Well, for those of you thinking Pitt is always underrated, this preview of a top-25 will make you feel good. For those feeling that this is just asking for bad things to happen, well I understand.
10. Pittsburgh Panthers (29-8)
The Ben Howland/Jamie Dixon era has made Pittsburgh perhaps the most consistent team in college basketball. And they’re only improving. Freshmen DeJuan Blair and Bradley Wanamaker headline the best recruiting class of the era, and the returnees have a lot of potential. Blair, a center, and forward Sam Young will take on starring roles. Young is explosive, Blair is steady and strong. Senior guard Levance Fields is the chemistry guy and gutsy defender. Together, they give the Panthers the type of leadership and skill that could push the team beyond the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1974 (when there were only 25 teams invited to the Big Dance).
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OVERRATED: Louisville | UNDERRATED: Pittsburgh
Admittedly, I have a bit of an advantage over a number of publications’ preview specials in that I have seen a little bit of the season already. Still, Louisville is not a top 10 team, yet some are claiming they are a top five team. I’m not sold that Derrick Caracter has the fitness or mentality to play big minutes consistently. And without David Padgett, Caracter will need to. Juan Palacios would help, but he can’t stay healthy either and is out till at least December. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh makes the Sweet Sixteen seemingly every year these days. So why is it that no one expects anything big from them? Jamie Dixon is a really great coach, the system works, and Sam Young and Dejuan Blair are two of the best players ever to come to Pitt.
Everyone wants their team to play in the non-con tournaments in November and December. Afterall, national media exposure is a good thing. Pitt fans are no exception. the disadvantage for Pitt is that the marquee teams and coaches in the Big East still carry a lot of weight. That limits Pitt’s opportunities.
The recruiting classes in 2008 does not have the talent as 2007 offered. Pitt finds itself ranked somewhere in the middle of the Big East, yet not highly ranked nationally. Yet, last season Pitt was somewhere in the middle of the pack in the Big East, but ranked nationally.
Point guard Travon Woodall (5-11, 185), shooting guard Ashton Gibbs (6-2, 190) and forward Dwight Miller (6-8, 220) are unranked at this time. Rivals ranked Pitt’s class as No. 8 in the Big East behind the likes of Rutgers and Cincinnati.
“I would term it solid,” said Jerry Meyer, a national recruiting analyst for Rivals. “There is no star power in this class. There are no difference-makers. This is not a great class. But I think this is a good class.”
The recruiting class from a year ago was No. 6 in the Big East and ranked No. 26 in the country by Rivals. That lofty ranking was due in large part to Dixon getting DeJuan Blair and Brad Wanamaker, both top-100 players, to come on board.
This whole 2008 recruiting class seems like a “nuts-and-bolts” type class. And I mean this for both Pitt and on a national level. There just aren’t that many difference maker players for next year. A lot of potential sleepers and surprises, but mainly players that will contribute a little in their first year and develop down the road.
