The Sunday game with Villanova is at 1:30 on ABC. That means regional telecasts. This is always a concern for me, living in Northeast Ohio. It often means that they will opt to show some game originating from the mid-west. You can’t go to a sports bar, because they block regional telecasts. Earlier in the day, ESPN/ABC hadn’t released a map of the games. I was worried when I saw that the other regional games included a pure mid-west match-up of DePaul-Marquette. I wasn’t too concerned with a Georgia Tech-Florida St. conflict.

The good news, Marquette and DePaul have struggled this year. Pitt and Villanova are ranked. Looks like most of the country — including the majority of Ohio — will get the Pitt game.

I don’t mean to beat into the ground, the Pitt-Syracuse game. Just one other thing. Sportsline has a shot chart. Check the shooting — where they took the shots — of individual players. Very interesting. You can even compare the shooting from the previous meeting of the two teams. I find it very interesting for some reason.

You look at how Hakim Warrick spent a lot less time in the second game under the basket. In the first game, he attempted 4 layups (made 3) and had a dunk. In the second game, he only attempted 2 layups (made 1) and added another dunk. His jump shots in the first game were overwhelmingly taken in the paint. In the game yesterday, all of his shots were outside of the paint. He just did not want to be in there banging.

A couple things to mention from Greg Doyel. His “10 for Tuesday” are disappointments in the season.

7a. Chris Taft: Taft hasn’t deteriorated to the Crosswhite level, but he broke dangerous ground Saturday against Notre Dame when he was benched for the final 11 minutes, 40 seconds of Pittsburgh’s narrow victory. The 6-10 center’s scoring is up from his freshman season — from 10.9 to 13.5 ppg — but his rebounding and blocked shots are roughly static, and his assist-turnover figures have plummeted from 45-and-45 as a freshman to 14-and-34 as a sophomore. “Disappointing” is a relative term, but you can bet Pittsburgh is disappointed with Taft’s sophomore season. NBA scouts must be, too.

No one on the team openly admits. The fans, though, are disappointed.

The other thing is from his blog entry for Feb 15 (he doesn’t have permalinks):

The NCAA is investigating St. John’s because of allegations that a former player received a monthly stipend from the previous coaching staff. As far as accusations go, this one is pretty solid; it was lodged by the ex-player himself, Abe Keita.

The previous coaching staff isn’t a big group. There was Jarvis the elder and Jarvis the younger. There was assistant Kevin Clark, now at Rhode Island. And there was assistant Dermon Player, now an NBA scout.

Jarvis the elder is in fat city, commentating on college hoops for ESPN. Jarvis the younger also is in fat city, working on Mike Krzyzewski’s staff at Duke. For some reason they have gotten a free pass. Both men sit in their plum jobs, while everyone around them pretends to be apathetic to the stink.

We’ll just say this: All of the entities involved — including Rhode Island, come to think of it — had better hope their guy wasn’t St. John’s ethical sleaze. Unless Keita has been lying, someone at St. John’s was dirty.

What he said.

I really don’t get ESPN hiring Jarvis. It even goes back to losing his job last year. He immediately (along with his son) landed at ESPN’s “Cold Pizza” show as a weekly college basketball analyst — his main qualifications I’m guessing were that he was cheap and in NYC. He doesn’t say much that is interesting, never mind insightful. His only qualities for the job seems to be that he comes of as a genial, easygoing guy; and that he is the only African-American in ESPN’s entire college basketball studio crew. Heck, aside from Len Elmore does ESPN have any other African-Americans providing color or play-by-play?

This is Pitt’s remaining schedule.

Feb 20 — @ Villanova
Feb 23 — WVU
Feb 26 — UConn
Feb 28 — @ BC
Mar 5 — @ ND

It’s brutal, but earned. This is the reward for being one of the best teams in the Big East the last couple of years. The TV interests will want the good games at the end of the season, when the ratings will be better because there is no NFL to compete. If you look at the conference schedules for Duke, UConn, Kansas and Kentucky. You will see that they are similarly backloaded with the expected best of the conference opponents.

Busy morning delayed getting to this. I am happy to write that no paper chose to use the fact that the games were played on Valentine’s day to go with a “Valentine’s Day Massacre” headline.

Forgot, last night to link the Pitt press release and full box score and play-by-play info.

Local coverage had headlines touting Krauser or Troutman.

Pitt point guard Carl Krauser hadn’t made a basket in 32 minutes. He was 1 for 9 from the field, and the Panthers were about to get buried by a late Syracuse surge.

But that situation is just the kind of stage Krauser covets. When everything is falling apart around him, he takes pride in putting the pieces back together. With the game on the line, Krauser made three 3-pointers in the final 6:33 and lifted the Panthers to an impressive 68-64 victory before 24,631 at the Carrier Dome.

“Carl is as tough a kid as I’ve ever been around,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “Our guys feed off his toughness.”

It was the second consecutive game that Krauser provided late heroics to lift Pitt to victory.

As for Troutman.

Chevon Troutman put an index finger to his lips and sent a message to the once-robust crowd at the Carrier Dome on Monday night: Shhhhh!

He then proceeded to connect on four consecutive free throws in the final 18 seconds to lead Pitt to a 68-64 victory over Syracuse in front of 24,631. He flashed a sly grin immediately afterwards.

“The crowd here is always messing with me, so I figured I’d mess with them a little,” said Troutman, who did everything but blow a Valentine’s Day goodbye kiss to the masses. “I was having a little fun.”

Pitt has won 7 of 9 from Syracuse and swept a two-game season from them for the third time. Pitt only needs to do that 14 consecutive times and the overall Pitt-Syracuse series will be even at 60.

Dick Weiss at the NY Daily News was impressed with the game.

It went well enough for the 18th-ranked Panthers (18-4, 8-3 Big East) to sweep eighth-ranked Syracuse (22-4, 9-3) for the second time in three years. Pitt seemingly has the Orange’s number, beating them for the fourth time in six games. The Panthers are just a half-game behind the Orange in the Big East standings. Boston College (20-1, 9-1), which plays Syracuse Saturday in Chestnut Hill, is all alone in first place.

Krauser, who made just two of his first 12 shots and shot just 5-for-13 overall, may not be the best shooter, but he makes big shots. “He’s a beast,” Pitt’s 6-7, 350-pound senior forward Chevon Troutman said. “He never thinks he’s going to lose. He thinks he’s always going to win. He’ll do everything in his power to keep us in the game, keep us ahead.”

Troutman contributed 20 points and 10 rebounds in another huge performance, taking the game away with four straight layups. Center Chris Taft, who had been in a funk, shot 6-for-8 and added 15 points for Pitt, which shot 50% in the second half and found just enough holes in Syracuse’s normally sticky 2-3 zone to rally from a 58-50 deficit in the final 6:58.

Pitt’s defense in the last 7 minutes was a big reason that Syracuse just couldn’t get their shots to fall in the end. Not that Syracuse’s players want to be big about this.

Still, the Orange players left the game incredulous, most of them believing they could have won if not for a few missed 3-pointers down the stretch.

“Not a knock on them,” said SU guard Louie McCroskey, “but I know we got a lot more talent than these guys. I wouldn’t say they’re more physical than us, they just make the plays.”

I always love that weak-assed protest. “We’re better, we didn’t get beaten, they just made the plays.” Shame it came from McCroskey, since he did have a great game. He was the better of the Syracuse Macs last night. Still if McCroskey and maybe some of the other Orange don’t think they were outphysicaled, he might want to watch the tape. He also might want to talk to one other teammate.

“I just think we need to be ready to go out there and play,” Syracuse senior center Craig Forth, who had 10 rebounds for the second straight game, said. “Too many teams push us around. Teams that win push us around.”

Sounds like a player who knows who the more physical team was.

Even the Orange partisans know what they saw.

“If you don’t like being in a game like this,” said Krauser, the rugged Pitt guard, “if you don’t like being in the Big East, then I don’t think you’re a basketball player. You know, you could be a hooper. But you can’t be a basketball player.”

Uh huh. It was another one of those kinds of affairs … as if there are any other kinds in this league during this month when clubs at the top collide. Tough. Gritty. Exhausting. You know the drill. And Krauser captured the evening’s sentiments perfectly.
…
The Panthers (18-4) also did their part in setting the blacksmithian tone for the night. Indeed, this was not one of those presentations that came with lace trim, a fact supported by the stat sheet which showed that the two squads combined to miss 65 of the 107 shots they’d heaved from the field.

That clanging, though, merely underscored the personality of the contest.

Now, the 18th-ranked Panthers, who are 40 games over .500 between this season and last, are not without talent. But their girth is what folks sooner or later discuss around the office coffeepot. And for good reason. After all, Pitt unleashed 10 guys in the Dome and six of them weighed at least 220 pounds, including Aaron Gray, Chris Taft and Chevon Troutman, who together make the scales groan to the tune of nearly 800 big ones.

And they know how to use the beef. You may remember that in the first SU-Pitt match 16 days earlier, the Panthers had outrebounded the Orange 39-28. And on Monday, there was more of the same as the visitors pushed their hosts around, especially in the first half, as if the latter were on dollies, ultimately winning the bout under the boards once again, this time by a 41-32 margin.

The people in Syracuse recognize good basketball players, and there was more than a little admiration for Chevy Troutman.

Chevon Troutman, Pitt’s big-time bruiser, once again threw his weight around against Syracuse. While it seemed the Orange was intent on stopping the 6-foot-7, 240-pound senior, they soon realized there was little they could do to stop him legally.

None of the papers made any complaints about the way the game was called, and the times Troutman made it to the line. Syracuse, especially Warrick shied away from really battling inside against Pitt when on offense.

Amusing note: two different papers and reporters from the Syracuse area wrote up the game, and essentially ran the beginning theme.

Exhibit A:

Another “Big Monday” appearance on ESPN turned into a manic Monday for the Syracuse Orange. Just as it did against Connecticut a week ago, Syracuse squandered a late lead, allowing the Pittsburgh Panthers to rally from eight points down just over six minutes to play for a stunning 68-64 victory in front of 24,631 fans at the Carrier Dome on Monday night.

Last week’s 74-66 loss to Connecticut snapped Syracuse’s 16-game home winning streak. Now the Orange has lost back-to-back games at the Carrier Dome for the first time since losing its last three regular-season home games in the 2001-02 season.

Exhibit B:

Another “Big Monday” at the Carrier Dome, another big loss for Syracuse University.

For the second straight week on ESPN’s national telecast, the ninth-ranked Orange came up small down the stretch and lost, 68-64, to No. 17 Pittsburgh before a crowd of 24,631.

SU squandered a five-point lead last week against Connecticut. Against Pitt, it saw an eight-point advantage evaporate over the final seven minutes. The Orange’s veteran lineup started the season 5-0 in games decided by eight points or fewer, but has now lost three of its last four, all to ranked opponents (Pitt twice and UConn).

The other reason both teams wanted this game, both are off until the weekend. Syracuse plays Saturday night, Pitt Sunday afteroon. Hate the idea of having to stew for the rest of the week with a loss.

This really was more the game you could expect from these teams. Neither team truly getting too far ahead of the other. Runs by one team answered quickly. Hard battles for the ball. Tough play, clutch shots. Dare I say, a classic. Well, maybe not quite, but a damn good game.

Whichever team that won this game was going to feel much better about what they can do in the tournament, while the loser would have a sinking feeling in their gut.

Pitt, having won the game, has to feel really, really good. Not only did they hold McNamara and Warrick, relatively in check — 28 points (9-31 shooting), 10 assists and only 5 rebounds between them — but they came away with the win when Syracuse had others stepping up this game.

Syracuse has to be frustrated. They got a career game from McCroskey off the bench, 18 points and 7 rebounds. He was the only Syracuse player shooting well. He kept Syracuse in the game in the first half. They got a solid effort from Forth who crashed the boards well, to get offensive rebounds and put backs. He finished with 10 rebounds and 7 points mostly in the second half. Even Roberts managed to contribute 9 points primarily from just standing by the basket after a turnover was forced, receiving the pass and slamming it home. Still, that was 9 points and high percentage shooting is never wrong.

Syracuse, though, just doesn’t scare anyone with their outside shooting aside from McNamara. Edelin, Nichols and Watkins had nothing. McNamara didn’t have a good shooting night. Yes, he’s gutty and tough to play on a sprained ankle. And while he did his best to make up for it on defense and assists, Syracuse can’t win with him going only 5-21. They definitely couldn’t win with Warrick not having a good game. Warrick went only 4-10 shooting. He drew the contact, getting the fouls, but not in the act of shooting, and Pitt’s defense kept him as a non-factor at the end of the game when any foul would send him to the line.

For Pitt, this game was won by their starters. Specifically Troutman, Taft and Krauser.

Taft ended up with 14 points (6-8 shooting and 2 FTs) and 10 rebounds. He was remarkably steady in the game. 6 points (3-4) and 4 rebounds in the first half, and 8 points (3-4) and 6 rebounds in the second half. So, his performance could be overlooked.

Troutman’s stat line also looks even from the first half to the second. 9 points (1-1 and 7-10 FT) and 6 rebounds in the first half, 11 points (1-1 and 9-10 FT) and 4 rebounds in the second. Two things stand out for Troutman in the second half, 0 turnovers after 3 in the first half and making 4 straight free throws in the final 19 seconds to help put the game away for Pitt. Troutman was just amazing at the line. 80% shooting, and always trying to get the shot as he was being hit.

Krauser, once more may end up with more attention from the highlight machine, because Krauser did everything in the clutch. At the 6:58 mark, Pitt was down 58-50. Krauser at that point had 6 points, shooting 2-10, 4 assists and 4 turnovers. Krauser in the final stretch went 3-3 on 3 point shots, 2 coming deep at the top of the key, had an assist and 2 steals. Krauser accounted for half of Pitt’s points as Pitt blew past Syracuse at the end outscoring them 18-6.

Graves played a good game. He was decent on defense (taking a charge from McNamara) and seemed to find his shot, scoring 9 points on 3-6 shooting. Kendall played well with 5 points and 4 rebounds. He didn’t force his shot except for maybe one 3-point attempt. Played solid perimeter to inside defense.

The bench wasn’t much of a factor for Pitt. Ramon didn’t have the shooting touch, going only 1-7. His defense and passing, however, were solid. He finished with 5 assists and only 1 turnover. Gray didn’t have a good game. He couldn’t finish shots, 0-4 shooting, and never found the flow of the game. Benjamin and DeGroat were barely in the game. McCarroll was just abused during his time.

The style of Pitt’s play changed from the 1st to 2nd half. Pitt was much more aggressive in the first half. This led to a lot more rebounds 26-14 rebounding edge, but also had Pitt being sloppy with the basketball — 13 turnovers.

In the second half, Pitt was much better about taking care of the ball, only 5 more turnovers. Pitt also shifted to the 2-3 zone more, limiting rebound opportunities (not to mention out of position to box out) and had only 15 boards while Syracuse grabbed 18. Pitt shot much better in the second half, and throughout the game were very patient about passing the ball looking and probing for an opening or the open man.

Odd thing, just before Pitt came back in the last 7 minutes, they showed the group of girls Pat nicknamed as “Chevy’s Bevy” in attendance at the game as ESPN came out of the timeout. They even had road tank-shirts (Blue rather than white). Great timing to find the girls. Pat even called me after the game because he had noticed that as well.