So here’s how the final voting put things.

First Team

Sam Clancy, F, 1977-81

Don Hennon, G, 1956-59

Billy Knight, F, 1971-74

Jerome Lane, F, 1985-88

Charles Smith, C, 1984-88

Second Team

Curtis Aiken, G, 1983-87

Vonteego Cummings, G, 1995-99

Sean Miller, G, 1987-92

Julius Page, G, 2000-04

Clyde Vaughan, F, 1980-84

Third Team

Larry Harris, F, 1974-78

Brandin Knight, G, 1999-03

Carl Krauser, G, 2002-06

Brian Shorter, F, 1988-91

Chevon Troutman, F, 2001-05

Here’s how I put it. I had 80% (12-15). I’m okay with Curtis Aiken over Demetreus Gore, and I suspect my own bias led to me picking Ricardo Greer over Vonteego Cummings. I’m glad Vaughan was included despite the incident up in Connecticut leading to his resignation as an assistant at UConn.

The only omission that causes me to have a serious objection to is Charles Hyatt. I realize Hyatt was way in the past, but seriously: He was the star on the teams that won national championships in 1927-28 and 1929-30 — he also led the nation in scoring in those years. A 3-time All-American and National Player of the Year in 1929-30. Elected to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959.

That’s when there is an overrule and you make sure Hyatt is included. You bump Troutman off the list. As much as I favored Troutman when he was at Pitt, from a historical sense there is no way or excuse to exclude Hyatt.

Not only did Pitt beat Providence but Xavier, as coached by Sean Miller, beat the University of Rhode Island in one of those offbeat moments of coincidence.

A couple hours or so to game time, and I’m disappointed to say that no one offered their own version of the All-Centennial team. Ah, well, I take the silence to mean grudging acceptance that my picks were actually the best. Not that everyone was too lazy to bother to make the argument.

As usual, comment before, during and after the game.

HALFTIME UPDATE: Pitt leading 41-27.

Worst. Game calling duo. Ever.

Don Criqui is adequate in football, but he just can’t do basketball. He needs those 30 seconds between plays to talk. Doesn’t seem to grasp that doesn’t exist in basketball.

Love the Pitt throwbacks, but thought the blue would be lighter.

Pitt is playing great defense, not letting Providence set screens or get free. All shots are contested.

FINAL UPDATE: Pitt wins 81-68

I now have a deep hatred for Don Criqui where before he never merited a thought. He is just pathetic as a play-by-play guy.

Pitt completely shut down McGrath, which is fitting in the final meeting, since Pitt is the one team McGrath never could get a win versus in his career.

A few too many easy baskets given up in transition by Pitt, but a decent defensive effort. Curry had something like half of Providence’s points from that 3 he nailed at the buzzer of the first half to the end.

I don’t want to go Lou Holtz here, and start saying things like, “this Akron game scares the hell out of me,” but the local media seems to have forgotten about the actual game tonight.

This very interesting story about Pitt’s 1941 Final Four team talks about how they were essentially forgotten for many years — a banner wasn’t put up for the team until 1997.

Coached by Doc Carlson, the ’41 Panthers were 13-6 and played a schedule against mostly teams from the Big Ten Conference. Pitt accepted an invitation to play in the upstart tournament and beat North Carolina, 26-20, in an opening-round game in Madison, Wis. The Panthers then played Wisconsin in one of two Final Four games, also in Madison. Pitt had beaten Wisconsin, 36-34, in the first game of the season on the Badgers’ home court, but the Badgers won the rematch, 36-30.

Wisconsin beat Washington State to win the third NCAA title.

“It was a very close game,” Raymond recalled. “I was on the floor and we were winning. Then, they tied the game, and the Wisconsin fans went wild. They started playing the Wisconsin victory 1941 song. Unfortunately, they went on to win the game.”

Raymond remembers sitting in the stands before the start of the game and watching a young boy from Madison sell programs.

“He was saying, ‘Get your program here. Get the name of every Pitt player, his position and his salary.’ In those days, the Pitt football players had the reputation of being paid. We got a big kick out of that.”

Well worth reading, but there is nothing in the P-G about the actual game tonight. This story in the Trib. actually mentions that Pitt is playing Providence but it is about Pitt raising the bar in what it expects for itself in terms of success for a season.

This game should set a record for attendance.

Seating capacity at Petersen Events Center will expand, temporarily, to near 13,000 in order to accommodate the former players as well as a group of football recruits and their families. The extra seats will be installed throughout concourse areas on the upper level.

With three games to go, Providence needs every game if it wants to make it to Madison Square Garden.

“We’ve had a bye week and a couple days now to prepare for Providence,” said Dixon. “I think the timing is good for us, and now the guys are anxious to play against Providence. We’re playing well and we’re anxious to play again.”

PC coach Tim Welsh shrugs off the idea that the Panthers are rested and ready to take on his team tonight. “If you’re in the top 10 in the country, it doesn’t matter how much time you have off. They’re good at any time. And their numbers at home are pretty staggering,” he said.

After rolling up a 108-25 record over the last four seasons, the Panthers were expected to take at least a little step backward this season, but Dixon’s group actually may be better than some of his previous clubs. The emergence of Gray gives Pitt a legitimate low-post force who could savage a smaller team like Providence. Krauser is a 24-year-old veteran who has done a lot of winning over the last three years, and this season he’s led a relatively young team back to the top 10.
…
Welsh said playing a team twice in a span of 10 days is both good and bad. It helps in game preparation because neither team has changed at all, but it’s also difficult to surprise such a familiar opponent.

“We’ll make some adjustments, and once we get out there we’ll certainly be ready to play,” said Welsh. “Our big concern is Gray because he hurt us so much. But you have to pick your poison with them. They’ll adjust, too. They have a lot of depth and don’t have any real weaknesses. That’s the big concern.”

Yeah, I’d say Gray would be a concern with a 9-9 shooting night. I wouldn’t be surprised if they do something like What Marquette did — rotate bodies on Gray just to keep any one player from accumulating too many fouls. The Friars may not go as deep or as talented, but they might see if they can wear Gray down a bit and goad him into some dumb fouls.

At least that’s what I’d think about doing against a big man who has already shown how much bigger and better he is than anyone on your team down low.

Tomorrow is Junior Day at Pitt for the football program. As part of it, the high schoolers in attendance will get to see Pitt take on Providence.

This is the rough list of expected participants with a little more detail on some of the kids.

It should be interesting for the kids as Pitt will be in retro unis and honoring the basketball greats during the game.

Game notes for Providence and Pitt (PDF).

I’m not sure if Pitt has any more openings for the class of 2006, but there is one kid who is still hoping for an offer. Tyrone Lewis who plays football and basketball out in the Philly suburbs. He prefers basketball, but…

While his first love is basketball, the willowy Lewis is garnering attention from several major-college football programs.

The main suitors currently are Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Minnesota.

Lewis made a dearth of breathtaking plays as a cornerback and wide receiver. A few weeks ago, Lewis talked to Truman football coach Van Smith, who had recently been in contact with an independent college scout.

After watching film, the scout called Lewis “the best-kept secret.”

Lewis prefers basketball But if BCS schools are waving a scholarship in his face, he would jump at the opportunity. His dream is to play in either a BCS bowl or the NCAA tournament.

“In my four years here, I’ve never focused on just one sport,” Lewis said. “If a school like Pitt offered me a football scholarship, I wouldn’t play basketball, and I wouldn’t regret it.”

[Brief editing critique: “Lewis made a dearth of breathtaking plays…”??? Huh? In the immortal words of Inigo Montoya, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”]

In basketball, the 5′ 11″ Lewis has offers from Drexel, Duquesne, Central Conn. St., Rider and Niagara. The article does claim that there is some mild interest from Ohio St. and Texas Tech.

Neither recruiting site has any football info on Lewis. There isn’t much regarding basketball either. I’m not sure how real Pitt’s interest in him is. Strange.

For whatever they are worth. Luke Winn doesn’t seem to know what to do or where to put Pitt from week to week. This week, they are down to #13.

The ESPN.com power 16 puts Pitt at the top of the 3 seeds. And apparently enough people have harassed the people at ESPN.com regarding the Pitt logo.

Can’t ding the Panthers too hard as everyone loses at Marquette these days. To all the e-mailers — I have good (non-Geico) news: Check out the spiffy “new” Pitt logo on your clubhouse page.

Nicely done.

Naturally in ESPN individual experts picks, as I’ve seen others note in the comments, Pitt is in or about the top-10 for most, except for Doug Gottlieb who completely excludes Pitt. I’m willing to believe he goofed and meant to put them at #11. He somehow put Oklahoma there, and that just makes no sense, and no one else even has them listed. An Oklahoma team that could barely eke past Iowa St. and Texas Tech.

Bob Snyder in a Big East column lists his all-conference team and other awards in advance.

Player of the year:Rudy Gay, Connecticut. Rutgers’ Quincy Douby will win the scoring crown, is seventh nationally, but the graceful Gay at times too unselfish is the league’s best athlete and most impressive physical talent.

All-conference:Hilton Armstrong, Connecticut; Josh Boone, Connecticut; Douby, Rutgers; Randy Foye, Villanova; Mike Gansey, West Virginia; Aaron Gray, Pittsburgh; Gerry McNamara, Syracuse; Steve Novak, Marquette; Kevin Pittsnogle, West Virginia; Chris Quinn, Notre Dame; Allan Ray, Villanova; Marcus Williams, Connecticut. Too many? You cut a guy or two.

Rookie of the year:Dominic James, Marquette. There’s no shortage of yearling talent in the Big East barn, our town’s Eric Devendorf among them. But James makes the Golden Eagles go.

Most improved player: Gray, Pittsburgh.

Coach of the year:To be decided in these few remaining games. Marquette’s Tom Crean? His Golden Eagles, among five newcomers from Conference USA, were picked 12th. They debuted beating UConn, should take 20 regular-season victories and a winning league mark to Madison Square Garden, then hear their name Selection Sunday. Veteran Big East coaches might not vote for a new guy on their block. Seton Hall’s Louie Orr? Pirates picked next to last. Need to avoid sliding off the bubble. Jay Wright? Sure, ‘Nova was picked first, but the ‘Cats never played a minute with preseason all-leaguer Curtis Sumpter.

You know, if Marquette gets 4th or 5th in the conference, I think Crean would be fine as Coach of the Year. If Orr wins, then it is a move by the other BE coaches to close ranks and try and protect one of their own — practically daring Seton Hall to fire Orr.

Major themes in the stories today.

The turnovers in the past month have picked up a bit.

The turnovers Dixon cannot live with — the ones he is trying to eliminate — are the unforced errors. Pitt players have been called for an inordinate number of traveling calls in recent games, and it has caused the Panthers’ turnovers to climb.

“Turnovers are a big thing to me,” Dixon said yesterday after practice. “We’re pretty good. Our goal is always less than 12. That’s a tough number to shoot for, but it’s a hard number to achieve.”

Turnovers have been a persistent problem for the Panthers in Big East Conference play, especially in the past five games. Pitt is averaging 14 turnovers per game in Big East play, 16 in the past six games.
…
“It’s very important,” freshman point guard Levance Fields said. “Every possession counts. We try to keep the turnovers to around 12 per game. Lately, we’ve been around 18 or 19. We’ve been getting away from it. We definitely have to keep every possession. We have to take care of the ball. We’re working at that.”

Fields said many of the turnovers can be eliminated by making smarter decisions.

“Sometimes it’s trying to make the difficult pass, trying to be fancy instead of doing the basic pass,” he said. “And sometimes it’s not being focused. Sometimes guys aren’t concentrating. It can be a good pass and the guy doesn’t catch it. We have to do a better job at it.”

Fields splits the point-guard duties with sophomore Ronald Ramon. Ramon is of the belief that the turnovers are because of free-lancing outside the confines of the offense.

“When we get away from our offense and things don’t go our way, we give away some turnovers,” he said.

The other thing the team has spent the week working on (aside from classwork) has been the defense.

Levance Fields, though, has only defense on his mind, a product of having it drilled into his head by the Pitt coaching staff. Fields realizes the importance of defense during this critical time, and that he and his teammates have been less than acceptable lately.

He insists the latter will change.

“It’s mental breakdowns. I’m letting guys get in front of me. I’m not following the rules as far as trailing shooters,” said Fields, who has often been Pitt’s first guard off the bench this season. “It’s the basics, and right now we’re trying to reinforce them.”

The defensive attitude that has garnered so much success for the Panthers in recent years is still the team’s calling card, said coach Jamie Dixon. Maybe, though, the Panthers need a quick refresher course, particularly for its guards.

And still more work with the defense.

The Panthers failed in their first attempt at win No. 21, losing Saturday at Marquette, 84-82. They have not played since then, but there has been a spirited effort this week in practices to re-establish a type of sturdy defense the team possessed earlier in the season.

“I say it every week. I’ll be the same next week and it’ll be the same the week after that,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “I try to make it a new idea, but it’s not changing. I’ll never be satisfied with (the defense).”

In preparing for Providence, I have to assume they were working at not being caught in the screens that can be expected. With Donny McGrath the primary scoring threat, you can bet Providence will be throwing lots of screens at Pitt to free him.

With this week off, the whole team is ready to play. And of course, the team wants to make a deep run this year.
“We came into this year thinking we could get 20 wins, even though a lot of people really didn’t think we could,” sophomore Keith Benjamin said. “But that’s not important to us right now. We know we could be in the NCAA tournament now, but we want a lot more wins.

“We want as many wins as we can get out of this season for this team. We’re totally coming together right now to make something special for the rest of this year. We’re a very close team and very confident in our abilities. We believe there’s a lot more for us to accomplish.”

And Coach Dixon gets a puff piece lauding the job he’s done.

Dixon deserves the credit for molding these Panthers, including mostly young and inexperienced players, into a winning unit. Along with the two seniors, Pitt uses juniors Gray, Antonio Graves and Levon Kendall, sophomores Ronald Ramon and Keith Benjamin, and freshmen Sam Young, Tyrell Biggs and Levance Fields in its 10-man rotation.
…
“We’ve got great kids,” Dixon said, deflecting the credit. “It’s unique, I know, to play 10 guys in the rotation. But I said from the beginning that this would be the best thing for this team, and I think it certainly has come to fruition.”

Dixon deserves credit for recognizing this. And he likely has finally stepped out of the shadow of predecessor and mentor Ben Howland. The former coach guided Pitt to consecutive NCAA Sweet 16 appearances in his final seasons, but Dixon was 31-5, earned Big East coach of the year honors and a third straight Sweet 16 advancement as a rookie head coach.

In Ray Fittipaldo’s Q&A there is the question of the kind of teams that would be a problem for Pitt.

Q: What teams would be the toughest matchups for Pitt in the Big East and NCAA tournaments? I have to think Villanova would be a nightmare for Pitt. They seem to have trouble against teams with quick guards.

Fittipaldo: Based on what I have seen this season I would say Villanova, Marquette and St. John’s would be teams Pitt would like to avoid at the Big East tournament. Pitt matches up well with just about any other team in the Big East. You’re right, Jason, Pitt does have trouble against teams with athletic guards. Dominic James of Marquette could not be handled by any of Pitt’s guards in two games this season. Villanova’s guards are just as good and more experienced, so they would be big-time trouble for the Panthers. Villanova, with most of the same players on this year’s team, handled Pitt easily in the first round of the Big East tournament last season. I haven’t seen a lot of other teams outside the Big East, but any team with a guard who can break defenders down off the dribble will be difficult for the Panthers.

It’s not the “athletic” guards. It’s the kind of guards that can take a guy off the dribble. Who can penetrate and create their own shot. Those are the players who are a challenge for Pitt. Always has been.

Ron Cook has a must read today.

Much more interesting was a question Dixon had.

“Why is it Pittsburgh people always seem to worry about people leaving Pittsburgh?”

It was the best question of the interview.

“I guess it’s our paranoia complex, our inferiority complex, whatever you want to call it,” I explained to Dixon.

We don’t always think we’re good enough. The first time someone has success here, we look for him to leave. For some reason, we don’t think we have enough to offer to keep the really good people.

In Pitt’s case, it didn’t help that a few high-profile coaches left over the years. Ben Howland left after the 2002-03 basketball season because there’s only one UCLA in the college game. Jackie Sherrill left after the 1981 football season because Texas A&M threw gobs of money at him. Johnny Majors left after the 1976 national championship football season because Tennessee was home.

I’ve commented on the Pitt paranoia with coaches from time-to-time. It has manifested in the coaching searches and the desire to find coaches with ties to the program (Wannstedt) or the city (Prosser). As if that would be the additional hook needed to keep a coach at Pitt.

I’m not terribly bothered by sniffing from other programs and teams. It happens. It is a natural part of the food chain. Whether it is a bigger school trying to grab another school’s coach or whether it is the pros making an inquiry. You have to expect it when you have success.

This paranoia thing is getting pretty sickening, especially when it comes to Pitt athletics. Maybe the place was a black hole before former athletic director Steve Pederson came to town in 1996 and changed the culture, before Heinz Field and the Petersen Events Center were built, before Howland and Dixon and Harris and Wannstedt were hired. But it’s certainly not a black hole now.

Where would Dixon go to get a better job?

Unless the Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky or Kansas jobs open, I mean?

Arizona State, to which Dixon has been linked?

Please.

At Pitt, Dixon is coaching in college basketball’s best conference. He has the strong support of chancellor Mark Nordenberg, as athletic department-friendly as any college administrator. He has wonderful fan support; Pitt has sold out its season tickets since the Petersen Events Center opened four years ago. He has a terrific home-court advantage; Pitt is 61-5 in the new building.

Nordenberg still needs to make sure he’s paying the going rate. He should bump Dixon to the same $1 million-plus salary that he offered Howland to stay. He also should pour even more of that Petersen Center revenue back into the basketball program. It would be nice, for example, if Pitt chartered flights to its away games — the way other top programs do — instead of flying commercial.

But those things are doable.

The main attraction for the Arizona State job would be the money. It’s a rebuilding job, and the recruiting area would be no better or worse. ASU is sinking a lot of money into trying to get its athletic operations near the top. Lute Olson won’t be around much longer at Arizona (he’s in his 70s isn’t he?), and that could help them in the state. What if they come at Dixon with $1.5 million or something absurd?

I can see Pitt getting something done with Dixon, and they might consider taking a page from what WVU did with Beilein and make sure the buyout isn’t cheap in the first few years.

I’ll also pose a different question. How long a contract? Dixon’s fan support seems kind of shallow. It seems more about not wanting to lose him than wanting to keep him at times. What happens if Pitt stumbles in the NCAA? Or gets off to a less than stellar start next season?

I’m very happy with Dixon. He answered a lot of questions I had about him going into the season, and based on last year. Handling/controlling Krauser; playing and integrating the new kids; using the bench; in-game adjustments and game strategy; and the development of players.

As for Coach Dixon, he might want to read this piece from Seth Davis about how Bruce Pearl turning around the Volunteers in one season just raised the expectations and pressure on every coach going to a new rebuilding job.

People forget that it doesn’t usually work like this. Most of the time it takes years to turn a program around. It’s hard enough to preach patience in today’s world, but now Pearl has justified the inflated sense of urgency. After all, if he can work this kind of magic for Tennessee, why can’t someone else do it for your favorite school?

So here’s my advice to any coach who is thinking about taking a new job: Make sure your new contract has a lucrative buyout clause. If the school wants to fire you for not turning things around fast enough (like yesterday), they’ll have to pay. If they’re not willing to give you the buyout, don’t take the job. Because for all his bluster, Pearl will be the first to tell you that there’s some luck involved in all of this, too.

But nobody wants to hear about bad luck. Nobody wants to wait ’til next year. All they have to do is make it to next month, when a new flavor comes along, bringing with it the promise of sweet success that can be devoured in an instant.

One area of luck Pitt has had has been the lack of big injuries for players. That has made a huge difference.

Three Pitt players received invitations to attend the NFL Combines (hat tip, Keith W.): Josh Lay, Charles Spencer and Greg Lee.

That means the other senior players: TE Eric Gill, K Josh Cummings, DT Thomas Smith, RB Ray Kirkley, S Tez Morris and OLB J.J. Horne, likely will be hoping for free agent signings after the second day of the draft.

Zeise, in his Q&A last week said that Spencer was doing real well in workouts. That seems to be confirmed by his mention among 20 players who can really see their stock soar at the combines (hat tip, Adam).

8. Charles Spencer, G, Pittsburgh: He played left tackle as a senior, but Spencer looked more natural and dominant at guard during the Senior Bowl. A top 3 player at his position, he will head into Round 2 with good results.

ESPN.com list (Insider subs.) him as about the 7th best at the Guard spot. Regarding Spencer, they say he has “upside” but question his durability.

Spencer is a former defensive tackle who thrived in his late transition to the offensive line. Spencer has great size, quick feet and impressive overall power. He still has room to improve in terms of his overall technique and awareness, but Spencer has all the physical tools necessary to eventually develop into an NFL starter either at OG or ROT.

On Josh Lay, who they list as 22nd amongst corners, they question his physical play and not being very helpful in run support. They see him going in the middle rounds.

Lay is a tall cover corner with surprisingly fluid hips and smooth athleticism. He has the size, instincts, athleticism and just enough speed to develop into a sub-package contributor at the cornerback position in the NFL. He also could emerge as a good fit in a cover-2 type scheme, but he must get stronger and develop his overall tackling skills. Lay is not the toughest of cornerbacks, he lacks elite speed and he has some durability issues, which will cause him to slip on draft weekend.

Eric Gill, is listed as about the 20th best TE, and expected to be a free agent signee.

Gill is a blue-collar prospect that is reliable as a safety valve in the passing game and works to stay in position as a blocker, but he doesn’t have much upside. He lacks ideal top-end speed, he doesn’t have great quickness and he needs to improve his overall strength and power. As a result, Gill does not classify as a draftable prospect but is worth considering as a priority free agent.

Josh Cummings is considered as the 12th best place kicker out there. They don’t even bother with an evaluation. Definitely a free agent signee.

No evaluations for the rest of the Pitt players.

Here’s what the throback unis, Pitt will be wearing on Saturday night will look like. Bids for game-worn, autographed by the player, uniforms start at $300.

I figured that there would be some doubters over a few of my choices. I’d like to put up some other people’s lists, but I’m going to try and simplify it. These are players that I feel are no-brainers for the 15 greatest:

1. Charles Smith
2. Billy Knight
3. Don Hennon
4. Brandin Knight
5. Clyde Vaughan
6. Sam Clancy
7. Sean Miller
8. Carl Krauser
9. Charles Hyatt
10. Larry Harris

Now I also think Demetreus Gore should be on there, but that could be debated. Some of you probably are against Krauser being on this list, but his numbers and what he’s done really make it a no-brainer. But I would like to see others offer their “Final 5” for the list. The most controversy on my picks seems to invlolve Page, Greer, Lane, Shorter.

E-mail the list and something of an explanation and I will post everyone’s Final 5. To help make your decision, take a look at these summaries of all the nominees. Also, here is the record book section from the Pitt media guide (PDF). If you really, fundamentally object to Krauser, make your list 6, but you better offer something convincing as to why someone should be placed above him.

I want to see why you feel one player should be in over another.

I will post the lists and explanations on Saturday afternoon.

The ballots are closed and the 15 players will be revealed this Saturday. I had my prelim list. Here’s how I finally voted:

1. Charles Smith
2. Billy Knight
3. Don Hennon
4. Brandin Knight
5. Clyde Vaughan
6. Demetreus Gore
7. Sam Clancy
8. Sean Miller
9. Carl Krauser
10. Charles Hyatt
11. Jerome Lane
12. Brian Shorter
13. Larry Harris
14. Ricardo Greer
15. Julius Page

I chose Ricardo Greer over other very good players on bad teams from the 90s — like Cummings and McCullough. Greer was such a force in his Senior year. Not just carrying the load all season, but the way he led a young team through the Big East Tournament all the way to that Championship game. He led as a Senior helping the transition from Willard to Howland. It showed a glimpse of how good he could have been with a full team. Not to mention what was to come the next few years for Pitt.

You can take a look at the resume of each nominated player. We’ll see how close I came to the actual selection.

CollegeFootballNews.com has been looking ahead to spring drills and the schedules. This week, it’s been the Big East.

Pitt — Spring practice starts March 19, Spring Game April 15

The big spring question is … How much improvement will there be from year one to year two under Dave Wannstedt? 2005 wasn’t a total flop, but 5-6 isn’t exactly what Panther fans had in mind. Will the offense produce more after only averaging 336 yards and 24 points per game last year? Is the defense going to be any faster? This is a big spring for a lot of players before all the top new recruits come in this summer.

The most important position to watch is … Defensive tackle. The run defense might have been lousy last year, but it’s still not a plus to lose two veteran 300-pounders on the inside. Thomas Smith and Phil Tillman not only provided the beef at tackle, they provided some needed experience for the defense. The Panther linebackers need all the help they can get meaning Rashaad Duncan, Corey Davis, Nick Williams and Ron Idoko have to play well this spring.

Spring attitude… Don’t just assume that a Big East title is out of reach. With West Virginia and Louisville each coming to Heinz Field to close out the regular season, and the conference road games against Cincinnati and Syracuse, there’s no reason the Panthers can’t progress enough as the season goes on to be in a position to win the championship. However, every practice is important to tighten things up and become more explosive on offense and tighter on defense.

As for Pitt’s schedule, they don’t assume any sure losses on it, but it is considered the second hardest overall schedule in the Big East.

Realistic best case record with this schedule: 9-2

Barring total disaster worst case record: 5-7

Realistic record: 7-5

There’s no excuse for Pitt not to have a big bounceback season, as Dave Wannstedt and his team must take advantage of the favorable schedule and make a run at the Big East title. Yes, there are several tough games with Virginia, Michigan State, Toledo, Rutgers, West Virginia and Louisville to deal with, but all have to come to Heinz Field. When your toughest road game is at South Florida, you know your schedule isn’t all that bad.

Cinci was considered to have the toughest schedule — road games at Ohio St., VA Tech, WVU and Louisville. Syracuse has a brutal conference stretch with games against Pitt, @ WVU, and Louisville on 3 consecutive weekends in October.

I think they really weren’t sure what “storylines” to ask considering they spend a good chunk considering then dismissing any way the BE could get Notre Dame to join in football. No s**t.

As I noted before, there are going to be questions for Pitt at WR, and they note Lee’s leaving in the list of impact early entries.

Impact: Major. Lee had an off year in 2005, but it wasn’t all his fault. When the line protected Tyler Palko, Lee was one of the more prolific deep threats in the country.

Successor: If Palko is going to have a rebound year in 2006, he’ll need one or more of his receivers to step up and replace Lee. Derek Kinder has the tools and experience to be one of those players next fall.

Yes, I know Lee had a major case of dropsies last season, but he was still the guy to who could get free and be in the position to make the play.

Last year, there was a lot expected from Coach Wannstedt in his first year. He was expected to at least keep this team going to a bowl game, but the team didn’t meet expectations. Yet they ranked him around the middle of the pack in how first year coaches did.

12. Dave Wannstedt, Pittsburgh (5-6) — Plain and simple, Wannstedt’s team underachieved in 2005. And the entire coaching staff shares the responsibility with the players. Talk of eight wins and a Top 25 finish was quickly erased by a listless 0-3 start that included a loss to Ohio in front of a national television audience. To Wannstedt’s credit, the Panthers didn’t tank the season, finishing 5-3, and nearly qualifying for the school’s sixth consecutive bowl game. The former Panther player certainly has equity in Pittsburgh, but not so much that he can afford a replay of last season again in 2006. First and foremost, Wannstedt needs to bolster both lines through recruiting and locate speed to keep pace with superior Big East foes, such as West Virginia and Louisville.

On the recruiting front, there seems little doubt about the speed. The lines will take time, simply because that many freshmen just can’t be ready to go that soon. And if they do, that is a really, really bad sign.

It’s eye on the future for Pitt in the media today. While this article is supposed to be about how the freshmen — Sam Young, Levance Fields and Tyrell Biggs — can help and impact the Pitt team the rest of the way.

If what Craig Littlepage, the NCAA Tournament selection committee chairman, said is true about end-of-season performances having a huge bearing on determining the 65-team men’s basketball field, No. 9 Pitt will need continued solid efforts from its three freshmen reserves in order to finish on an upswing.

“The sky’s the limit for us,” said freshman forward Sam Young, the Panthers’ third-leading scorer. “People are saying our freshmen are going to fold. I don’t see myself as a freshman. I see myself as a competitor.”

Young, guard Levance Fields and center Tyrell Biggs have made huge contributions to Pitt’s successful season, and coach Jamie Dixon is expecting more of the same during a crucial stretch run and into the Big East Tournament next month.

The three of them have been at Pitt since the summer, playing together and with their teammates for a while now. The bonding, learning and trust amongst them and the rest of the team has made a difference in how this team plays on the court and the trust Coach Dixon has on them to play.

Still, the article can’t help but glimpse ahead to the next season.

Next season, Pitt loses only Krauser and fellow senior John DeGroat — both season-long starters — as well as junior Marcus Bowman, a former walk-on who will graduate early, and the Panthers will add at least two new players who Dixon is hoping will have a similar impact as has the current freshman trio.

Gilbert Brown, a 6-foot-6 swingman, and Austin Wallace, a 6-9 forward, have signed letters of intent to play for Pitt, which has one scholarship remaining.

The top target for that spot is 6-7, 210-pound forward Tyler Smith of Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy, who also is considering Iowa, Memphis and Kentucky.

The article fails to mention one other big addition to the team next season. Mike Cook, who transferred to Pitt from East Carolina and is sitting out the season. As luck would have it, though, he gets his own puff piece today.

“He has versatility,” Dixon said. “He can almost play point guard. He can play [shooting guard, small forward or power forward]. We knew he had versatility when we got him to come here and it’s been evident in practice. This redshirt year is good for him.”

Cook played two seasons at East Carolina and led the Pirates with 15 points per game last season. He had 25 double-figure scoring games last season, including six 20-point games. He had a career-high 24 points against South Carolina and 21 against Marquette. But when coach Bill Herrion was dismissed at the end of last season, Cook wanted a change. The losing had worn on him as did the weight of having to carry the team on his shoulders almost every night.

“I feel like myself again,” Cook said after practice earlier this week. “I’m playing more of a team game instead of trying to figure out a way to do things myself.”

Cook, a Philadelphia native who played with Memphis Grizzlies forward Hakim Warrick and University of Arizona Wildcat Mustafa Shakur in high school, is earning his scholarship this year by pushing the Panthers in practice. Coming from Conference USA, he has given his teammates tips on what to expect from some of the players who joined the Big East this season.
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Dixon said Cook needs to continue to work on his defense, his outside shot and his conditioning. He would like him lighter than 230 pounds when the season starts next year.

Cook said he can bring another dimension to the team next season.

“I think I’ll give us a different look on the offensive end because I can play three different positions,” he said. “Sometimes coach has me play [power forward] in practice. My strength makes up for my size. The fact that I can play different positions will help me.”

Pitt could have yet another new look to it next year. A line-up featuring Fields or Ramon running point, Cook and Benjamin on the wings able to attack the basket with Young and Gray down low would be a something very different. More athletic and able to take the ball inside, kick out or just get it down low. The possibilities are intriguing.

Of course, all of that is speculative and for next year. Hopefully there is still a lot of basketball to be played in March and maybe into the beginning of April (we can dream).

Pitt appears to have lined up another good non-con opponent for next year. A home game with the University of Dayton. That means almost half the non-con is set for 2006: At Wisconsin and Auburn; Home for Duquesne, Robert Morris and Dayton. Sure would be nice if Pitt can get into a pre-season tournament for next season.

Breaking with usually waiting until Friday for the chat round-up for a special.

He had his chat today on ESPN.com (Insider Subs.). I can’t post the whole thing, because that’s going beyond mere fair use. There were some bold-ass questions coming from some keyboards that I can’t even imagine any sane person asking Gray to his face “… do you blame yourself for the loss on Saturday night?” Geez.

brian, pittsburgh, PA: who is the toughest player you’ve ever played against?

Aaron Gray: Oh man. Good question. As far as the low blocks and in the paint … Outside of our team, Taft and Troutman, I’d have to say the strongest is definitely Craig Smith of BC. The most skilled is probably Warrick of Syracuse.
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Steve: (State College): Aaron, I go to school at Penn State and all these kids from Allentown, PA said you could of lead PSU to the NCAA tournament. Did you ever consider PSU?

Aaron Gray: Yeah, they did. PSU was one of the first school’s to recruit me hard. I took my visit there when JoePa broke the all-time wins record. They got a commitment from another player and took their final scholarship spot and they stopped recruiting me.

Todd (Carlsbad, CA): Aaron, how does it feel to see yourself and your teammates improving on the basketball court and developing relationships with the people of Pittsburgh?

Aaron Gray: It’s amazing. We have such great team chemistry this year. We all get along on the court and off. When we’re not on the court, we’re usually hanging out off the court. People of Pittsburgh see that and they want to be a part of that. People had such low expectations of our season, we didn’t but others did. Now that we’re having success, people want to be a part of that. Especially after the Steelers just won the Super Bowl, they want to see us do the same thing.
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Terrence (Albany NY): Who is the #1 Pitt player you enjoy watching

Aaron Gray: It would have to be, before I got here, Chevy Troutman. The first time I remember seriously watching Pitt play, when Pitt beat UConn in the championship. Everyone was saying how good Knight and Page was. Troutman was basically playing on a broken ankle and he was going against the best college center in the nation in Emeka Okafor.

Other questions he fielded including a couple from his hometown area including reminding him about shattering a backboard — glass to the face — and not being able to dunk. Good times.