Pitt will have a week off for finals after this game, and maybe longer before Pitt and Penn State play again.

Today’s game at the Petersen Events Center is the final scheduled game in the century-old series. And although the two schools are talking about future games, scheduling conflicts could prevent the continuation of the game.

“We’ve talked about [playing again],” Penn State coach Ed DeChellis said. “One of the things has been a date. As I remember, they needed another home game next year and so do we. I’m not sure if we can do it. It’s not that we don’t want to. It’s just a matter of both teams needing [home] games.”

Not this crap once more. Haven’t we had enough of this: we need the home game revenue argument in the football program? I note that Coach Dixon is not quoted on saying anything about needing another home game for next year. Why the hell aren’t the ADs actually interviewed if this is the issue? This should be no-brainer for both schools.

Which naturally brings up the question: Why is Pitt so intent on playing them if they’re not all that interested anymore?

It’s no secret that Robert Morris and recently Penn State drag down Pitt’s Ratings Percentage Index, the overriding statistic the NCAA tournament committee looks at when choosing its at-large field for the NCAA tournament.

Dixon maintains there are a few reasons for continuing the series. He is a firm believer in playing local teams because it helps basketball state-wide and it cuts down on Pitt’s travel during this fall semester, when players are preparing for final exams.

Dixon did not site this, but if you’re Pitt, why take automatic wins off the schedule? The Panthers are 25-0 against Robert Morris and have won 14 of the past 20 meetings against the Nittany Lions.

All very good reasons. In Philly, they have scheduling headaches every year between the local colleges but they somehow manage to work them out. These things are resolvable if the parties actually want to. They only become unresolveable when one or both sides is looking for an out.

I can give you an additional reason outside of basketball: football. There is a common argument that Pitt shouldn’t bother playing Penn State in basketball or any other sports until the football series resumed. I gave my reasons for continuing it a couple years ago. I think it still holds up (even if the fact patterns in #2 are a little off this year).

1. The annual basketball game is not even close to equal value in terms of money, national attention, alumni pride, and exposure.
2. Pitt is, at present, a top-25 team. It has been a top-25 team for the previous 2 seasons. Prior to that, it had been almost a decade since Pitt had even cracked the top-25 in during a season. Pitt holds no great reputation as a basketball power. Unlike Penn St. football, the mention of Pitt basketball does not cause national sportswriters and tv people to wax poetic about the tradition and history (and yes, these days when they talk of PSU, it tends to be in the past tense and with a little wistful sadness to see Paterno fall so far). Pitt has no historical elite reputation like Duke, UNC, Kansas or Kentucky. It doesn’t even reach perennial contender or top-25 standards like Cinci, Arizona, Syracuse, Temple, Mich. St., or UConn. Pitt is trying to get there, but it isn’t yet.
3. How much would Penn St. basketball be harmed by an end to playing Pitt? Prior to 2000, Pitt and Penn St. played each other 3 times between 1981-1999. Did anyone notice? Not exactly much of a hammer. It’s not like football, where there is a battle for local recruits. There aren’t that many recruits worth fighting over in Western and Central Pennsylvania.
4. It makes more sense to build up a good relationship with the other athletic programs and the athletic department, so that it is easier to resume the football rivalry after Paterno is put out to pasture retires.
5. Pitt should keep playing Penn State in basketball. If for no other reason, it is a good reminder of what a pale shadow it is compared to what the annual football game was.

I think part of the reason, this is the primary topic today, is that there isn’t much to say about the game.

Pitt likely presents the biggest test so far for Penn State, whose two losses have come in succession to Clemson (96-88) and Texas A&M (60-55).

“They can beat you in different ways,” DeChellis said of the Panthers, who have limited their first six opponents to an average of 56.3 points per game. “You look at their stats and (Carl) Krauser is the guy that gets them going. But they’ve got great balance, and they guard you well.”

Krauser, the Panthers’ senior leader, paces Pitt in scoring (16.7 ppg.), assists (3.3 apg.) and steals (2.7 spg.).

“It’ll be important for us to get off to a good start,” DeChellis said, adding: “We can’t be careless with the basketball.”

Three players average double figures in scoring for Penn State, led by 6-foot-5 sophomore Geary Claxton (15.7 ppg.).

In the 4 straight Pitt wins, Pitt has blown out PSU by an average of 24.5 points. Add in the fact that their leading assist guy is questionable at best with a shoulder injury.

As an amusing side note, how sad/hilarious/pathetic is it that the Centre Daily Times doesn’t even mention the game today (or yesterday). Here’s the front page of the PSU section.

Now, I understand it being behind football. But men’s b-ball apparently ranks somewhere behind women’s volleyball and basketball and wrestling. Then again those are all programs that are winning. Guess that explains everything.