Type freely before, during and after.

HALFTIME UPDATE: Pitt traling 31-19.

So ugly. So many things they are doing wrong. No patience. No boxing out. No awareness of the defensive pressure. You can see the kids pressing — especially the NYC ones like Krauser, Fields and Ramon. They all look like they have one eye on the stands.

St. John’s is playing inspired. Great defense, really crashing the boards and running to the ball. A couple times it looked like a lucky bounce going right to them, but more often it was really that they were just moving faster than Pitt.

Still a lot of time.

FINAL UPDATE: St. John’s 55-50.

Dig that deep of a hole and it will cost you. Pitt definitely wore down the Red Storm, but it was too late in the game when they finally had them sucking wind. Pitt turned the ball over too much in the first half, missed some easy opportunities. This was the first game where I saw the team break down — playing for their own shot rather than trying to get the ball to someone for a better look.

Lamont Hamilton was huge. You have to give props to the guy who did it from everywhere and at both ends. Scoring, rebounding, defense and even sinking the clutch free throws. He was the difference.

The good news is Bucky Waters won’t be doing color for the Marquette game next weekend. The bad news, Don Criqui will be doing the play-by-play. Stick to football Don. You’re only mediocre there. I hate when the announcers don’t actually tell you what is happening on the floor (like who fouled and for what) because they are still in the middle of their stories.

I do think that too many Pitt players let themselves get too caught up in playing before friends and family. Too many mental mistakes and too many times they were trying to do it all on their own.

Not a lot of time this morning, so this might be more quick hits and less insightful, witty commentary than usual.

File under, “time to let go,” this preview has to dredge up the stripper/sexcapade episode of nearly 2-years ago. It’s really not that relevant any longer. Mike Jarvis is gone from St. John’s. The players involved were all dismissed, and the incident took place in Pittsburgh not NYC. Today’s game is not in Pittsburgh. It really is over. The focus and headline should have been about the match-up.

Guard Daryll Hill, who has missed six games with injuries, leads St. John’s in scoring (12.6 points per game), while 6-foot-11 Lamont Hamilton is the other Red Storm player in double figures (11.7 ppg.).

“Hamilton is a big-time player,” Dixon said. “He had big numbers last year and has good numbers this year.”

Hamilton also is averaging 7.6 points and has 19 blocked shots.

“He’s one of he top big guys in the league, as far as production,” Dixon said. “They’ve got players who everybody recruited, and they’re coming off a big win, so I’m sure they’re going to be anxious to play.”

Add in Freshman starter, Anthony Mason, Jr., who really does seem to be a chip off the block, and this is not a team lacking in talent in potential. What they do lack, though is depth.

Looks like someone was cribbing my notes again, as it is noted that Pitt has lost five straight to the Red Storm in NYC.

I’m already concerned about the Pitt players pressing too much because so many will be playing before friends and family. This doesn’t help.

Two games under the big lights produced two losses. One came against Big East bottom feeder St. John’s. The other came against Villanova in the first round of the Big East tournament.

The Panthers (15-0, 4-0) get the chance to redeem themselves today against St. John’s (9-6, 2-2) in a noon tipoff at Madison Square Garden. More than half of Pitt’s roster (six of 11 scholarship players) is from New York.

“That’s where we’re all from,” said sophomore swingman Keith Benjamin, who hails from Mount Vernon, N.Y. “We’re trying to get some wins at the Garden this year. We’re definitely looking to re-establish that home-court advantage.”

No, what you should be looking to do is establish that you can focus on the actual game, play and win. Not get the crowd on your side. It’s not like the St. John’s team imported its players from California.

St. John’s won’t be lacking for confidence against Pitt. The Red Storm beat the Panthers last season, 65-62. Junior guard Daryll Hill scored 26 points in that game and the Red Storm front line held Chevon Troutman and Chris Taft to a total of 20 points.

St. John’s center Lamont Hamilton had his way with Taft, scoring 18 points. He is averaging 11.7 and 7.6 rebounds per game this season.

“Hamilton is a big-time player who put up big numbers last year,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “He’s had some injuries, but he can get it going at any time. He is very good around the basket. He can also step out and shoot it. I thought he was an all-league type player last year. And he’s improved this year.”

If Pitt is going to be successful against the Red Storm junior center Aaron Gray and forwards Levon Troutman and Sam Young are going to have to be more effective than Troutman and Taft were last season.

The key for Gray will be staying out of foul trouble. He has picked up early fouls the past two games and spent 12 minutes on the bench in the first half against Rutgers.

Why are people having trouble remembering Levon Kendall’s last name? Calling him Troutman there, Dave Sims during the Rutgers game kept referring to him as Kirkland. Same thing here, as Pitt again gets the “yes, but” treatment.

Of the final three undefeated teams, Pittsburgh is clearly the mystery meat of the bunch, certainly the least celebrated. A lot of that is with good reason, what with the miserable excuse of a non-conference schedule the Panthers played, but we’re ready to start giving them their due, at least for now. The wins at Louisville and Rutgers were solid, though we’ll stop short of using the term great because the Cardinals are young and struggling right now and need a healthy Taquan Dean, while the Scarlet Knights simply didn’t play well. What the wins did underscore was that this is a team that is more than Carl Krauser. It is also winning the close games and perhaps deserved more credit for its battle-testedness over the past few years, when it has been a regular in the rankings. Against South Carolina, Wisconsin, Notre Dame and now Louisville, the Panthers were behind or involved in down-to-the-wire finishes in all and made the plays late, displaying the confidence of a team that has been there before. Trailing for much of the game and playing rather average ball until the final 10 minutes, Pittsburgh simply out-executed Louisville down the stretch. Moreover, it was guards Ronald Ramon and LeVance Fields hitting big threes in the second half to get the Panthers in position to take control late. Krauser only scored eight points in the game, but Pitt’s underrated shooters still ate up the Cardinals’ zone, which was certainly weakened by a gimpy Dean. Up front, the Panthers have a group that might be called overachievers, but we prefer to call such players “good.” Seven-footer Aaron Gray is one of the most improved players in the country. And against Rutgers, it was Levon Kirkland who provided clutch shots. Pittsburgh’s poise and control in the second half of games and its ability to find someone to step up cannot be underestimated. One still wonders, though, how far the Panthers can take this. At this point, they look a lot like Boston College last year. Right now they’re are on a regular season roll and with a just friendly enough schedule to make it possible to keep winning those 50/50 games, but it’s also a team that could easily get torpedoed early in the NCAA Tournament.

I’m going to have to address these BC comparisons at some point. Right now, quick superficial thoughts: BC over-relied on defense, and saw their scoring drop through the season; Pitt has more depth than BC did; BC’s vulnerability was to teams that weren’t afraid to play them inside while Pitt is at risk to 3-point teams.

The NY papers don’t have much. The stories that are, are more focused on the “Legends” who had numbers retired. This piece reflects a bit on the late Malik Sealy.

Most of this piece is about the “Legends,” but also suggests a transition might finally be taking place.

Banners for all 10 that will hang from the rafters of Carnesecca Arena were presented last night. And at halftime of today’s Big East game between the Red Storm (9-6, 2-2) and No. 9 Pittsburgh (15-0, 4-0) at the Garden, the 10 will be recognized for their contributions to the program. Two college basketball sources said it was possible banners like the ones to hang at Carnesecca Arena also will be hung at the Garden when the Red Storm plays.

“I’m excited to play in front of legends,” St. John’s sophomore Cedric Jackson said.

“We’re going to play hard for them,” junior Daryll Hill said. “We have to play hard and try to keep the tradition going.”

It is a big day for St. John’s and the presence of undefeated Pitt only adds to the mix. The Panthers are one of only three remaining unbeaten teams in Division I, the others being No. 1 Duke and No. 2 Florida. The Storm is riding a two-game conference win streak – its first since March of 2003 – and is coming off a huge upset of No. 17 Louisville on Tuesday.

Hill said he expects “a dogfight” between two teams that pride themselves on their toughness. “This game right here is a really big game for us,” he said.

The Red Storm may finally be taking on some of Roberts’ personality traits, including his determination.

It would be good for the St. John’s program to finally get beyond Carnesecca. That’s the double-edged sword of having a coaching legend still hanging around (just ask any coach at UCLA post-Wooden). The comparisons are inevitable and unfair. There is just no way to win. In that respect, Coach Dixon doesn’t have far or as hard a road to go to get out from under comparisons at Pitt.

The P-G Q&A with Fittipaldo is up. Plenty of people looking for ways to keep DeGroat off the court.

Q: Do you think Levon Kendall will ever begin shooting the outside jump shot? For such a pure shooter he hardly ever shoots. I believe if he takes a few more shots it could really add a dimension to this team.

Fittipaldo: Kendall had been slow to pull the trigger, but he was not hesitating against Rutgers. Kendall scored a career-high 14 points against the Scarlet Knights and many of those points came via mid-range jump shots. Kendall and Carl Krauser noticed a weakness in the Rutgers defense. They were double-teaming Krauser and not accounting for Kendall. Kendall found the open space when the double-team came and he knocked down the shots. If teams continue to double-team Krauser in an attempt to keep him from winning the game, look for players like Kendall and Young and Ramon to benefit.

He has to knock them down. As does Gray when teams dare him to shoot at the open look near the free-throw line.

By the way, since that Doyel article that speculated that Gray might become a potential draft pick, the story is suddenly making rounds. There is a question about it in the Q&A and Gray’s hometown paper decided to run with it.

He has soared from out of nowhere this season and is now being talked about around the nation. Among the talk is speculation that he could be a future NBA draft pick.

“Right now I’m just concerned with being a great college player,” said Gray, who’d be the second Lehigh Valley player to play in the NBA. Parkland grad Brant Weidner played eight games with the San Antonio Spurs in 1983-84.

Gray still has skills to hone and weight to trim. Pitt coach Jamie Dixon believes he might become a dominating center. He is already a leading candidate for Big East most improved player of the year. In his first two seasons, he averaged just 3.0 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.

It was one article that was trying to speculate about potential players for the NBA draft who weren’t being talked about before the season. It’s interesting to chart the spread of a rumor/speculation. Everyone is derivative.

Finally, in the first quarter of conference play, no surprise that the former C-USA teams are still adjusting.

The new teams from Conference USA are finding rough going in their first Big East season.

Only two of the five – Cincinnati and Marquette – have .500 records, Marquette at 3-2, UC at 2-2. Louisville checks in at 1-3.

DePaul is 1-4, and South Florida is still looking for its first win after four losses.

GRAY DOMINATING: One of the big reasons Pitt remains one of the nation’s three remaining unbeaten teams is the play of 7-foot, 270-pound junior center Aaron Gray.

Gray, who might be the league’s most improved player, leads the conference in rebounding at 10.4 per game and is averaging 13.1 points. Last season he averaged only 4.3 points and 2.8 rebounds.

Welcome to the bigs.

Nothing particularly outstanding, just little things here and there to pass along. Several ESPN.com chats this week (all Insider Subs.). Pitt got some run. From Andy Katz:

Jonathan Abramovic (Daytona ): Why arent the Pitt Panthers ranked higher, they are undefeated.

Andy Katz: I’ve been wondering that for weeks. Pitt should be right up in the top five. The polls are a beauty contest at this point. Who looks good this week should get plenty of pub and the Panthers are playing as well as anyone in the country.

And someone offered this suggestion.

Eric – NYC: I feel like the preseason polls give legitimacy to teams that don’t deserve it and haven’t proven anything as of yet. Why don’t they wait until a month passes by before releasing the first poll? This would weed out non-contenders such as Kansas and Kentucky and let teams such as Pitt, NC State and Ohio State receive the acclaim they deserve instead of having to climb up all season. I think the polls would mean more by waiting a month.

Andy Katz: You’re speaking to the choir. But the same is true in football, too. But polls, whether by us, AP or the coaches, get plenty of pop in the preseason. They are popular and that’s why we do them. I wouldn’t be against it at all.

Have to disagree with that. People with the polls would still draw up their expected list, or at least compile a list of teams to watch. You are still dealing with visibility, biases, popularity and other issues. Pitt would have still been ignored for the first month or so, simply by virtue of their games not being on TV. Only 3 of their non-cons were televised and picked up on ESPN Full Court (The South Carolina game was only aired on Comcast South and not on the PPV).

Rece Davis:

Todd (Wilmington, DE): Rece, What are your thoughts on Pitt? To me, the Gray kid is getting better every day, Krauser looks more in control and these two freshman ( Young and Fields) look like they will really help the program.

RD: Totally agree. Gray was strong in the clutch last night. Seems like Fields (and Ramon) have taken some of the pressure of Krauser…but he still has the freedom to get his own. Assist to TO ratio for Fields and Ramon are very good. Young gives them some great energy. I don’t think they’ll run the table…but I think many have made too much of their early schedule.
…
Josh (Knoxville, TN): So you’re answering multiple questions about UConn, Florida, Duke…how about a Pitt question? Why is this team still underrated nationally?

RD: I hit Pitt earlier, Josh. Quickly to reiterate…too much being made of early schedule. Like Gray’s development. Fields and Ramon have helped Krauser.
You make a fair point, though. When big east comes up …people talk UConn, Nova, even West Virginia…oh yeah, Pitt…those guys that nobody has beaten.

What, and miss a completely easy excuse to devalue them?

And finally Joe Lunardi speaks some real truth:

Wonger (Orlando): Why all the love for Florida but Pittsburgh has had to walk on water just to get into the top 25 and eventually top 10? Don’t get me wrong, I think they are both a little overrated (u and I could both hand pick 10 teams that would be favored come march) but as undefeateds go, they both deserve respect!

Joe Lunardi: Florida got the early attention by winning the NIT Season Tipoff. Other than that, their profiles are looking more and more similar each week. I currently have them No. 4 and No. 5 on my S-Curve, which is a whole lot closer than their different No. 1 and No. 2 seeds suggest.

And there it is folks. Florida was on nationally broadcast preseason tournament at MSG and knocked off two preseason top-25 teams — Wake Forest and Syracuse. That got them rocketing up the polls early. They have continued to win so they climbed further than Pitt. Add in a media friendly/popular coach like Billy Donavon and that is a combination that will get up there.

Personally, I’m not pissed about Florida being ranked #2. I’m annoyed Pitt is treated differently, despite the similar RPI and what is fast becoming a stronger Strength of Schedule both in and out of conference.

Speaking of strangeness, from SEC/ACC country (Atlanta) something that is sure to be generating some hatemail:

With Selection Sunday just 51 days away, it’s time to get serious about this college basketball business. Pretty much everything you’ll need to know will be revealed in the next few paragraphs. And if I happen to get any of these true-false propositions wrong, I will of course take my lead from Paul Hewitt and blame it on the refs.
…
5. The SEC is down yet again.

True. Is this conference ever going to send another team to another Final Four? (The last SEC entrant to qualify was Florida in 2000.) Somehow the Gators have risen to No. 2 in the rankings, but that’s a mirage. They’ll lose within the next week at either Tennessee or South Carolina, if not both places. Alabama was sliding even before it lost Chuck Davis, and Georgia is still a year away from making a big push. And as much regard as I have for Tubby Smith, I must concede that there’s no reason for Kentucky to have lost six times already.
…
10. It’s possible to be an unbeaten Big East team and still be underrated.

True. Pittsburgh is 15-0 and ranked No. 9, three spots behind thrice-beaten Gonzaga. And somehow Carl Krauser, the toughest player in the country the past three seasons, still never gets mentioned when the topic is the nation’s best point guard. Except in this space. I love the guy.

At SI.com, Luke Winn moves Pitt up 1 whole spot in his power rankings to #11 for road wins at Louisville and Rutgers. Judging by the sidenotes he cribbed from the media guide, I’m convinced he hasn’t actually watched the team play yet.

Meanwhile Seth Davis lists Pitt as a #2 seed in his 16 team bracket. He also relays an interesting anecdote as to part of the problems for BC’s struggles. They are going on the cheap to fly the kids the long distances.

I spoke with an ACC head coach last week who surmised that Boston College would get worn out unless the school flew on chartered planes for its road trips. BC flew commercially after losing on the road at Georgia Tech on Jan. 8 and lost at home by 18 points to N.C. State two days later.

Hey, at least they can be middle of the pack in football.

Not to mention this coaching carousel/domino theory.

Since most of you were probably watching football when I spouted my latest coaching domino theory on CBS last Saturday, I’ll repeat it again here. If Skip Prosser does take the Cincinnati job, then West Virginia coach John Beilein will be at the top of Wake Forest’s wish list of replacements. Beilein has an excellent relationship with Wake AD Ron Wellman, and he would have been hired at Wake if Prosser had turned the job down four years ago. Beilein has a long-term contract with an expensive buyout, but if he does leave, I would expect West Virginia to immediately go after Bob Huggins, a WVU alum. I know Huggins would have a shot at Missouri if Quin Snyder doesn’t hang on, but he has great affection for his alma mater.

And here’s the cherry on top: Since “resigning” from Cincinnati in September, Huggins has maintained a close relationship with schoolboy studs O.J. Mayo and Bill Walker. Those two are teammates at North College Hill in Ohio and have already said they’re going to play in college together. They are also originally from Huntington, W. Va.

Just to add to the paranoia, there is Huggins close relationship with J.O. Stright, Pope’s AAU Coach and the guy who nearly got him to transfer to a Florida prep school. Imagine Huggins recruiting in Pitt’s backyard.

SI. On Campus’ “Vent” is on the most underrated college basketball player.

So, let’s discuss the most unheralded players. For my money, nobody has done more and earned less praise than UConn’s Hilton Armstrong. His numbers won’t bowl anyone over (10 points, 6 rebs per game), but the senior forward has been the anchor down low for the No. 2 Huskies and he has outplayed Josh Boone, who many thought would be the next Emeka Okafor. Also flying under the radar: Louisiana Tech’s junior forward Paul Millsap (21 points, 10 rebs), Rutgers’ junior guard Quincy Douby (23 points, 5 rebs, 3 assists) and Pittsburgh’s junior center Aaron Gray (14 points, 10 rebounds).

They want people’s opinion, and probably why.

Do you know the last time Pitt won a game against St. John’s in NYC? March of 1995 in the Big East Tournament. Pitt has since dropped 5 straight either at Carnesecca Arena or Madison Square Garden. Pitt was 3-8 against St. John’s over this period, though winning 3 of the last 4. Including the BET, Pitt is 5-18 versus St. John’s in NYC (4-16 regular season). It is the worst away record for Pitt against any of the Big East foes (and believe me the away records against Georgetown, Syracuse, UConn and Villanova are nothing to create a particularly prideful feeling).

One of the big things for St. John’s is that they will be retiring the numbers of 8 of their greats and hanging them from the rafters along with banners honoring two of their coaches at Carnesecca Arena in a private ceremony Friday night. They are calling it “Basketball Legacy Honors.”

Joe Lapchick who preceded Lou Carnesecca, and for whom Carnesecca was an assistant is the other coach to be honored. The players are: Walter Berry, Lloyd “Sonny” Dove, Mark Jackson, Tony Jackson, Dick McGuire, Chris Mullin, Malik Sealy and Alan Seiden. Before this, St. John’s had never retired any numbers. The honorees will be acknowledged at halftime of the game on Saturday.

Useless information. This season, Pitt is 2-0 when there are player honors bestowed (home against ND and at South Carolina).

It’s a big deal for Pitt to play St. John’s. As is well known and expected to be hammered home by the announcers, Pitt has a ton of players from the NY/NJ area. Arguably that may play into why they have struggled so at St. John’s. Too many of the kids press and are distracted by seeing family. At least that’s the theory.

Pitt has its game notes (PDF) for the Noon start.

Starting to get a slow trickle of more recruiting stories and rumors as NLI day gets closer. Pitt’s class is mostly set with only a few more possibilities. Hopefully no last minute negative surprises.

Since Jovani Chappel is already taking classes at Pitt, obviously he is not going to be in any high school all-star games.

Nine area high school football standouts have been selected to play in the Grange Insurance Ohio North-South Classic in June. But three of the area’s best won’t be on any all-star rosters.

Ohio State University recruits Kurt Coleman (Northmont) and Ross Homan (Coldwater) graduated in December and are enrolled in college. Jovani Chappel (Trotwood-Madison) has gone that route to Pittsburgh. All will play spring football.

That also makes those three ineligible to participate in any non-NCAA athletic contest, which includes the local White-Allen Chevrolet Pigskin Classic.

Chappel was chosen for the Ohio team in the Big 33 Game vs. Pennsylvania at Hershey, but now he will be replaced. Neither Coleman nor Homan was among the pool of players to be chosen for the North-South Classic or Big 33.

If you are a fan of regional high-school all-star games, the early enrollment of students has to be frustrating. More and more of the games are losing top players because the kids are already at the college.

Boston College is trying to get a Syracuse, NY Defensive End to consider them.

It hasn’t been a very exciting January for Boston College fans as the Eagles have 18 commitments and aren’t desperate at any one position. However, this upcoming weekend will be key in many respects. The Eagles will be hosting defensive end McKenzie Mathews and hope to close out their defensive line class with a commitment. Mathews likes Michigan and Pitt as his two favorites, but apparently mom loves what BC has to offer and if he has a good visit this weekend the Eagles could slide in and steal him.

Mathews is only listed as a 3-star player, but judging by the type of programs that have expressed interest in him he must have a very high ceiling.

It’s a annually stupid argument, but it’s well under way. Which is the toughest conference? Generally speaking, who cares. It is certain that it isn’t the PAC 10, Big XII or SEC. I’ve heard the arguments for the ACC — mainly because of Duke lifting all boats or something to that effect, and BC’s struggles as somehow indicative of the ACC superiority (of course that contradicts last year’s surprises when Miami and VT went from BE bottom feeders to middle of the pack. The Big 11 is a more reasonable argument because of the number of ranked teams as a percentage. I don’t buy the whole depth argument, though, because it’s not like their bottom feeders — Penn State, Purdue and Northwestern — are very good.

The Big East gets a lot of the love for this based on sheer size, and how stunning it is to see teams like Cinci, Louisville, Georgetown and ND somewhere in the middle of the conference standings.

Well, a columnist in Big 11 country will get hatemail for going with the Big East over the Big 11.

This conference is almost as large as the NBA now. The expansion to 16 teams included some solid basketball programs in Louisville, Cincinnati and Marquette. Add them to a group that includes two national-championship contenders, Connecticut and Villanova, plus three other ranked teams, Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Syracuse. Pitt is one of three undefeated teams. Fourteen of the Big East clubs are ranked in the RPI’s top 90. It’s going to be very interesting to see how the NCAA Tournament selection committee handles this mega-conference when it’s time to hand out bids.

Big Ten: These top three conferences listed are really like 1A-1B-1C. All three are very comparable and clearly superior to the rest of the conferences. Like the Big East, the Big Ten has six ranked teams this week — No. 7 Illinois, No. 11 Michigan State, No. 13 Indiana, No. 15 Wisconsin, No. 19 Ohio State and No. 23 Iowa. There’s not much separating these six, which is why the home court usually prevails. Michigan likely will give the conference a seventh NCAA Tournament bid if it at least finishes around .500 in the Big Ten.

Ultimately it is the Tournament that tends to be the final arbiter as to determining the best conference.

An article on Pitt graduation rates in football and basektball quantifies something we have all known. The 90s sucked for Pitt athletics’ marquee programs.

The numbers released yesterday show the Panthers have a 0 percent graduation rate (for the freshman class of 1998-99) for men’s basketball and 53 percent for football. Their four-year average (1996-99) is 13 percent for men’s basketball and 31 percent for football.

Those numbers are not good, but they are not an accurate portrayal of the academic progress made in both sports.

The four-year average for men’s basketball reflects the last four classes of the Ralph Willard era. But numbers to be released next year will be for the freshman class that enrolled in 1999 — Ben Howland’s first class — and Pitt’s graduation rate for that class is 100 percent.

There have been three graduating classes under the Howland/Dixon regime. In those three classes, there were 10 players and nine have graduated; one has one semester left to earn his degree.

“At worst, we’re 90 percent, and we’ll likely be at 100 percent by the end of the summer,” Dixon said. “When Ben and I got here, we understood the numbers, and we knew what our priority had to be. This has been a constant point of emphasis for us.”

The football numbers also will begin to improve each year now that the classes are going to reflect former coach Walt Harris’ recruiting classes instead of classes that were thrown together during the transition from Johnny Majors to Harris.

The numbers released yesterday represent Harris’ first full recruiting class. And unlike the graduation success rate, which was released last fall, the federal rate does not take into account transfers, both in and out of the program. Even still, the 53 percent is a big jump from last year’s number — 31 percent — and a far cry from two years ago when the Panthers were among the lowest in the country at 16 percent.

And Harris’ second full class — which will be next year’s numbers — will jump to 65 percent, and in two years the rate will be 73 percent.

It’s embarrassing when you don’t graduate the players. It’s pathetic when you can’t even win games.

One of the stories today focuses on the bench and how productive it is.

Last season, Dixon had to play Krauser 36 minutes a game and Chevon Troutman 31 minutes a game. The only player averaging more than 30 minutes this season is Krauser, who plays 31.9 per game.

“It’s the deepest team I’ve ever been associated with,” Dixon said. “I had this in mind in the offseason. I thought this would be the best thing for this team. It’s been good. The guys know when they’re coming in. They know what their role is, and they’re comfortable with it. They know what we need.”

Benjamin was the latest role player to play big when his team needed it. The sophomore swingman posted a career-high 12 points in 28 minutes against Rutgers. At one time or another this season, four of Dixon’s six most-used reserves have led the bench in scoring for a game.

I haven’t heard Dixon talk about it — maybe he has on his radio show — but it seems that part of it has been his own growth as a coach. To learn to trust the reserves and younger players. To be a little more patient on the court with them and let them play and make some mistakes. Last year, it was expected that Pitt would use some increased depth to at least partially offset the loss of Page and Brown. That didn’t happen.

Guys like Benjamin, DeGroat and Gray were barely given chances last year. Kendall had a small window then saw his time dwindle quickly. Dante Milligan despaired of ever seeing playing time and transferred to UMass. Admittedly, by all reports, they were struggling in practices, and likely lacked the natural talent, ability and perhaps maturity shown by this year’s group of freshmen. Still, the use of the depth is as much a sign of Dixon trusting the players more and improving as a coach.

The players know they won’t get yanked at the first mistake and are playing more relaxed and with more confidence. Right now everything is clicking, as far as they are concerned.

It was noted in the comments yesterday, that Kendall’s performance and double-double was barely noticed in the local papers following the Rutgers win. Looking over the articles again, I can’t help but think that they were rushed filings because of deadline pressures. The game started after 8pm and was on the road. Both had more of a summary of the game feel without much in the way of quotes from participants and coaches. At least that’s my theory.

Today, Kendall gets a little love.

The easy-going, 6-foot-9 Kendall, who produced 14 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out for unbeaten Pitt (15-0, 4-0 Big East), didn’t bother to correct the pronunciation of his first name (it’s LEE-vaughn). Instead, he wore the same unassuming smile that accompanies him just about everywhere he goes.

“He’s been very good all year-long,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said.

Kendall’s double-double boosted his season statistics, but you’d never know it. The junior from Vancouver, British Columbia, is fourth for the Panthers in scoring (7.5 ppg.) and a distant second to Aaron Gray in rebounding (6.3 rpg.).

Amazingly, the piece managed not to mention him scoring 40 for the Canadian U-21 team (a first this season for a Kendall-centric story).

Since it’s never too early to wonder about which underclassmen will declare for the NBA draft, Greg Doyel offers some thoughts.

Aaron Gray: You can’t teach size, and Gray is 7-0, 270 pounds. He’s also more productive than the guy he backed up last season, Chris Taft. Gray is averaging 13.1 ppg and 10.5 rpg, and while he’s still a project who needs more games on the college level, the dearth of big men makes him a possible first-round pick. Turning pro this spring would be a shortsighted move, and probably a long-term mistake, for Gray.

He’s right on all counts. Anyone recall how high Chris Mihm, Michael Olowokandi, DeSagana Diop went in drafts (hint, all were in the top-10)? I don’t think Gray is going pro early. He still has too much to learn, and might be too raw even for the NBA draft with the way he has been missing some easy baskets. ESPN’s “top 100” (Insider Subs.) still doesn’t have him listed. At the very least, someone should point out how long it took Mark Blount to finally have a good season and cash in.

Grant Wahl at SI.com offers his “Magic 8-Ball” predictions of teams that could go deep or even win the NCAA. Pitt didn’t make the cut.

All credit to Jamie Dixon and his Panthers, who’ve been the anti-Louisville, continuing to thrive in Big East play despite a creampuff non-conference schedule. The inside guys have been better than expected, but if we have to choose between Villanova and Pitt we’re taking the Wildcats.

And yet Florida makes the list.

I fully expect the Big East to go to an 18 game schedule next year with all teams playing each other. The complaining is already getting louder.

It was inevitable that a prominent Big East coach would begin complaining about the ludicrous unbalanced schedule that inflicts unusual punishment on the perceived better teams in the league, because TV networks want the best matchups.

Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim and Syracuse are 15-3 and 3-1 in league play, but have home-and-home sets with Villanova, UConn and Cincinnati among a torturous 16-game conference schedule that also includes a trip to Pitt and home dates with West Virginia, Louisville and Rutgers.

Boeheim is the midst of a nightmarish five-game stretch that started nine days ago at Notre Dame, continued with an 8 p.m. game last Saturday at Cincinnati and, two nights later, a 9 p.m. game against Connecticut at the Carrier Dome. The Orange finish up with a 6 p.m. road game at Villanova Saturday night followed by another 7 p.m. Big Monday game at Pitt two nights later.
…
“The way we’re scheduling is just not going to work. Jim Calhoun and I talked before the game about this. It just doesn’t make sense.”

Boeheim has privately told friends he will be lucky if the Orange finishes 8-8 in the league, which could theoretically put Syracuse on the bubble on Selection Sunday because of its lack of quality non-conference wins and resistance toward playing road games in December.

Boeheim, whose team has three more 9 p.m. games this season, is right to be concerned about the expanding power of networks like ESPN.

The expansion of the Big East has paid some dividends. The Marquette Blog, Cracked Sidewalks, has opened a new blog to track Big East Stats. Specifically, the tempo-free stats. You’ve been reading them occasionally here, and especially if you’ve gone over to Ken Pomeroy’s site. An explanation of them can be found here. You can find the regular link in the Big East Blogs section.

A little hometown favoritism about the difficulty of playing at the RAC. I do love the Krauser retort:

This new edition got what might have been its toughest test yet last night – a game at Rutgers, arguably the conference’s toughest road venue. And how No. 9 Pitt handled the rigors in a 76-68 win before 8,065 at the Rutgers Athletic Center was something to see.

The Panthers took the crowd’s taunts. They withstood the Big East’s loudest crowd. And then they held off every run to remain one of three unbeaten Division I teams.

“This is a fearless group and I am the fearless leader,” said Krauser, one of five Panthers from the greater New York area. “We got guys from New York here. You don’t think they’ve played in rowdy gyms before?”

Krauser is one of two seniors on a team that looks like it could be good for a good, long time. The Panthers don’t rely on any individual and move the ball extremely well. Krauser scored six points, 11 below his average, and the Panthers never showed signs of buckling.

Rutgers just couldn’t handle the strong physical play of Pitt, the fans knew it and were making a plea for the future.

In block printing and not-so-neat printing, in the student section and in the bleachers, the signs were everywhere.

“Lance=Dance.” “Stay in Jersey, Lance.” “Knights need their Lance.”

Like right now.

With enormously coveted recruits Lance Thomas and Eugene Harvey sitting alongside an enormously loud 8,063 other bodies, Rutgers couldn’t manage to make liars out of its fans. Missing someone — anyone — to help Quincy Douby, the Scarlet Knights dropped a taxing 76-68 decision to No. 9 Pittsburgh on Wednesday night.

The Scarlet Knights shut down undefeated Pitt’s leading scorer Carl Krauser, made 7-foot center Aaron Gray claw for potentially the ugliest 20 points of his career and, in the end, desperately could’ve used a jolt from either of the St. Benedict’s prep stars.

Wonder if either might want to look a little closer at Pitt after this?

Two tough road games and two Pitt wins. The thing that is most impressive is that so many different players have been stepping up. Krauser and Gray have been limited in the last 2 games. Instead Fields, Kendall, Benjamin, Ramon and Young, have all been making the impacts. It is a wonder to behold and the reason why Pitt has yet to have a Big East Player of the Week (though Young did get Rookie of the Week once). Pitt is playing as a team. They share the ball, as evidenced by an astounding 68.4% A/B% (Assisted Basket Percentage), and no one player is trying to do too much.

Coach Jamie Dixon deserves a lot of credit for the way he has been bringing this team along. He has gotten everyone to buy into the way things are. Making it all about the team and winning first. He has Carl Krauser playing under control, getting everyone into the game. I’m impressed. I had a lot of doubts after last season, but Coach Dixon has shown that he has control of this team.

Okay, in case you hadn’t hear, former Pitt WR Terrell Allen has transferred. He returned to his native South Carolina and will play this coming season for Division I-AA South Carolina State.

SCSU already has one definite newcomer on the way in University of Pittsburgh transfer Terrell Allen. The Spartanburg-Herald Journal’s Paul Strelow reported on Jan. 11 the former J.F. Byrnes standout received a release from Panthers’ head coach Dave Wannstedt to transfer to SCSU, where he will have two years of eligibility and start playing right away next season.

James Madison, Western Carolina, Coastal Carolina, Gardner-Webb, and Eastern Illinois all expressed interest, but Allen settled on SCSU after learning that all of his credit hours from this semester would be accepted.

In two seasons at Pitt, the 6-0, 195-pound wide receiver was slowed by injuries and did not catch a single pass. He did average 24.3 yards as a primary kickoff returner, including a 97-yard touchdown return this season.

With a return to the Palmetto State, Allen hopes to revive his success enjoyed in high school where he was one of only three four-year starters at J.F. Byrnes. A SuperPrep All-American after catching 52 passes for 811 yards and five touchdowns as a senior, he led the Rebels to the first of its four straight Class 4-A Division II titles and was selected to play in the 2002 Shrine Bowl.

“Hopefully I can get out of all this negativity and prove myself,” Allen told the Journal. “I thought I was going to get a chance at the wide receiver position, and things didn’t work out. So I just need to go somewhere where I can be exposed.”

[Emphasis added.]

Reads kinky. Does he think he’s a Michigan Wolverine? (Sorry, couldn’t resist the cheap shot.)

Cornerback Aaron Berry from Bishop-McDevitt High seems to be down to Pitt or WVU (and possibly Minnesota).

Four-star corner Aaron Berry took his third trip this past weekend to one of his top three, West Virginia.

It appears the trip went so well that his final three remain, but Pitt appears to be jumping up.

“I had a good time on my visit,” Berry said. “I felt very comfortable around there and I liked the coaches and campus. I’m down to Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and Minnesota. I’d say that Pittsburgh and West Virginia are ahead of Minnesota.”

“I like those two schools because they are rivals and if I choose one, then I can at least play against the other very year.”

In-home visits will take place between now and the end of his recruiting process. He is done with official visits. A decision is set for some time next week.

A story from a local Florida paper on Tamarcus Porter committing to Pitt.

Cornerback Ricky Gary, Porter’s Pahokee teammate, committed to Pitt in August. The two formed one of the area’s best secondaries this season, helping Pahokee finish 10-2 and runner-up in Class 2B.

Porter, who transferred from Royal Palm Beach for his senior year, had three interceptions as a safety and 672 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on offense.

“Most people think Ricky was recruiting me, but I was the one who got him interested in Pitt,” Porter said. “He just ended up committing before I did.”

Gary said he was excited to hear Porter had officially committed, and that the two have talked about living together at Pitt next fall. Gary and Porter are second cousins.

“I feel like it’s the best fit for both of us,” Gary said.

ESPN.com/Scouts Inc. looks at Big East recruiting, and Pitt is definitely the leader of the the pack (Insider Subs).

Pittsburgh, one of the conference’s powers, had big expectations for the 2005 season. Coming off a BCS appearance in 2004 and the hiring of Pittsburgh native and alum Dave Wannstedt, it looked like the Panthers were poised for big things. While the Panthers failed to meet expectations, posting a 5-6 record this season, the future does not look bleak for this once-proud program.

Located in one of the country’s most talent-rich states for football prospects, Pitt has worked hard to keep in-state talent close to home. So far, out of 23 verbal commitments, 15 are from the state of Pennsylvania.

One the biggest in-state talents Pitt landed is ESPN 150 TE Nate Byham of Franklin. Byham is an athletic player who will bring young blood to a position that needs it.

Another top prospect who will remain in Pennsylvania is ESPN 150 WR Dorin Dickerson (Imperial-West Allegheny). Also, Pittsburgh native Jason Pinkston has verbally committed to the Panthers. The big lineman, who could contribute on either side of the ball, will graduate from Baldwin High, the same high school Dave Wannstedt attended. Pitt also received a verbal from Baldwin linebacker Justin Hargrove.

As a former Miami Hurricanes assistant and Miami Dolphins head coach, Wannstedt is no stranger to the Sunshine State. He has landed four prospects from Florida, led by Pahokee teammates S Tamarcus Porter and CB Ricky Gary.

Five Pitt players in double figures, a +6 rebounding margin, only 7 turnovers, 75% free throw shooting and tough defense the entire way. That was what countered only shooting 39.3%, letting Douby get 27, Rutgers shooting 40% from 3-point range, foul trouble for Gray, and Krauser shut down.

I’m not entirely sure why Gray was still in the game for the final couple of minutes when Rutgers was going to do nothing but foul. Still he did go 7-12 from the line at that point, before Pitt stopped letting him get the ball. The guards finally handled and Ramon went 4-4 on FTs and Krauser added 1-2 in the final minute to completely ice it.

Rutgers hung tough, but Pitt was in control mid-way through the second half. Rutgers just didn’t have any other reliable scoring option besides Douby. Pitt had many options, and Rutgers couldn’t match.

This is the second straight home game Rutgers has lost to a ranked team because the Knights couldn’t account for a supporting player after doing a solid job on the marquee guys. Villanova was an 84-78 winner at the RAC on Jan. 11 in large part because Kyle Lowry scored a career-high 28 points — quadrupling his average.

Kendall’s production wasn’t nearly as dramatic a jump over his seasonal averages, but it was significant enough. He entered the game averaging 7 points and 5.8 rebounds.

“We have to emphasize everyone now,” said Rutgers junior Quincy Douby, who topped the 20-point mark for the 13th time in 14 games with 27 points.

“It’s something as a team we have to get better at,” fellow junior Marquis Webb said. “We take away a team’s leading player and their second-best player … we can’t let others get off.”

Pitt just kept after it, while Rutgers showed fatigue.

But No. 9 Pittsburgh won again Wednesday night, defeating Rutgers, 76-68, in the hostile environment that is the Louis Brown Athletic Center. The Panthers are one of those teams that always seems to find a way to win.

“That’s something that the coaches have been mentioning to us,” Pittsburgh forward Levon Kendall said. “We have to be tough. We have to be tougher than the other team. We grind it out and play for the full 40 minutes. After a while, the other team wears down.”

Which was exactly what happened Wednesday. Rutgers (12-5, 2-2 Big East) stayed with Pittsburgh (15-0, 4-0) for most of the game but withered in the final 10 minutes. Pittsburgh is one of three teams in the nation that have yet to lose. The others, Duke and Florida, won Wednesday night.

The loss leaves Rutgers still looking for the “big” win this season.

But while Carl Krauser finished with nearly as many turnovers (5) as points (6), the Scarlet Knights had no answer for role players such as Levon Kendall (a career-high 14 points), Keith Benjamin (12) and Sam Young (12).

Pitt’s bench outscored Rutgers’ 26-16 and the Panthers also muscled their way inside to a 28-20 advantage.

“Physicality was a factor,” Waters said. “They out-rebounded us by six; we haven’t been out-rebounded in the Big East so they laid it on us today.”

I think Pitt jumping out early, even though it disappeared quickly and went back and forth, really took the crowd out of it. They seemed very pensive the whole game, as if waiting for their team to lose.

Comment and discuss before, during and after the game.

HALFTIME UPDATE: Good grief, Douby nails a prayer 3 to beat the shot clock and Pitt is down 38-37.

Douby is a monster scorer. Ramon and Pitt were doing all they can to stop him, but his range is impressive. Gray’s foul troubles are not a good thing. It is going to cost Pitt soon.

FINAL UPDATE: Pitt wins 76-68.

Well that was a painful final 2-3 minutes or so to endure. As the telecast pointed out, Pitt was the first team to win 4 straight at the RAC since before Rutgers joined the Big East — UMass in the 90s.

Kendall had the best all-around game for the team. Ramon was keeping Douby harried for the game — and the kid still got 27. Once more the great thing, was that no one player truly carried the team on his back. Contributions all-around meant that one or even two players could be shutdown/limited and others filled the gap.

All hail Hydra!

You can find Part1 of the Responses from Glenn Wohl of “RAC ‘Em Up” here. My responses to his questions are here and here.

What is your long-term view on the Big Big East? Do you see it lasting beyond the current arrangement in 2010?

I know there is a prevailing opinion that the basketball-only schools (Nova, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence and DePaul) will be forced out. Notre Dame too, unless there FB joins the BE, which it won’t. I don’t see it that way. The simple answer – money. In a down year this conference probably send 7 teams to the NCAA Tourney, which is a good amount of money brought back to the conference. Villanova has reemerged as a national power, and St. John’s and Georgetown are historical powers also on the way up – especially Georgetown. I don’t think the conference will change at all unless the FB side has the opportuntiy to get better (Notre Dame). I think the BE powers are too egotisitical to downsize after bragging about the supersized version.

How would you describe the style of play for Rutgers? Their tempo/pace. Are they a halfcourt, driving team, post-up, perimeter shooting? On defense, are they playing press, zone, man a majority of the time?

On offense, Rutgers is a half-court, perimeter-based team. There are few instances of set plays for the front court. There is no post-up threat. When RU gets a lead, they often play a prevent offense – run the clock, give the ball to Douby, and let him shoot/create. On defense, they play man, press occasionally. The overall and perimeter defense has improved greatly since last year.

You alluded to having more than one player step up, in addition to Douby and Webb. What do you see as the “keys” to winning?

Assuming Webb does his usual job of controlling Krauser, RU needs to prevent someone else from stepping up, a la Ramon last year. Byron Joynes has to stay out of foul trouble, since he is probably the only defender capable of playing Gray. Beyond Douby’s 20, two other players need to reach double figures. RU needs to come out strong in each half, since that gets the crowd going early.

Thanks to Glenn for doing the cultural exchange.