Big East Basketball Blog has the big round-up of articles and previews. I’m just going to touch on a few things.
Brief predictions for today’s games. Seton Hall beats Rutgers. Syracuse somehow beats Cinci. Georgetown falls to ND. Pitt over Louisville.
The official press release from the Big East on last night’s awards. Jay Wright won Coach of the Year. Randy Foye from ‘Nova won POY. I’m a little surprised since I really thought his teammate Ray would split off votes.
Aaron Gray won Most Improved Player.
The 7-foot, 270-pound junior became a starter for Pitt this year and finished the regular season as the only player in the conference to average double figures in scoring (14.0 ppg.) and rebounding (10.4 rpg.).
“I think the consensus, nationally, is that he is the most improved player in the country,” Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said Tuesday, after presenting Gray with a sizeable trophy to coincide with his huge frame.
Making him the 4th Pitt player in the last 7 years to win.
He joins Carl Krauser, Brandin Knight and Ricardo Greer as Pitt players to win the award in the past seven years.
“I saw Carl Krauser win it my freshman year,” Gray said. “It was one of my goals. It was motivation. What makes it so great is that my team has been successful. If I was the most improved player and my team wasn’t in the tournament, I don’t think this would mean as much.
“Our team has exceeded everyone’s expectations. I think I’ve exceeded everyone’s expectations. Now we just have to do a great job of finishing up the year.”
Winning this award is not only a tradition at Pitt, it has become a recruiting tool. When Dixon walks into the households of recruits, he points to the success of players like Gray.
“When I talk to parents, I tell them our first goal is to graduate players,” Dixon said. “And, secondly, they get better as players. Winning this award four of the past seven years says a lot. We’re proud of that. That’s the most important award of the year for us.”
The unbalanced 16 game conference schedule will continue for one more year because of TV. BE Commish Mike Tranghese indicated that after that the BE will likely go to an 18 game conference schedule with everybody playing once and 3 home-and-homes. The Pac-10 is also expected to follow suit (giving them a perfect home-and-home balance) and there have been rumors that the Big 11 might as well.
I have to say that this would help power conferences because it will boost RPI further to favor the conference strength. It also serves the power conferences in two other ways if more go this way. It reduces the number of non-con games needed to schedule. That reduces the demand for patsy games — bringing down the price a bit to pay for such games. It is also a way to check the growing strength of conferences like the MVC and WCC as they will get less chance to show how good they are against the power conferences.
Carl Krauser is 4 rebounds from 500 for his career. As I’ve mentioned before, he will be the only player in Pitt history with 1500+ points, 500+ assists and 500+ rebounds.
Finally, a puff piece on the Oakland Zoo from Central PA.
It wasn’t more than 30 minutes after Carl Krauser had lost his final game at Petersen Events Center, yet there he was.
He had just apologized to Pitt’s fans in his postgame press conference for the team’s first — and only — home loss of the season.
He had just signed a basketball for a young fan who was waiting in the hallway.
He had even bid some strangers a “good night” as they walked past him.
All this after Friday’s heart-wrenching 65-61 loss to Seton Hall, and yet there was Krauser, standing at center court of the empty arena, discussing what was special about being a Pitt player.
“Fans,” the most popular Panther said. “Without these guys, we’re playing in front of seats. You want to hear the fans going crazy, screaming, and having your back. Because we have their backs every time we step on this court.”
The Panthers have made it easy for their fans to have their backs with a 64-6 record at Petersen — the palatial 12,508-seat facility opened in the fall of 2002. But it hasn’t just been their play that has made them so beloved in the Steel City — it’s been the relationship the Pitt players have built with those who cheer them on.
“They’re just so down to earth, they’re like friends with us,” said sophomore Ian Smith, the vice president of the “Oakland Zoo,” as the Pitt student section is known. “I’m friends with pretty much all the guys on the team. So, we want to come and support them. Not only for being their friends, not only for being our basketball team, but for the pride of our school.”
Students and fans love their teams all over the country, but what makes Pitt special is the mutual respect and admiration that the players also have for their fans. During the Senior Night ceremony — in which Krauser and three others were honored — before Friday’s game, Panthers coach Jamie Dixon spoke about that relationship.
“I don’t know if any other group (of seniors) connected with the students and the fans the way these guys did,” Dixon said in his speech to the packed house.
Of course you should read it all.
