-64 Pitt, 28.3 seconds left.

As UConn gets into their end, point guard Marcus Williams gets blocked on his move by Troutman, and the ball gets loose. Could have been a foul called in the scrum, but Troutman gets the ball and drives the court to score with an intentional foul called. Troutman, who has played the best game of his career, of course nails both free throws to make it 73-64. Pitt will get the ball back on top of it all with 17 seconds left.

Directly from my notes as Troutman shot: Pitt did it, they put the game away. They finished. They stepped on the throat. I don’t know why that phrase was in my head all night.

Troutman gets an easy lay-up on the inbounds play as UConn just gave up. 75-64.

Villanueva scores with 9 seconds left, then they foul Krauser who hits 1-2 (his first missed FT) .

Villanueva shoots at the end but misses, Taft rebounds and Pitt gets the huge upset 76-66.

Amazing.

Player Thoughts
Troutman. This was his game. He took it over in the second half, and Pitt realized and fed him. He scored 25 of his 29 points in the second half, shooting 8-13 in that half and hit 8-9 free throws. 12 rebounds and 2 blocks. He outscored the entire starting frontline of UConn, and had only 2 less rebounds. Considering how poorly he seemed to be playing for the first half, this was amazing.

Taft. Another invisible game for him. 10 ponts, 6 rebounds, but 0 blocks in only 28 minutes. I expected him to step up against the competition, but he seemed willing to settle at times, not push inside. No fight.
Krauser. Folks, he is not Brandin Knight. Never will be. Stop wishing he was. He didn’t shoot well, but created a lot. Got 15 points, mostly by getting to the free throw line. He had 5 rebounds, 8 assists, but still had 5 turnovers. An improved game compared to the way he had been playing. Much more in control and definitely looking to get the ball inside.

Graves. His inconsistency on offense, coupled with not playing great defense, has become more noticeable as the competition improved. 23 minutes in the game, and only 9 in the second half, where Pitt’s defense noticeably picked up. He drained 2 big 3s, and was the only perimeter player not named Krauser who drove to the hoop occasionally, but that was about it.

McCarroll. The only reason he will start against Syracuse, is because Coach Dixon wants to reward the loyal senior. He only played 11 minutes. 0 shots, 1 block and 1 steal.
Ramon. First off the bench. Played the most minutes of anyone, 35. Selective in his shooting, but not great. Solid defense on the perimeter. Still not driving to the basket. Needs some more chances to shoot.

Gray. If Taft doesn’t start showing more heart and energy, he will keep losing minutes to Gray. Showing far more aggression and willingness to shoot. 7 points and 3 rebounds in12 minutes.

Kendall. Best game he’s played. Should start ahead of McCarroll. High energy guy, willing to get inside and muck. 3 points, 2 rebounds and 2 blocks, but he was on the court when Pitt was getting back into the game and being aggressive. Was always around the ball.

Benjamin. Actually grabbed 3 rebounds in 4 minutes. Not very noticeable, though.

Team. Horrible defense in the first half, but total lockdown in the second. Seemed to spook UConn when they didn’t wilt by being down by 15 in the second half. After letting UConn shoot nearly 50% in the second half, Pitt held them to only 8-29 shooting and limited the second chance shots by out rebounding in the second half 21-13. UConn’s big men, could not stay physical with Pitt’s for the entire game. Started shying away from contact. This allowed more pressure to go outside on the perimeter. Once the perimeter guys started having their shots contested they lost confidence.

Now if only Pitt could play a full 40 minutes.

Just a quick post before running back out to catch more highlights of the win. Game notes will be coming. Just stunned. Pitt was a different team in the final 15 minutes of the game. I feel like I am still trying to process everything I saw.

It’s still snowing in the Cleveland area, and now the wind has picked up to blow some of it around some more. Means the whole family will be snowbound. Kind of makes me wish we had another TV so I could hole up in the office and watch the game tonight. While waiting for the game, and bracing for another go at shoveling, some various things relating to Pitt football.

Let’s start with an alumni update. Rod Rutherford.

Signed originally as an undrafted free agent, Rutherford impressed the coaches enough in training camp to play a few late pre-season quarters, beating out NFL Europe backup Rob Adamson. Rutherford didn’t make the 53-man roster, but did manage to play his way onto the practice squad. He was used a few times this season to prepare for mobile quarterbacks (like Atlanta’s Michael Vick) and maintained the coaches’ high opinion of him.

In a very telling move, the Panthers signed him to the roster before the final game of the season, making Rutherford an exclusive rights player (which means that no other team can sign him to a contract.) The move ensures that Rutherford will be spending at least training camp with the Panthers.

Rutherford was a standout QB at Pittsburgh, amassing 6,724 yards on 458-of-842 passing with 60 touchdowns and 30 interceptions, despite only starting for two seasons. He also rushed for 880 yards and 12 touchdowns on 419 attempts. His primary target at Pitt was 2004 first-round wideout Larry Fitzgerald. During his play time in the 2004 pre-season with the Panthers, he showed he was able to make plays with his legs, though he’s clearly no Mike Vick. Rutherford offers a nice change of pace for the Panthers and may have a future here as a backup, and he may even be a situational player.

This season will be very important for Rutherford. With Peete likely retiring, Rod may find himself as the #3 QB very easily. Weinke is set to depart next year and the Panthers are likely to draft a QB in the 2006 NFL Draft. Which round they go QB will depend on Rutherford’s development this season.

Glad he is likely to get at least another year to develop. Wonder if he’ll be playing in NFL Europe?

Pitt’s latest commit, Tommie Duhart, talks to his local paper about choosing Pitt.

All of the professional factors led Duhart to give an oral commitment Thursday to the Panthers. Although Duhart was being recruited by South Florida and Florida, Pittsburgh was the only campus he visited.

“All of that played a big part,” Duhart said. “The Pittsburgh Panthers and the Steelers use the same facilities. They’re on the same practice field, same stadium. And Wannstedt has that pro experience. After talking with him, he was just cool. The whole coaching staff was pretty cool.”

The 6-foot-4, 260-pound Duhart was a two-year starter at Glades Central. He had 58 tackles (10 for losses) and two sacks, earning South Florida Sun-Sentinel All-County honors. He teamed this season with Rashaad Duncan, who also committed to Pittsburgh, to make up one of the area’s top defensive line duos.

Coach Wannstedt has been making the rounds at local Western Pennsylvania high schools as well as working the Florida kids.

Wannstedt and assistant coach Bob Junko met with McKeesport Area coach George Smith, athletic director Charley Kiss and new Superintendent Pat Risha Thursday afternoon.

“It’s been very hectic, but very good,” Wannstedt said. “The reception from the high school coaches, to the fans and recruits has been extremely positive. They are really the only people I’ve been dealing with which is what I expected. It’s been a combination of recruiting and trying to put together a coaching staff. It seems to be all coming together.”

The visit had nothing to do with recruiting. Rather, Wannstedt is trying to foster relationships with coaches in the area.

“I am here just to see George,” he said. “This is just to strengthen those relationships and to let everyone know that I’m going to be in the area and we’re going to spend a lot of time around here. We want to get everyone thinking the University of Pittsburgh.”

This is normal for new coaches to visit the high schools in the area. I think, though, that it important that Wannstedt make sure he does some sort of touring like this every year. Something Walt Harris began to slack on doing. Even if the school lacks any talent in a particular year. Provide some flattery and let them know you are around and watching.

Finally, the must read, P-G Pitt football beat writer Paul Zeise returns with a Q&A (someone have Ray Fittipaldo look at this to see that it is alright to express an opinion and actual thoughts on what you would do).

Q: Now that the coaching staff is complete, how did we do?

ZEISE: I think the entire staff hinged on two key hires — the head coach and the coordinator on the opposite side of the ball from the head coach. So from that standpoint, I really think the Panthers have hit a home run. I think Wannstedt was the best guy for the job — because he has the right combination of personality, experience, local connections, name recognition, track record of success, etc., etc. — and I think Matt Cavanaugh was a tremendous hire as well.

The rest of the staff is fine because they will all essentially fall into place under Wannstedt on defense and Cavanaugh on offense. Paul Dunn will do great as line coach and David Walker, I think, was a tremendous hire.

I’ve heard some criticism of Cavanaugh because the Ravens offense was not always very good. First off, I’d say that is off base. We are enamored these days with the passing game, but the running game is every bit as, if not more, important and the Ravens could run the football. To me, an offense that consistently leads the NFL or is near the top in rushing, is an offense that is working. Cavanaugh’s offense played to the strengths of his personnel.

The Ravens best players on offense has been its tailbacks and offensive linemen and Cavanaugh, like a good coordinator, modeled an offense around that. The six quarterbacks he had to work with had one thing in common — they all stink. That’s being blunt and in some cases too kind, but my goodness, it wasn’t like he was working with future hall of famers. And take it one step further — who are all these great wide receivers he had to work with over the past six years?

So the passing game may not have been that great, but the problem wasn’t the plays or play calling but rather the lack of ability at quarterback and a lack of playmakers at receiver.

People around here have been crying for eight years about Walt Harris infatuation with the passing game and how the Panthers are always soft on offense. I don’t expect that to continue — I think you’ll see more of a power running game and as a result an even better passing game. Matt Cavanaugh is an excellent coach and I really believe this will pan out now that he has a good quarterback and top receivers to work with. He’ll have a balanced offense that is efficient and also fun to watch.
…
Q: Do you think Princell Brockenbrough will receive a sixth year? How would this and the return of Terrell Allen impact Joe DelSardo’s playing time?

ZEISE: No, I don’t think Princell is going to get a sixth year. He is done, which is sad because he had so much talent and promise but just could never stay healthy. The return of Terrell Allen should be a big lift for Pitt. This kid wants to be good, you can tell that by his work ethic. There may not be a harder worker, or more enthusiastic practice player. I was shocked that even though he was not able to play last season because of that wrist injury, he was one of the first on the practice field and last to leave every day. Whatever he was able to do physically, he did and he was always among the leaders in conditioning and running drills. I was very impressed with his effort. I don’t think it will impact DelSardo that much because he’s proven himself to be worthy of being a starter.

Now, with a new staff in place it is possible that someone beats out DelSardo, but that is a different thing. Terrell Allen’s impact, I believe, will be most quickly felt on kick and punt returns. He’s a tremendous talent.

I hope Pitt doesn’t go and abandon the vertical passing game. Like it or not. Want to run more or not, that is where the talent on the offense lies right now. Yes, there should be more running and balance, but the passing can just as easliy set up the run. That will be an interesting test of Wannstedt and Cavanaugh to adapt their plans and philosophy to the talent.

No, not really. Pitt is already in Hartford, and the snow isn’t supposed to hit the area until 3pm at the earliest (and BTW, it’s still snowing here in Cleveland). The only one not making the trip (other than Yuri Demetris) was radio play-by-play guy Bill Hillgrove. He also calls Steelers games and didn’t want to risk not being able to get back for the game.

UConn is being real smart about how to deal with empty seats from fans who may not be able to make it because of the snow. After all, this is a big game, and UConn wants the place packed and rocking for the home team. They want ticket holders who either don’t plan to come or don’t think they will make it to let the school know so the tickets can be donated to students.

Fans with tickets to the contest who are unable to attend are ENCOURAGED TO DONATE UNUSED TICKETS FOR USE BY UCONN STUDENTS WHO CURRENTLY DO NOT HAVE TICKETS TO THIS GAME. This ticket donation can be accomplished in several ways.

1.) Bring your tickets to the UConn women’s basketball game at the Hartford Civic Center and turn them in at any of three locations…

2.) Send an email message to ATHTICKETS@UCONN.EDU. Make the subject heading “Pitt Tickets” and be sure to include your name and ticket locations.

3.) Call the UConn Athletic Ticket Office beginning at 9 a.m. at 1-877-AT-UCONN with your name and ticket locations.

Note: To maximize the number of UConn Students that we can accommodate, fans donating tickets are asked to contact UConn Athletics by 5 p.m. on Saturday.

Students have been waiting out for tickets and to be there for ESPN’s College GameDay since Thursday. You have to admire and respect the way the school does its best to help encourage and reward the students’ zeal. Additionally, in a rather simple but cool gesture, UConn Coach Calhoun and several players stopped to talk to the students after Friday’s practice. The only way this game will be cancelled would be if the state highways were ordered closed. That happened back in 1996 with a game scheduled between UConn and Villanova.

The headlines leading up to the game are all about the frontlines and which side will outmuscle the other:

If Pitt can hold its own against Connecticut’s front line, the Panthers might have an advantage on the perimeter. Sophomore Marcus Williams, who replaced Taliek Brown at point guard, will be forced to guard Carl Krauser, Pitt’s top scorer. And if Taft and Troutman have success inside and force Connecticut’s guards to sag to the lane, Pitt’s 3-point shooters will have open looks.

“We’re going to start with our bigs and let them dictate our game,” freshman guard Ronald Ramon said. “They’ll have to help out with [Troutman] and Chris and that helps out the guard play.”

But when the chips are down, look for both coaches to utilize their strengths. That means a lot of inside touches and a lot of physical play. In other words, it’s going to be an old-fashioned Big East brawl.

Whichever front line plays best likely comes out on top.

And both sides think they have the best to offer.

The inimitable Dick Vitale called the Connecticut frontline the best in college basketball the other day.

Pitt sophomore center Chris Taft respectfully disagreed.

“Of course you’re always going to say that you’re team is No. 1 and that their team is No. 2,” Taft said. “They have great players, and we have great players. … It really doesn’t matter who’s No. 1 and who’s No. 2, it matters who wins the game.”

As No. 21 Pitt (12-3, 2-2 Big East) enters its 9 p.m. nationally televised showdown at No. 16 Connecticut (11-3, 3-1) tonight at Gampel Pavilion, Taft has softened his stance on the greatness of the Pitt frontline.

After all, he had this to say in the preseason: “We’re better than Connecticut, we’re better than whoever you want to put in front of us,” he said then. “I say we have the best frontline in the country.”

Lots of quotes from Dick Vitale in the article, so you may not have the stomach for it. Up in Storrs, Forward Charlie Villanueva feels he has something to prove.

The Huskies had the better of this annual welding contest last season but Villanueva had little to do with the outcome. He scored three points in UConn’s victory in Hartford, was shut out in a loss at Pittsburgh and was injured and did not play in the Huskies’ victory in the Big East tournament final.

“It’s been a whole year,” Villanueva said. “I have been thinking about this for a while. I always wanted a shot at them again and this is the chance to prove myself.”
…
With Chris Taft (6 feet 10), Chevy Troutman (6-7, 240) and Mark McCarroll (6-10), Pittsburgh is the first team UConn will play this season that is nearly equal in stature.

And it doesn’t end with the starters.

The Panthers can go to Aaron Gray, a 7-foot, 275-pound center and Levon Kendall, a 6-9 forward, to counter Hilton Armstrong and Ed Nelson.

Taft and Troutman have been nearly as productive as Boone and Villanueva. The Pittsburgh duo is averaging 27.2 points and 15 rebounds but their impact can’t be reduced to numbers.

Taft is one of the league’s best shot-blockers and Troutman remains a crafty, physical interior defender.

“Pittsburgh is so tough on the inside,” Boone said. “They are always a very tough, very physical defensive team and they try to get up in you on defense and hit the boards and box you out.”

Both teams are being way too willing to pat the other on the back leading up to the game. Is there anything to get things going?

“The Syracuse rivalry is our best rivalry,” Calhoun said. “I know everyone in Pittsburgh gets upset when I say that, but I say that because over the last 14 years the two of us have won something like 11 (Big East) championships between the two of us. We’ve won three national championships between the two programs and have had a ton of pros between the programs.”

But Calhoun did acknowledge there is more bad blood between the Huskies and Panthers than the Orange.

“These teams have gone at each other a little bit,” Calhoun said. “When we face Syracuse that doesn’t seem to be there. We shake hands before and after the game and everyone tries to win, but the Pittsburgh games seem to have a different twinge to them because of the physicality of the game.”

No, not really anything too inflammatory.

Guard play, though, will still matter. It will be Carl Krauser against Marcus Williams. Williams doesn’t turn the ball over near as much as Krauser (who is these days) but is prone to foul troubles. As for shooting guards. Well if Denham Brown and or Rashard Anderson snap out of their scoring drought, Pitt has no chance. Opposite, Pitt does need some outside shooting to fall from Graves and Ramon. Pitt doesn’t take nearly as many shots as UConn (or just about anyone) so they need to have a higher field goal percentage. Not to mention outrebounding to limit opportunities of the other and create second chances for Pitt.

Here are the basic scouting reports.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

DESPERATION: Pitt has slowly backed itself into a corner. A loss tonight would drop the Panthers to 2-3 in the league with a difficult schedule ahead. Might desperation lift Pittsburgh to victory?

“There’s a chance,” UConn guard Marcus Williams said. “But I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

DISCIPLINE: The Huskies need Josh Boone, Charlie Villanueva and Williams on the floor for the majority of the game. Each will need to avoid careless fouls while not backing down from Pittsburgh’s muscle.

CROWD: The Panthers haven’t been to Gampel Pavilion since they began to run with the league’s elite. Weather permitting, or if the ticket exchange works well, it should be an electric atmosphere.

Pitt responded well to a hostile crowd against Rutgers, but that was against Rutgers. Will Pitt respond well to a hostile crowd with a more talented foe?

Final note, an actual ‘Burgh columnist is ripped away from covering the Steelers to write about Pitt. Smizik goes after Carl Krauser. Actually, he essentially blames Krauser for everything wrong with the team right now. I’m not willing to go that far.

Krauser is playing poorly, and it is hurting the team. Plain and simple, though, there are problems everywhere. Taft has been playing lazy and only in spurts. Troutman hasn’t been playing smart and often finds himself out of position for rebounding and getting called for fouls. Graves has shot poorly since Big East play began — 7 for 23, and hasn’t provided much defense. Ramon has been the lone exception at playing to or exceeding expectations in Big East play. Other than that, the bench has been negligible.

Does Krauser need to play better? More under control? Lower the turnovers? Yes to all. As far as getting the players the ball, Krauser is 3rd in the BE in assists/game. Considering he is a shooting point guard, that is actually pretty good. Coach Dixon and the staff need to do a better job of keeping him under control, but the fact is he is the best defender on the perimeter Pitt has to have him out there. Graves has had trouble bringing the ball up court, when pressured.

Lets Go Pitt!

As a fan, one of the more troubling thing about Pitt’s January slide is the fact that it has turned this game — a game I marked early as a can’t miss, send the wife and child somewhere, anywhere so I can focus fully on it — from one I was eagerly anticipating. Excited about the possibilities. Ready for a wild game. Now it is one I have a sense of dread over. Worried about how bad Pitt could end up looking. Scared they are going to be run out of the joint on the ESPN marquee game. That’s frustrating. This is the big game of the weekend, and everyone has it noted. From Greg Doyel at Sportsline.

No. 21 Pittsburgh at No. 16 UConn: Once one of the Big East’s marquee games, this is more a battle for survival, especially for Pittsburgh (12-3, 2-2), which has played five consecutive unranked teams and lost to three of them — and barely beat Rutgers and Seton Hall in between. The situation isn’t nearly as dire for emerging superstar Charlie Villanueva and UConn (11-3, 3-1), though the Huskies could fall two losses behind Boston College and Syracuse in the league standings with a slip here.

He is dead right for Pitt. Seth Davis at SI.com sees a UConn win:

It’s unusual to see at matchup of two teams whose strengths and weaknesses are so similar. Both squads use their big men to anchor their offense and defense. Both have lots of talent but limited experience on the perimeter. Their guards can make plays but are too loose with the ball. And neither squad is as good defensively as it was last year, but both have exciting freshmen who can score points in a hurry.

Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, the Huskies’ strengths are stronger than the Panthers’, and their weaknesses are not as weak. Yes, Pitt has a muscular, studly duo inside in Chevon Troutman and Chris Taft, but Taft has been inconsistent this season. They are sure to be outmatched by UConn’s Josh Boone and Charlie Villanueva, who once again have this team leading the nation in blocks. (Villanueva, incidentally, has broken out of his slump the past few weeks, mostly because he figured out he should use his inside skills to set up his outside game, instead of vice versa.) UConn has struggled while breaking in Marcus Williams (and his freshman replacement, Antonio Kellogg) at the point, but Pitt is actually having more trouble at that position as Carl Krauser has committed 26 turnovers in four Big East games — including eight in Wednesday’s loss at St. John’s. And while the Panthers have every reason to be excited that freshman guard Ronald Ramon has emerged as a scoring threat (his 21 points saved them in a win at Rutgers), he is no Rudy Gay. No freshman is.
…

The fact is, Pittsburgh has, to no one’s surprise, had a hard time replacing the defensive expertise and toughness of graduated guards Julius Page and Jaron Brown, who combined to start more than 200 games in their careers. How else to explain why Darryl Hill of St. John’s was able to light up the Panthers for 26 points? If Anderson and Brown are hoping to recapture their shooting touch, Pitt represents a good opportunity. Meanwhile, Williams and Kellogg can run the Huskies’ halfcourt offense and transtion game knowing they won’t have to worry too much about facing ball pressure. The same cannot be said for Krauser, Ramon and sophomore guard Antonio Graves.

Pitt’s best chances at winning are to get Boone and/or Villanueva into foul trouble, or have Krauser put in an epic performance. Either is certainly possible, but the more likely scenario is that the sloppy ballhandling will help create a quicker tempo, which in the end will benefit the Huskies. This game, by the way, is being played not in the antiseptic Hartford Civic Center but in Gampel Pavilion on the UConn campus. The scoreboard that hangs over the court is where the similarities between these teams will end.

Seth’s Pick: UConn 72, Pittsburgh 60

Hard to argue right now. Pitt and UConn both had some struggles so far. The difference, was that UConn realized theirs first — the early upset loss to UMass — and Coach Jim Calhoun made started adjusting to his personnel. Now UConn is playing an inside game, not relying on the outside shots. Pitt didn’t realize the problems and then went into some denial over them, and now it could be too late.

Even at ESPN, where they have to hope for a very good game, Jay Bilas breaks down the game and picks UConn (subs. only).

However, this Pitt team has struggled, comparatively, on the defensive end. The Panthers are giving up 44 percent shooting to its Big East opponents, including almost 50 percent to St. John’s in the loss earlier this week. Overall, that ranks in the bottom half of the league, and Pitt’s 3-point defense is even softer (and soft is not a word associated with Pitt Basketball), allowing teams to shoot 40 percent from behind the arc.

Pitt also forces only nine turnovers per game in Big East play, and has to grind you in order to win. Carl Krauser is the Panthers’ best scorer and player, and has been facing more defensive attention than ever. Chevy Troutman and Chris Taft are quality big men, but Troutman is undersized and has to bull his way to the basket.

UConn has the best and most talented frontline in the college game. Josh Boone leads the league in double-doubles, blocked shots, rebounding and field goal percentage. Charlie Villanueva is one of the most improved players in the Big East, and has played his best basketball over the last five games. Rudy Gay is arguably the best freshman big man in the nation, and is the smoothest operator.
…
Bottom Line: UConn is too strong. At home, the Huskies will be tough to beat. I like UConn in this one.

Still, if there is reason to hope, it is that this has become a rivalry game.

Pittsburgh has the responsibility to maintain its rivalry with Connecticut.

If the Panthers continue their free fall, not just this season, but beyond, then the new rivalry between the two schools will be over almost before it began.

That’s it. Goodbye.

Connecticut’s rivalry date book is pretty full. The Huskies might have room for one more, but it’s up to Pitt to keep that date.

UConn’s primary rival is Syracuse. Connecticut could start getting one going with UMass, according to coach Jim Calhoun, after the way the Minutemen beat the Huskies in Amherst last month. And don’t be surprised if Louisville doesn’t become the new rivalry for the Huskies when the Cardinals join the Big East next season.
…
When the Huskies got started in the Big East, the rivals for them were Seton Hall and Boston College. Calhoun said they were all trying to climb out of the bottom. None were ready to challenge Syracuse, Georgetown, St. John’s and Villanova at the time.

Connecticut became the power and eventually surpassed everyone, except Syracuse, which genuinely is regarded as an equal. The two schools have won the last two national championships. But the past three seasons, Connecticut has had to get past Pittsburgh. The two teams have met in the last three Big East tournament title games.

Connecticut won in 2002 and 2004. Pittsburgh won in 2003. The overall series the past three seasons is split at 3-3.

A year ago, Pittsburgh was 18-0 when Connecticut beat the Panthers in Hartford. They play Saturday at Gampel Pavilion on Connecticut’s campus, the first time the two teams have met there since 1995.

Calhoun says the rivalry dates back to Dec. 12, 1998, when Ralph Willard was coaching the Panthers and the Huskies won at Pittsburgh. He said it began when Khalid El-Amin stood up on a scorer’s table after the Huskies came back to win and stuff was thrown at him and the Huskies. El-Amin was the recipient of verbal bashing from the fans, too.

I agree with Calhoun as to when the teams really started a bit of a rivalry.

I just hope to be proven wrong on my fears.

This game is not getting near the attention you would think in both markets. Seems both are distracted by this Patriots-Steelers game on Sunday. No priorities.

Yesterday I said this game starts a stretch that will make or break Pitt’s season. Guess what the theme of a couple articles today are?

“These games coming up will make or break us,” Taft said at a late-night team meeting in a Manhattan hotel. “We have to find a way to win.”

The 21st-ranked Panthers (12-3, 2-2) are in recovery mode after losing three of their past five contests, all in the final minute. They’ll look to regain that elusive winning touch on the road Saturday night against defending national champion Connecticut (11-3, 3-1) at soldout Gampel Pavilion.

Apparently Pitt players are being allowed to talk to the media again.

“We’re 12-3, but we also should be 15-0,” said Taft, who will face a Connecticut front line that Vitale calls the best in the nation. “But we can’t go back in the past and change that. We’ve got games coming up with UConn and Syracuse (a week from Saturday). We have to do whatever we can to win these games.”

There are no outward signs that these Panthers have hit the panic button after losses to Bucknell, Georgetown and St. John’s in the past two-plus weeks. In fact, Dixon and Taft said the team had an inspired practice Thursday. Taft went as far to say that it was the most intense workout of the year.

Wonderful. Another great workout. The thing is, all season they have been talking about how tough things get in practices, but everyone is still waiting to see it translated to 40 minutes in a game.

The prevailing belief among Taft, Ramon and Dixon is the Panthers need to intensify things on the defensive side of the ball. They are nowhere close to meeting the standards they set for themselves in years past, when they typically pulverized the opposition.

On Tuesday, St. John’s shot 48.1 percent from the field to continue an uncharacteristic trend. Six opponents have shot better than 47 percent against the Panthers, something that happened only five times all of last season – in 36 games.
…
“We have to step up defensively,” Taft said. “That’s been the main part of this program for four years and we’ve got to bring it back. What a great chance to show how well we can play defense against Connecticut.”

That also means you Taft. Taft is talking it, but he has to start delivering on it.

The other article has the same theme. It just tries to be a little more optimistic.

If the Panthers are going to have a chance, they’re going to have to play better defensively than they have the past month.

St. John’s shot 58 percent in the first half of Tuesday’s game and shot 48 percent for the game, the fifth opponent in the past seven games to shoot 45 percent or better.

“We have to step up offensively and especially defensively,” Taft said. “The program has been built around defense. We just have to bring that back. What a great chance to show how much defense you have against UConn.”

This might be an ideal time for Pitt to play Connecticut. The Panthers view the Huskies as their biggest rival, and rivalry games can sometimes jump-start teams going through slumps.

Or it can send them into a complete tailspin.

“I thought we had a very good practice [yesterday],” Dixon said. “We talked about the defensive end, executing on offense. We’re doing a lot of things real well. If you look at the stats, we’re doing well in a lot of areas, but the thing that sticks out is that there’s going to be a lot of close games in the Big East. That hasn’t changed for years and it’s not going to change. We just have to be on the right end of those things.”

Dixon indicated that the Panthers are close to doing just that. While there is the obvious problem of protecting leads, Dixon also pointed to being in so many close games. Remove one bad play from each of the three losses, and Pitt could be undefeated heading into the Connecticut game.

I know. Dixon is a players’ coach. He backs his kids, and he isn’t going to come down on them in the press. And I’m not saying he should. But, this is such a load of crap. It isn’t just one bad play, it’s a bunch in a row. It’s bad decisionmaking and execution. It’s lapses in concentration and focus.

The article above, though, fairly optimistic does not appear to be the actual opinion of Ray Fittipaldo as to whether Pitt will win tomorrow night. In his weekly Q&A, he expects a UConn win in the single digits.

Q: Why is Pitt playing so poorly at the end of games? They can’t maintain leads and seem to make bad decisions at the worst possible time?

FITTIPALDO That, to me, is the biggest mystery of the season. With so many experienced players back from a team that knew how to win close games last season, one would think that this team would simply pick up where last year’s team left off. But they haven’t. And not only are they not winning games late, they’re finding ways to lose games. Everyone on the team need to have more consistency and some members of the team need to show more composure and calm when the game is in the closing moments.

Q: Point guard Carl Krauser is playing playground ball like he did two years ago. He had three charging fouls in the game against Rutgers. Coach Dixon should have sat him for five minutes the next game. What are your thoughts? What is his assist-turnover ratio? It does not appear he is passing the ball like a point guard.

FITTIPALDO Krauser had another poor game against St. John’s. He had eight turnovers, giving him 45 in the last seven games, which is way too many. Krauser had nine turnovers in that Rutgers game and he admitted it was one of the worst games of his career. He came back the following game against Seton Hall and took just four shots from the field. He contributed in other ways, though. He had eight rebounds and six assists to go along with five turnovers, which is still way too much for him. Krauser is not your typical point guard. He led the team in scoring last season and is leading the team in scoring again this season. It is quite obvious that he needs to score for the Panthers to be successful. But he has said recently that he is going to try and distribute the ball more. He did that versus Seton Hall but reverted to his shoot-first mentality against St. John’s, taking 13 shots from the field. I happen to think Krauser is Pitt’s best player, but I do think he needs reigned in sometimes. You asked about his assist-turnover ratio. He has 83 assists and 63 turnovers. Last season, he had 145 assists and 96 turnovers, a much better ratio. Krauser has to get his game in order, or it’s going to be a long season for the Panthers.

I do find his Q&A frustrating, because he doesn’t actually answer about half of the questions. Even for these, he won’t even hazard a speculation.

One of the few positives from the St. John’s loss, was the indvidual play of Levon Kendall off of the bench. Kendall was on the floor when Pitt started coming back in the second half, willing to shoot and rebound.

For UConn, Jay Bilas at ESPN writes on how Calhoun has adapted to the personnel he has this season (as this blog noted from a different article yesterday).

For Calhoun, the 2004-2005 season brings an adjustment to how he wants to play, in order to continue to win at the highest level. It is not better or worse than the way he has taught his teams to play in the past, it is just different, and it speaks well of Calhoun as a coach.

UConn does not have guards in the same mold as in the past. Marcus Williams is a gifted lefty passer and handler, and can score, but he is not the speed merchant his predecessors were. He does not push the break like Khalid El-Amin or Taliek Brown, he passes ahead. He is not a great penetrator; rather, he plays with change of pace. He does not put great pressure on the ball; he has to try and control the handler and funnel the ball into help instead.

Rashad Anderson is not a penetrator or slasher, he is a shooter who has not yet shot it well. While Calhoun may not have the same kind of guards he dreams about, they are still very good, albeit different.

Calhoun, though, also has a frontline the Boston Celtics might like. Josh Boone, Charlie Villanueva, Rudy Gay, Ed Nelson and Hilton Armstrong are all big and strong, and take up a lot of space.

The Huskies now resemble an inside power team, and Calhoun has decided to mold them into being just that. UConn is not as good right now as it will be in March, but when the Huskies get there, look out.

The struggles for Guard Rashad Anderson this season has been a surprising problem for UConn. He has not shot well at all this season. The thing is, he is a shooter, and could snap out of it or just have a good night at any point. Even this weekend.

Anderson said don’t be surprised if he breaks out against Pitt Saturday night. He loves the bright lights and big stage. The setting will be perfect for him with ESPN debuting “College GameDay” at Gampel Pavilion.

“This would be his kind of game; the next three would actually be games that cry out for him,” Calhoun said. “Pitt has been playing a lot of zone, as have West Virginia and Notre Dame.”

Game notes from both teams are out. Pitt‘s is here and this is UConn‘s (PDF). UConn seems to be trying to use an interlocking U and C as its alternative logo. It doesn’t work. The Huskies are UConn not UC. Useless tidbit, unless Pitt pulls an upset, it will fall from the top-25 rankings for the first time in 54 poll weeks. This is actually the first time Pitt will be playing in Storr’s (rather than Hartford) in almost 10 years.

Then there is the circus atmosphere of ESPN covering the game and premiering it’s College Gameday — Basketball. The show will be from inside the arena — it would be a little chilly outside. It will be hosted by Rece Davis along with Chris Fowler, Jay Bilas, Digger Phelps and Dick Vitale. Sadly enough, Vitale will be doing color for the actual game along with Brad Nessler on play-by-play.

Said Phelps: “This is the respect we have, not only for Connecticut and the Big East, but for the Pitt-UConn series, which has been one of the best rivalries the past couple of years. With us being there, I think it just adds to the color that college basketball brings to the table as you build up to the national championship.”

Granted we and they were expecting Pitt and even UConn to be playing better, but at least they can go with the “What’s wrong with Pitt?” storyline.

They are doing 3 shows. It debuts at 11 am, then the pregame show at 8pm and then a wrap-up show at midnight. The fans are being invited to come to the Gampel Pavilion in the morning to help give it a “College GameDay atmosphere.”

Looks like Pitt has a new recruit, Tommie Duhart. Duhart had offers from Florida, Rutgers and ND. His father college ball at Florida. Duhart, according to this report, played TE and DE but projects as an interior lineman in college. He’s 6’3″ and around 250 pounds.

UPDATE: This article in the P-G, says he’ll be playing as a defensive lineman. His size and agility are comparable to Warren Sapp — at least according to his high school coach.

CollegeFootball.com has been doing advanced projections on teams, and includes Pitt near the top of the list to crash the top-25.

28. Pittsburgh 2004 Record: 8-4 Big East
Dave Wannstedt inherits a beauty of a team ready to repeat as Big East champions. QB Tyler Palko is one of the nation’s fieriest competitors and Greg Lee will be in the hunt for the Biletnikoff. Nine starters return on offense that will hope to add top-talent WR Princell Brockenbrough to the mix after he sat out with a knee injury. The defense doesn’t lose enough to be all that worried.
Biggest offensive loss: OT Rob Petitti Biggest defensive loss: DT Vince Crochunis

Interesting about Brockenbrough. I hadn’t heard whether he had gotten a 6th year of eligibility. Not that I’m complaining, and if Jason White at Oklahoma could, why not Brockenbrough?

Pitt pissed away games they needed to have. Winnable, lower tier competition. The conference schedule actually was kind to give them time to get ready for the tough stretch. Now they are hitting the tough stretch and not much margin for error left. The only teams Pitt has beaten that may be going to the NCAA are Richmond and South Carolina.

Their non-con was pathetic, and they still managed to lose one of the games. The selection committee, at a minimum was going to hold that schedule against them in seedings, but the way Pitt is playing, they have put themselves on the tournament bubble. Just before the start of conference play, I said that Pitt would need to go 11-5 in the conference just to avoid being something like an 8 or 9 seed. At this point, I figure they need to go 9-7 (maybe 8-8) to be on the bubble, and 10-6 to be solid. Either way, they will also need at least one Big East Tournament win. A quarter way into the season and Pitt is 2-2 against teams with a combined BE conference record of 5-11. Pitt’s RPI, before the St. John’s loss was at #78.

Now with 12 games left Pitt needs at least 7 wins. Seven of the remaining games are against BC, UConn, Syracuse and ND. Teams that are 16-2 in the BE and 3 of the 4 are in the top #15 in the polls. The other 5 are against Providence, St. John’s, Villanova and West Virginia. Right now, I’m having a hard time seeing Pitt get more than 6 wins. And some of them need to be quality wins.

So maybe it isn’t time to panic (yes it is), but it is time to start sweating.

All of a sudden, this team that had Final Four aspirations has legitimate concerns about even qualifying for the NCAA tournament unless they get their act together soon.

“Obviously, we’re not where we need to be,” a dejected Dixon said after the St. John’s game.
…

Point guard Carl Krauser and center Chris Taft have struggled to live up to their preseason billing as Big East first-team selections. Krauser has 45 turnovers, an average of almost seven per game, in the past seven games.

Taft, while posting solid offensive numbers, has been a liability on defense at times. Dixon pulled him late against St. John’s after allowing an easy 3-point play off an inbounds play with 4:47 to go, which allowed St. John’s to take a 59-56 lead.

Forward Chevon Troutman has been inconsistent as well. His game against St. John’s was a microcosm of the inconsistency all Pitt players have shown through 15 games. He dominated early, scoring seven points in the first eight-plus minutes of the game, but didn’t score again until 3:32 remained in the game.

A tale of Pitt’s season: Glimpses of hope followed by lapses for long stretches.

The formula for the latest loss was the same as the previous two. The Panthers got behind by double digits, made a run to take a lead and then let it slip away at the end.

The early deficits are attributable to porous defense — St. John’s shot 58 percent from the field in the first half — and careless offensive possessions. Failing to protect late leads is more of a mystery, especially because Dixon’s team last season was adept at finishing off teams.

Krauser and Taft are getting a lot of the blame, because they are the stars of the team, and if they are going to get a disproportionate amount of credit, it also cuts the other way with blame.

Krauser and Taft are not having Krauser- and Taft-like seasons, which goes a long way in explaining why the once-feared Panthers have lost three of their past five and are 12-3 overall, 2-2 in the Big East.

Nobody has a clear-cut explanation for this surprising drop-off in play, but, perhaps expectations were too high. Or, maybe, the pressure is getting to these brash New Yorkers, who essentially said before the season that it was “National Championship or bust” for Pitt.
…
In the case of Krauser, a 6-foot-2 junior, he is struggling to run the team with efficiency. His performance against St. John’s offered a microcosm of his up-and-down play of late, as he had the ball in his hands four different times in the final minute and was unable to produce any offense. He missed a floater, turned the ball over, passed up on a shot opportunity and was unable to take a desperation heave in the final second.

A telling sign that Krauser might be lacking the confidence that elevated him to stardom last season occurred with six seconds left. He opted to pass to a wide open Ronald Ramon instead of going to the basket with a chance to tie the game. Ramon missed a 3-pointer and St. John’s got the crucial rebound.

Krauser finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and seven assists — impressive numbers — but he also turned the ball over eight times, a no-no for a top-level point guard.

In the past three games, he’s turned the ball over 22 times, and the Panthers rank eighth in the league in assist-to-turnover margin. Krauser has 83 assists and 63 turnovers on the year, nowhere close to the 2-to-1 ratio Dixon demands.

Taft, meantime, is not dominating games like many might have expected when league coaches named him a preseason first-team pick. Coach Jim Boeheim of Syracuse said Taft might be the best big man in the country at Big East media day.

But Taft proved on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden that he was a way to go to meet such standards. He was relatively ineffective in the second half against St. John’s – he sat on the bench for nine minutes – and scored only two of his 11 points after the intermission. He also had some difficulties defensively – St. John’s forward Lamont Hamilton had 18 points and seven rebounds – and dropped a pass from teammate Levon Kendall that would have led to an easy bucket. Taft is averaging 14 points and a little more than seven rebounds on the year.

None of this is to suggest that Krauser and Taft are the complete causes of Pitt’s recent struggles. Fact is, the Panthers have a big bull’s-eye painted on them for past success (39-9 in the Big East the previous three seasons), and every team is looking to pull the upset. They are also adjusting to the key losses of top defenders Julius Page and Jaron Brown, in addition to struggling at the foul line (Big East-worst 223 of 353) and dealing with the controversy surrounding the arrest and indefinite suspension of former senior starter Yuri Demetris this past Sunday.

Coach Dixon has to be running out of the rope he can allow Krauser to have. At some point soon, Krauser will find himself sitting for much longer than a minute at a time if his play continues to take away scoring opportunities as often as he creates.

Obviously the players have a lot of blame in this, but so does Coach Dixon and his staff. I admit, to my bias being towards a strong defensive team first. But as I look at the players on the team, I have to wonder if the Pitt coaches need to adapt somewhat to the players on the team. Pitt’s offensive style, is supposed to match its defense, slow, methodical find the best shot and make the extra pass. The problem is that while Pitt will have a good field goal percentage, they have been giving up too many turnovers and not getting enough shots.

Looking at the players on the Pitt roster, they are capable of playing good defense, but there isn’t a dead-certain, lock-down defender there. The zone seems to be necessary, but they also have to look at what they are doing on offense to get shots.

Meanwhile the UConn game on Saturday night is looming larger and larger. UConn had some struggles early in the season, but they have been getting better. This is a much different UConn team than most in the past. Even more than last year’s team, they are a much bigger and far more of a team looking to score in the paint.

The blueprint UConn must use during the next two months, including Saturday against Pittsburgh, was on display Monday night against Seton Hall.

During a four-minute stretch in the second half, with the outcome in doubt, the Huskies scored on seven straight possessions.

It was a textbook example of interior basketball, written with both muscle and finesse, which might light the way deep into March.

“I’m not sure we’ve ever had a team built like this,” UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. “Not quite like this. But the way we are playing now, we’ve got 6-9, 6-10, 6-11, and that is a lot to handle.”

As UConn plunges into the deep end of the Big East schedule, the Huskies are rewriting their own book of basketball.

The Huskies have lived on the wing throughout the Calhoun era. Many of the great names that have rolled through Storrs have been perimeter players.
…
Led by Josh Boone, Charlie Villanueva and Rudy Gay the Huskies are scoring inside more than in previous seasons.

The trio has combined for 48 percent of UConn’s points this season. Last season, even with Emeka Okafor a focal point of the offense, Okafor, Boone and Villanueva combined to score 37 percent of the Huskies’ points.

If Calhoun has his way, that percentage will dip in the final two months as Rashad Anderson finds his touch.

“Eventually they will crowd us and leave the other guys open,” Calhoun said. “Zone is one of the answers, not necessarily with Pittsburgh, but certainly we are going to see more zone, and we are going to need to make some outside shots. There is no reason for me to believe that Rashad, Denham [Brown], Rudy and Antonio [Kellogg] won’t do that.”

A flurry of outside scoring would make things easier for UConn, especially against muscular teams such as Pitt, but it will not change the Huskies’ foundation.

They are, perhaps for the first time in the Calhoun era, a big man’s team.

That may also explain why BC could beat them. BC is very much also an interior scoring team. As long as UConn can’t score consistently from outside, Pitt will have a chance in this game. If they want it. For Pitt to win, though, it will also require scoring of their own on their opportunities.

Offseason means lists. They are easy, they fill column space quickly, but without much actual content. So let’s just see what there is.

How about a list of the top-25 expected stars of college football 2005:

17. Tyler Palko, QB & Greg Lee WR Pittsburgh
The fiery Panther star quarterback will bomb away with sure-thing Biletnikoff finalist Lee for one of the Big East’s most dangerous tandems.

I said it before, there will be pressure on Wannstedt and new offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh, not to screw this part up.

An almost interesting list, gauging the difficulty of football players qualifying academically at Division I-A schools. The devil is in the details, or in this case, the methodology:

Here is our gauge on how the 119 Division I-A universities rate — on a four-level scale — at getting football players into school. Ratings were determined through interviews with about two dozen coaches, conference officials, recruiting coordinators and academic coordinators. Important to note: Schools are measured only against schools in their conference. In other words, don’t compare a Big Ten school with a Pac-10 school.
…
Big East — 8 schools

Buckle down: None

Semi-tough: Syracuse

Semi-easy: Connecticut, Pittsburgh, USF

All in: Cincinnati, Louisville, Rutgers, West Virginia

The disclaimer should read, highly inaccurate and speculative, but kind of fun if you don’t take it seriously.

Then a ratings list on the coaching hirings around college football. Pitt falls in the middle of the pack, as does Stanford.

13. Dave Wannstedt, Pittsburgh

This hire impresses who? Wannstedt is almost at the retread stage having made his bones long ago as a University of Miami and Dallas defensive assistant. The one good thing, supposedly, is that Wanny is a Pittsburgh grad and knows the landscape.

Came from: The unemployment line after resigning following a 1-8 start with the Dolphins in 2004.

Best-case scenario: Pittsburgh takes control of the Big East, something Walt Harris was never able to do.

Worst-case scenario: The closest the Panthers get to Steelers excellence is the practice facility the two teams share.

14. Walt Harris, Stanford

Sorry, but Harris never struck anyone as the patient, academic type who welcomes the administration building telling him who he can recruit.

Came from: Pittsburgh.

Best-case scenario: Harris restores his, and Stanford’s, quarterback legacy.

Worst-case scenario: Stanford keeps losing fans and games at a rapid pace. The Buddy Teevens hire was a mistake. AD Ted Leland can’t afford to whiff again.

I expect more lists in the coming weeks.