Late start this morning, still a little tired, and it’s something of a light day. I’m just going to throw the stuff out there.

ESPN.com has their bracket prediction updates. Pitt is now in as an 8 seed. Really don’t care right now. It was done before the Wisconsin game. Their bracketolgoy expert had a chat on Friday (Insider Subs.) with the following:

dan (tempe, az): joe what are your thoughts on pitt after a nice win at south carolina? ready to give them any love yet?

Joe Lunardi: The Panthers are in the new bracket. Amazing what a decent road win can accomplish (kind of makes you wonder why they don’t try it more often?).

Paranoid Pitt thought of the day. Going into the season everybody conceded it was a rebuilding season for Pitt. The schedule didn’t appear that weak, but since Pitt is supposed to be rebuilding the final scores should at least once or twice reflect more struggling on the learning curve. Prior to the past 2 games, the final of every Pitt game has been 11 points or higher victory. National pundits just looking at the score are going to see just the final — especially since none of the games (except Duquesne and PSU) were even on TV for some possible highlights. So, now that Pitt has actually gelled and is playing better than expected, they are going to take more abuse than ever for the schedule, in part because of how lousy it has been even when the team was expected to be good.

This just in, Pitt is undefeated, but can still improve.

Pitt was among only eight undefeated teams entering the new year.

“We try to improve every game,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “We feel like we can get better and better. The battle on the boards (with Wisconsin) was tied, 32-32. That’s an area we have to win, so we feel like there’s always something we can do better.”

It’s true, it was the 1st game since the Maine game where they didn’t out rebound a team, and only the second time that they were out rebounded on the offensive glass (again, Maine).

Mike DeCourcy at the Sporting News throws some love to Pitt in his weekend review:

Maybe they’re for real: Pittsburgh got great performances from freshman forward Sam Young in each of its two important victories, on the road at South Carolina and at home over Wisconsin. Young scored 16 points in each game and gradually is gaining comfort at the Division I level. Pitt had played exclusively in Pittsburgh before making the trip to play the Gamecocks, and the Panthers had not faced anyone of top 25 quality before Wisconsin came to town on New Year’s Eve.

And in basketball recruiting news, Pitt is trying to keep some more talent from its own backyard.

Class of 2007 blue chip power forward Herb Pope (6 foot 8 inches, 228 pounds) from Aliquippa High School in Aliquippa, PA already verbally committed to University of Pittsburgh Head Basketball Coach Jamie Dixon. With Pope in fold, the Panthers have set their sites on his burly AAU teammate DeJuan Blair (6-ft-8 inches, 250 pounds) from Schenley High School in Pittsburgh, PA.

“I’m looking at a bunch of schools right now,” stated Blair. “I like Pitt, North Carolina State, Cincinnati, Wake Forest, Louisville, Illinois and Kansas. You could say I don’t have any favorites at this time.”
…
The Panthers haven’t officially offered Blair a scholarship, but Coach Dixon and staff seem to be very close. They have attended a number of Schenley High School games and practices. Blair indicated that Pitt may be receiving external support. “Herb (Pope) is recruiting me pretty hard. He wants me and D.J. to come to Pitt with him,” he said.

Blair and Kennedy are often referred to as a “package deal”. DeJuan was quick to validate those rumors. He emphatically replied, “Yes, D.J. and I would like to play for the same team. You could call us a package deal. We’re trying to bring our point guard Jamal “Onion” Bryant with us as well.”

Success breeds interest.