As close to reality as the information from Rivals.com is on who has signed their NLI and such, it really doesn’t become official until Pitt can mention the recruits by name. So, that first press release announcing the signed class matters.

Boasting a recruiting class considered one of the finest in the country and the best in the Big East, Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt announced today the signing of 19 prospects to National Letters of Intent.

Wannstedt made the announcement from the Panthers’ locker room at Heinz Field, which was adorned with the jerseys of members of Pitt’s recent recruiting classes, including All-America linebacker Scott McKillop and tailback LeSean McCoy, this past season’s Big East Rookie of the Year.

“We felt it was appropriate to introduce our 2008 recruiting class in the place where they will spend their Saturdays over the next four years,” Wannstedt said. “Looking at the jerseys in these lockers, we have been fortunate to recruit some outstanding young men to the University of Pittsburgh. We believe this year’s class fits that same exceptional mold.

“We recruited with specific positional needs in mind and I’m very pleased with the end result. This was a total team effort by our coaching staff, players and campus community. They all do a great job when it comes to recruiting student-athletes to Pitt and our 2008 class is a prime example.”

The press release has nuggets on each of the recruits for perusal.

The Scout.com and Rivals.com commit lists are always the place to go to see who they have gotten ahold of who has said they signed.

Rivals.com already has a ton listed as signing as of 9:24 am:

Chris Burns

Shayne Hale

Ronald Hobby

Jared Holley

Antwuan Reed

Cameron Saddler

Mike Shanahan

Ryan Turnley

Justin Virbitsky

Manny Williams

This in addition to Greg Cross and Rob Housers who are JUCOs that have already signed.

UPDATE (10:35): Scouts.com still has no checks under signed LOIs. Not good for the reputation.

Rivals.com has Kevin Harper and Tino Sunseri now on the signed list.

UPDATE (11:22): Looks like the two biggest ones have signed along with a couple others:

Lucas Nix

Jonathan Baldwin

Mike Cruz

Andrew Taglianetti (wonder if he will become a regular commit now that Stoudt is off to Louisville)

That just leaves Joe Trebitz from the list. That is, of course, assuming there are no late surprises. Really haven’t heard much of anything on that front, so it seems this will go down as an excellent but not particularly exciting NLI day for Pitt. Not that I’m complaining. Just relatively peaceful and almost anti-climatic.

UPDATE (11:49): And now Joe Trebitz has his name listed in signed.

No more to await from the verbal commits. Unless there are other surprises that means Pitt’s signing day is over before noon.

Don’t worry, basketball hasn’t been forgotten. Just shunted to the side for the day.

There was a question about the kind of offense Pitt runs. Which Ray Fittipaldo called a basic motion offense.

The offense is your basic motion offense that many other teams in college basketball run. The stagnancy you’re seeing the past few games has more to do with the personnel running it than the philosophy behind the offense. When this offense is run well — as it was earlier in the season — it is very effective. The Panthers have routinely shot 50 percent or more in games with this offense. Even though the Panthers found a way to win three of their first four Big East games, they do not have enough talent on offense to overcome the loss of two starters.

This is essentially true and plays into something I have been meaning to link for a week or so. The Basketball X’s&O’s blog looks at the game ending play Pitt ran against Duke and Villanova. The five-up screen.

Definitely click over to see the diagramming and breaking down of the play. I’m skipping to his concluding comments.

The play works because in late-game situations, traditional thinking defensively is to switch on all picks. We do it, everyone does it, you always switch all picks late in games. So here, the “5 up” is designed to get a switch and the guard should be able to take the slower forward 1v1. Also, you have a mismatch down low for the offensive rebound with a bigger forward being guarded by a smaller guard.

…

In analyzing the plays, it’s clear what the message here is. Players win games. You can have the best game winning play ever designed, but in the end, it’s the guy that swishes the net that takes the glory if he hits it and the heat if he misses.

For the truly obsessed, you can actually buy Jamie Dixon instructional DVDs. Including one on the Spread Motion: 4-in, 1-out Offense. Or you can see another example/variance on the 4-in, 1-out as he there is a break down of San Diego’s (I really can get lost in time looking through this site).

Hoopsworld.com looks at some of the best small forward prospects in the NCAA. Sam Young is listed as third.

Sam Young has been able to step up on the offensive side of the ball this season. Pitt needed some more scoring from the junior forward and Young responded by increasing his scoring average by 11 points from a year ago. At over 18 points a game, Young is currently the fourth leading scorer in one of the toughest conferences (Big East). Young’s awkward form causes some inconsistencies with his outside shot. His shooting percentages (49 fg% and 40 3pt%) are pretty good however. Young allows the game to come to him. He moves without the ball well and can knock down the spot up jumper.

At 6’6, Young will be undersized at the small forward position in the NBA. He has a well developed muscular frame that allows him to body up defenders well in the post. He fights hard on the glass pulling down 7 rebounds a game, which lets you know that he has no problem getting physical in the paint. With some developed skill sets on the perimeter, Young will be able to get some burn at the 2 guard position.

Let’s not presume Levance Fields will be back by the Marquette game.

“I would say [Feb. 15] is on the aggressive side based on what we know [now],” [Athletic Trainer Tony] Salesi said. “Even if we get a good report on Thursday and we can start doing a few more things that doesn’t leave you much time to get ready for a game. You’re talking about getting back into running, shooting and practice. A lot of it will be what Levance can handle. I think when he said that it was an overly optimistic time frame.”

Salesi allowed that athletes heal faster than most people and that there is always a chance that Fields could come back earlier than he expects.

Pitt originally set a timetable of 8 to 12 weeks after surgery. Yesterday was five weeks from the date of his surgery. If Fields comes back at eight weeks, he would be able to play in the final three regular-season games and the postseason tournaments.

That would be the games at Syracuse, at WVU and DePaul.

Coherence optional. I think I’m hitting full-blown flu. At the very least, “flu-like conditions.”

With that flattery Dennis, you can double your blog pay.

Tomorrow is the biggest geek day for college football fans. The annual day that tests servers all over the country — nay, the world for those that went really cheap on hosting service — as men flock to recruiting sites, message boards, blogs and anything else that might have information on where athletic teenage boys are going to college. Let’s face it, there’s no way this doesn’t come off as creepy.

Pitt took Tino Sunseri from Louisville, so naturally Louisville takes Zack Stoudt from Pitt. Can’t say I have strong feelings one way or the other.

Mike Shanahan out of Norwin is still a Pitt verbal. He also will get to play some hoops.

Shanahan said Pitt basketball coach Jamie Dixon was in touch with his father shortly after Shanahan committed to Pitt.”I might have a chance to walk on at Pitt if everything goes alright,” said Shanahan, who had nine basketball and eight football scholarship offers. “(The football coaches) said if I wanted to walk on, it would be all right. They said it was fine as long as they thought I could contribute and not sit on the bench.”

Any chance he could come and at least help on the practice squad by next week?

I think that the most frustrating thing about the press conference stories on Phil Bennett being hired as the new DC, is that there are no photos of Wannstedt and Bennett standing together. The power of their mustaches combined must be shown in full glory.

When introduced Monday at Pitt’s practice facility on the South Side, Bennett promised to play an aggressive defense.

“If you want to be a dominating defense, obviously you dictate and stop the run,” Bennett said. “Takeaways are something that’s more demoralizing than anything to an offense. It sets the tone for everything you’re about as a football team.”

Bennett said he believes “defense is an attitude,” and wants his to be one that can win games with a four-man rush and a solid secondary instead of relying upon blitzing.

“My old defensive coordinator used to tell me, ‘When you blitz, somebody’s band is going to play. You want to make … sure it’s yours.'”

Works for me.

There was also a note that DE Doug Fulmer got another medical redshirt. That means he will be a sophomore as far as eligibility and will have be able to stay in school for 6 years. Get that masters, dude.

Cameron Saddler and his mom buried Rich Rodriguez and his staff in this story on recruiting.

Sometimes, recruiters’ claims are simply difficult to believe. That’s the way it was with Saddler in two separate conversations with then-West Virginia assistant coach Tony Gibson. He’s now at the University of Michigan.

“Coach Gibson told me, ‘We have no guys that can do the same things you do,’ which was just ridiculous. They have all types of players. I looked like clones with these guys. For him to say stuff like that, I kind of was like he’s not serious.

“A couple days after he was hired at Michigan, he said, ‘We truly have no guys that can do what you can do.’ Now you tell me the same thing and I’m supposed to believe it?”

…

Such uncertainty is just one of the reasons parents play a major role in most athletes’ decision-making process. Take for instance Saddler’s mother, Darlene, who got not-so-trusting vibes from Rodriguez and was partly responsible for Saddler dropping West Virginia from his list.

“She was iffy on coach Rod,” Saddler said. “She just didn’t trust him. She kept saying, ‘Something about him I don’t trust.’ We talked about (Wannstedt and Rodriguez) and she kept saying something isn’t right. Once she was like I’m sure about (Wannstedt), that made me think, whoa. You know how your mom’s always right? Well, my mom’s right about everything from girlfriends to school work, just the weirdest things.”

This won’t kill Rodriguez for recruiting in Western PA, though. Don’t kid yourself. If Bobby Petrino has no problem after everything, Rodriguez has no great concerns. He still has ties and Michigan has made lots of inroads before he got there. Plus, there is simply, the Michigan name. As long as he can show that he can get players to the NFL, blue-chippers will still listen.

Get rest and drink lots of fluids. It’s going to be a long day in front of the computer tomorrow.

Zack Stoudt previously verballed to Pitt, but is backing out and will sign a letter of intent tomorrow and play for Louisville. [NLI day is tomorrow?!? Whoa, the Terrelle Pryor mania and hype could be over after tomorrow. Unless he somehow decides to come to Pitt…]

As of now, we’re still bringing in two QB’s for the class of 2008. Greg Cross is already enrolled after transferring from JuCo and Central Catholic’s Tino Sunseri decided a few months ago to switch his verbal from the very same Louisville team to stay closer to home. The quarterback race this season is going to get very interesting. It looks as if we’ll have 4 QB’s competing in camp — Stull, Smith, Bostick, and Cross — with Sunseri likely getting the redshirt fairly quickly.

…the 2007 College Football Blogger Awards are here. Lead by the big boys in the CFB blogosphere, the nominees are out. They are spread out on EDSBS, MGoBlog, Dawg Sports, Burnt Orange Nation and Rocky Top Talk. Just a few thoughts:

— For a second straight year, Pitt Blather is nominated for the Best Big East/Notre Dame blog. This is a testament to Chas who I personally think is one of the best bloggers in the business. (Albeit a low income business for most, it’s a business nonetheless.)

— The actual awards are a great way to let let some people who might not be “in” with the vast number of great college football blogs on the web. It also allows newer and lesser known blogs to get some deserved attention.

— Since you can’t win a category if you won last year, Every Day Should Be Saturday and MGoBlog won’t sweep every award.

— My vote for Best Big East Blog will go to Card Chronicle. I try to visit a few times a week; always a good read.

— Funniest post? Enter the Octonion, the secret meeting between the Big East mascots with Roc the Panther being hilariously humanized.

— Eleven Warriors, an Ohio State blog, is beautiful. My vote for best looking site.

— The Birddog, focused on Navy football which I started to read the week of our devastating loss to them, is my choice for Best New Blog.

Soon enough, EDSBS will have directions so that you, me, and my dog (Finnigan!) can vote and award some winners.

Yep. Smart and necessary move by Coach Wannstedt after the hiring of new DC Phil Bennett. Greg Gattuso gets his own promotion.

Pitt football coach Dave Wannstedt announced today that defensive line coach Greg Gattuso has been given the additional title of assistant head coach.

Gattuso, 45, has spent three seasons on Wannstedt’s staff after 12 years as head coach at Duquesne University. Gattuso was a finalist for Pitt’s defensive coordinator opening, but Wannstedt hired former Southern Methodist coach Phil Bennett.

“From a staff standpoint, Greg Gattuso will be my assistant head coach,” Wannstedt said. “He’s done a great job recruiting in the area, and I think he can bring a lot more to the table.”

Yep.

I’m a bit out of it today. Or a bit more than usual. Kids getting sick in the past week, and now it’s my turn. So, as I turn to my secret stash of black market pre-change in the composition Ny-Quill, I’m going to do the link stuff on the quick and lazy.

Yeah, Pitt lost in the final minutes to UConn in case you forgot.

UConn Coach Calhoun saw this game as old-time Big East basketball.

The Huskies’ fifth consecutive victory was a blue-collar effort that reminded Calhoun of the Big East in the 1980s.

“If you look at the tape,” Calhoun said, “it would be in black-and-white.”

That was a big theme in the Connecticut coverage. That and A.J. Price’s play.

“Every time we felt like we were about to go up on them, he (Price) would make a big play for them, whether it was a pass, or a shot, or a three,” said Pittsburgh forward Sam Young (18 points). “He played his butt off today and my hat’s off to him.”

Price has played well the entire season, but has absolutely sparkled during UConn’s five-game winning streak, particularly since guards Jerome Dyson and Doug Wiggins were suspended three games ago. Wiggins returned Saturday, Dyson will be out until the end of February.

Not only does Price lead the Huskies in scoring (14.6) and assists (6.0), but against ranked opponents, he is averaging 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game. The Huskies, who should be in the Top 25 themselves come Monday afternoon, are 3-3 against ranked teams.

DeJuan Blair can’t wait for Levance Fields to get back.

“We played tough. We played a good game,” he said. “We just ended up with a loss. We fought hard. They just came at the end and did an excellent job of executing plays and going to the hoop and finding shots.

“But I did good. My team did good. We just got the loss. We just have to bounce back, and we’re going to be good once Levance Fields comes back. We’re going to be good.”

“Once Levance comes back, we should be way, way better. With our guards at their right spots, we will be a much better team.”

Blair, especially, benefits from Fields being there. Fields is still the best passer and the guy who penetrates and dishes cleanly. That’s needed for Blair at this point. He is still a freshman and isn’t going to be as good with his position and really being open for passes — or the other guards aren’t good enough at passing to make it to him.
Missing Fields was a story today. There’s some frustration by the team.

Young reiterated that the up-and-down play in the first month of league play is unacceptable no matter the circumstances.

“No, we’re not OK,” Young said. “I’m not saying it couldn’t be worse, but we’re not going to settle. I know we know we can do better than this. We are waiting for Levance to get back. But I’m not going to say we’re OK.”

Blair isn’t thrilled either.

“No, I’m not OK with (being 5-4),” Blair said. “Heck no, because we keep bouncing back and forth. We win, lose, win, lose. I don’t like that. You know me. Where I came from, I was a winner. I try my hardest to fight … so I’m trying to get a winning streak going on. Getting a couple game-winning streaks going. That will put our confidence up, and once Levance comes back, we will just be way, way better.”

The good news, is there is no finger pointing.  The frustration makes sense. Everyone feels it.

The papers are reporting the hiring of former Southern Methodist head coach Phil Bennett to fill the defensive coordinator position that was vacated Paul Rhoads. Bennett and Dave Wannstedt have known each other for years but the hiring comes as a bit of a surprise. It seemed the leading candidate had to be Greg Gattuso.

The past experience (Post-Gazette):

Bennett was the head coach of the Mustangs from 2001 until this past season, when he was fired after a 1-11 season. Prior to that he was the defensive coordinator for three seasons at Kansas State and had stops as an assistant at Oklahoma (secondary, 1999), TCU (defensive coordinator, 1998) and Texas A&M (defensive coordinator, 1996-98).

He was fired from SMU and they (somehow) managed to upgrade to ex-Hawaii coach June Jones.

Wannstedt says:

“In Phil Bennett we are getting an immensely knowledgeable and talented coach. Phil is not only going to be a major asset for us defensively, but his tremendous experience will benefit our entire program.”

A friend who lives in Dallas and has seen a fair share of SMU games tells me his schemes are aggressive and utilize the blitz very well. That should fit well with what it seems Wannstedt wants to do with the defense — which I believe is everything we saw starting with the Cincinnati game and culminating with the great performance against WVU. That is, different blitzing packages and schemes and less of the “read and react” garbage. If DW and Bennett mesh well together, Bennett could end up be a very good addition to the staff.

Mr. Bennett, at this point the shoes you are filling are not very big. I find it hard for you to do much worse than Rhoads did. Again, thanks to Auburn for taking him.

You know, I think I would have preferred to have played UConn in about 2 weeks. After they’ve been playing with a 7-8 man team for a while. They actually have their starters playing more minutes than Pitt in the last 3 games. There are 200 minutes available in any game, UConn has played their starters for 169, 169 and 173 minutes since the suspension of Dyson. Wiggins won’t be that big of an impact on the minutes of the starters. Calhoun is either going to have to give other guys more minutes, or this team will be burned out by the Big East Tournament.

I didn’t have a big problem with the officiating. Maybe 2 or 3 calls went UConn’s way more than Pitt had go theirs. Big deal. It’s a road game. That’s not atypical in my view for the home court to sway a couple extra. Did they piss me off when they happened? You bet. That wasn’t the reason for the loss, though. Have to give credit to UConn for beating Pitt. They played great defense.

This game convinced me, though, that Hasheem Thabeet is off to the NBA after this season. He nearly left last year when he didn’t know how to do much more than stand with his arms straight up. He’s got a ways to go, but he is far better than he was last year. He’s even learned to make free throws.

Thabeet became a complete intimidator to Young and Blair. They really were bothered and frustrated. Thabeet only had 5 blocks, but his presence altered so many others. There’s a reason that UConn is the #1 team in 2-pt FG defense. Like Louisville, Pitt had poor 3-point shooting and lost. Providence won, and they shot ridiculously high on 3-point shots. UConn may be one of the most susceptible teams to being bombed on a random night.

I’m trying to figure out if Keith Benjamin is really bothered by the stitches on his hand or if it is simply that he was hot for a while on his 3-point shooting and is now going back to equilibrium. 2-3, 3-6, 1-4 and 1-6. That is what he has shot from the perimeter in the each of the past 4 games. I’m leaning towards streaky, not injured hand.

Sadly, Sam Young’s 0-5 on 3s is also not particularly atypical lately. Since his 4-4 on 3s against Seton Hall, he’s shot 5-25 (with 3 coming versus St. John’s) in the next six games

I was shocked that UConn actually made a brief attempt early in the game to go to a 2-3 zone. Gilbert Brown dropped a short jumper right in the middle of it, and they never tried that again. The Huskies are less comfortable in the zone than Pitt.

Heck, this was a game that cried out for the lost art of the mid-range jumper to beat UConn. The Huskies played the perimeter and packed it inside. Young and Brown, noticeably, had success with the short and mid-range shots. Oddly, the only guy UConn seemed prepared to defend that way was Tyrell Biggs. Guess they watched a fair amount of tape in the game plan.

I have to say that Bradley Wanamaker played pretty well. I think he was under orders not to shoot, and that helped a bit. He really got after it on defense — and only whistled for one foul. Yes he had that painful turnover near the end of the half, but at least he shut down UConn before they could get a shot off the other way.

On Pitt’s first 8 baskets, there were 7 assists. Pitt had 3 more assists the rest of the game.

Defensively, Blair did more than hold his own inside against Thabeet, Adrien and Robinson. Blair had another double-double but with 9 offensive rebounds he really struggled. 5-14 shooting. It also means that he wasn’t getting that many touches in this game except from rebounds. That was a shame because while he was 1-6 in the first half, but did improve to 4-9 in the second half (when he had 6 offensive boards). He was figuring it out inside offensively, which is good for the future.

Hard to believe that when Stanley Robinson came into UConn last year, some thought he might only last a year. At this rate, he’s going to be there for the full four years. Just a completely inconsistent player.

I’m not going to be able to give this game as immediate attention as I want. Monitor duty at Fanhouse and 3 noon Big East games that are all staying close — ‘Cuse-Nova; Hall-G’town; and Marq-Cinci — means keeping a closer eye on those and then coming back to Pitt with the 1pm start.

Almost a silly premised article — Pitt struggles when going to UConn in the last 17 years. Hmm. Pitt sucked in the 90s and UConn has been a national power since the mid-90s. Guess what? Even if they were relatively even, the strong edge will go to the home team. Just like Pitt has a pretty strong edge at the Pete over UConn.

Big theme will be that both teams are undermanned. UConn though, has Wiggins available. There’s no way he doesn’t play, in my view, if he’s been practicing with the team. Even as Calhoun bitches that proper procedures weren’t followed since he didn’t determine Dyson and Wiggins should have been drug tested, not to mention the info released by the UConn campus police about the marijuana found near the car (no charges filed, though).

According to sources, athletic director Jeff Hathaway has a policy that calls for student athletes involved with any alcohol-related incident to be tested for drugs. UConn’s student athlete drug-testing policy is composed of three parts: random testing, probable cause and testing before participation in an NCAA championship event or bowl game.

Testing in this case falls under probable cause. Calhoun does not think this case called for drug testing, and the handbook says probable cause “may” be determined by a coach, doctor or trainer.

No, of course not. Found with alcohol in the car. Drugs found near the scene — even if not charged — and two players who have already failed at least one drug test each. Nothing to consider in that scene.

Let’s go Pitt.

A few pieces in the national and local media on Pitt players.

A list of most improved players includes Sam Young.

The Washington, D.C., native was an enigmatic reserve for the Panthers in each of the past two seasons, and was hobbled by tendinitis in each of his knees during the 2006-07 season. But after moving into the starting power forward role this season, Young is vying for both most improved and most valuable player in the Big East. He is fourth in the league in scoring with 18.1 points per game and averages 7.0 rebounds. Once known only for his rim-shaking dunks, Young has expanded his game. He is shooting 43.1 percent (25-for-58) on 3-pointers after making only 17 in his first two college seasons combined. Young has kept the Panthers in the Big East race after they lost guard Levance Fields and small forward Mike Cook to injuries.

Young also got a piece the other day focusing on his relationship with his younger brother.

DeJuan Blair was listed in another piece on top freshmen not named Love, Mayo, Beasley, Gordon or Rose.

He’s not the tallest center in Division I, but there are few wider. His massive shoulders and powerful hands make Blair a force in the low post. He is a relentless rebounder and showed he could stand up to 7-footers when he did a number on veteran Georgetown center Roy Hibbert.

Blair and the one of the plays he is involved in coming out on defense was the subject of a question for Ray Fittipaldo.

Q: I’m sure you have discussed this matter before, but I still don’t understand why DeJuan Blair and before him Aaron Gray, come to the top of the circle on defense running after the opposing teams players. It seems to cause all sorts of problems for our big men, i.e. Blair picking up two quick silly fouls to start the second half against Rutgers and Gray having to expend energy that he didn’t always have. What is Dixon’s philosophy in using this sort of defensive strategy? Wouldn’t it make more sense to let our big man play his man as needed or lay back on defense?

FITTIPALDO: It’s called hedging on a ball screen and it’s done to prevent the opposing team’s guards from penetrating the paint area or knocking down a wide open outside shot. The other team’s center will come out to the top and set a screen on one of Pitt’s guards. While Pitt’s guard is fighting his way through the screen, Blair is coming out to force the opposing guard to dribble around the defense instead of penetrating and either scoring or dishing off to an open man. When done properly, hedging can be a very effective tool to limit the effectiveness of a penetrating guard. Blair is not as adept at edging as he needs to be, and this gets him into foul trouble on an occasion. If Blair sits back under the hoop while his man is setting a screen, the opposing guard will come off that screen and have a wide open 3-pointer. It is sound defense when executed well.

Friday afternoon, ESPN Classic showed the 2002 Big East Tournament Championship — the one Pitt lost to UConn in OT. I watched Ontario Lett and Toree Morris running the same hedge. That’s now a staple of Pitt big men in this century.
Keith Benjamin did an ESPN.com chat.

Brian (Philadelphia): What is the best thing about playing for Jamie Dixon?

Keith Benjamin: Coach Dixon is a really great, funny guy. He’s a soft-spoken guy who will let you hear it but won’t chew you out. He really loves the team and this game. He’s one of the best coaching minds in America and doesn’t give up on us, so we won’t give up on him.

…

Zak (Pittsburgh): What’s the key to keeping the momentum Pitt has built as a program over the last half-decade or so going?

Keith Benjamin: Just keep on recruiting the same type of guys, and hopefully acquire some McDonald’s All-Americans. Guys that can be coached and that want to win. The guys we have now as freshmen are doing a great job, and they’ll keep winning for many a year.

Finally, Benjamin got some love after the Villanova game, as did Tyrell Biggs.

The game is at 1pm on CBS. It’s also a pretty good match-up.

Game worth watching on TV: The battle of teams down key players is Saturday in Hartford. It’s Pittsburgh minus Mike Cook and Levance Fields because of injuries vs. Connecticut minus Jerome Dyson because of a failed drug test that has earned him a 30-day suspension. So yeah, the game would be better if those guys were involved. But it’s still a great Big East matchup scheduled for CBS, and why wouldn’t you want to watch CBS?

Technically Jim Calhoun says he hasn’t decided whether Doug Wiggins will play. Right. He’s playing.

ESPN.com includes the non-ESPN game as a big weekend game.

Connecticut has one of the most explosive groups of athletes — led by guard A.J. Price and forward Stanley Robinson. Craig Austrie stepped up in the absence of Dyson and Wiggins and scored 15 points against Indiana. Center Hasheem Thabeet has steadily improved his offense to go along with his shot-blocking ability and overall defensive presence in the lane. Jeff Adrien is a dependable power forward who competes and provides consistent production in the lane as a scorer and rebounder. Despite losing to Rutgers at home this past Saturday, the Panthers beat Villanova on Wednesday. Pitt is short-handed with Levance Fields still out with a foot injury, but coach Jamie Dixon has shown he can rally the troops. The Iron Five of Gilbert Brown, Sam Young, DeJuan Blair, Keith Benjamin and Ronald Ramon should not be taken lightly, even on the road against a confident Connecticut team.

Good news, Seth Davis at SI.com picks UConn by 3.

So the question becomes, which team is better equipped to win a physical conference game with a thin bench? Well, Pitt out-rebounded Villanova by eight in its win on Wednesday night, but I doubt that will happen against UConn. My sense is the Huskies have turned the corner in terms of understanding how tough they need to be and how smart they need to play. That, plus the two days of additional rest and preparation they had this week after beating Louisville on Monday, should be the difference.

The extra days off for UConn seems to be a big advantage. The only thing I can sort of point out is that the Huskies played Indiana and Louisville on Saturday then Monday. Davis points out the team seems to have turned a corner. Contra that, they are still a young team and got a couple extra days to relax. They were rolling a bit, and now had a chance to rest.
Pitt, of course, is tired as they are finishing a 4-game in 10-day grind.

There are those times late in games when, admittedly, Biggs’ legs feel a bit like Jell-O, when his breathing becomes labored and his body is telling him to shut it down while his head wins a tussle as it screams to “keep on going, push through.”

Biggs harkens back to those semi-torturous offseason conditioning sessions when a moment like that arises.

“Just grinding it out in the summer and all that running we did on the track and all that stuff we did on the court, it definitely pays off right now,” Biggs said. “You can find yourself at the end of games with your wind going down and your legs feeling it some. But you just have to tell yourself to keep fighting, you don’t have any choice but to fight through it.”

I don’t have a strong sense on this game. I do expect some very ragged second half play from both teams.

The SEC/Big East half-hearted invitational has announced the locations, teams and dates for next December’s games. Pitt doesn’t play in them. USF-Vandy and Marquette-Tennessee in Nashville on December 16. Mississippi St.-Cinci and Ole Miss-Louisville Cinci in Cincinnati on December 18. As usual, the Big East ducks the fun game by not having Ole Miss — who is coached by Andy Kennedy who was interim coach at Cinci after Huggs was fired — play Cinci.

What a joke this thing is. 4 teams per year. Lame.

UConn will be without starting guard Jerome Dyson for the month of February with an automatic 30 day suspension for failing his second drug test. Doug Wiggins, surprisingly, passed his drug test and will probably play against Pitt on Saturday.

Some esoteric stats based only on conference games. Pitt has the 3d slowest tempo in the Big East. Pitt is also tied for most efficient team on offense.

Pat Forde at ESPN.com argues that the Big East in basketball is a lot like the SEC in football. A brutal guantlet without real soft areas.

Even the team that has established itself alone in first place is hardly bulletproof. Georgetown is 6-1 in Big East play, but half of those wins are by a total of six points and required an extraordinary escape. Against Connecticut, the Hoyas needed a 3-pointer by 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert with six seconds left to win by three. Against Syracuse, a Jonny Flynn 3 just lipped out at the buzzer of overtime. And Saturday against West Virginia, the Hoyas needed a Patrick Ewing Jr. shot block at the rim at the buzzer to win by one.

“They’re winning, and that experience of winning close games has got to help them,” Crean said. “But the games have been so close, it’s going to give everyone else confidence they can beat them.”

Between the top and bottom, there are 11 teams with either three or four league losses.

“It’s going to be a jumbled mess at the end in the middle,” Cronin said. “But there are a lot of teams good enough to go in [the NCAA Tournament] — maybe 12. The question is whether we’ll ever get nine or 10 in.”

I hate the conference supremacy arguments. It is silly and only based on fans who want to make themselves feel better about their team or justify something. It does make for fun bar arguments, though, living here in Ohio.

Draft profiles are starting to show-up. Pitt has 4 players likely to have their names called on draft days: Jeff Otah, Darrell Strong, Joe Clermond and Mike McGlynn.

While I was happy that Paul Dunn was asked to pursue other options by Coach Wannstedt, I don’t wish him ill. Dunn, afterall, is an alum. So, it’s good to see he landed a job with the Atlanta Falcons as an assistant O-line coach.