Meaningless, other than the fact that Pitt signees are not exactly getting overshadowed at the defense-free all-star games. Down in Florida, Travon Woodall took home MVP honors.

But the smallest guy on the floor, 6-foot point guard Travon Woodall of consensus high school national poll champion Jersey City, N.J. St. Anthony’s, walked away with Most Valuable Player honors for Team USA.

Woodall, a Pittsburgh signee, had 22 points and several key plays in the comeback.

Another NJ guard signed with Pitt, Ashton Gibbs, took home NJ all-star game MVP honors.

The Pittsburgh-bound guard made the most of his opportunity, totaling 15 points — all on 3-point baskets — and earning Most Valuable Player honors when his North team defeated the South, 137-120.

“It was weird having the season end early,” Gibbs said. “I didn’t know what to do. I watched some games and started working out to get ready for Pitt.”

Gibbs was hot in the early going, hitting four 3-pointers in the first five minutes to boost the North to a 22-11 lead.

“It was great to play with some of the best players in the state,” Gibbs said. “I wanted to show what I could do against that kind of competition.”

All-star games are fun, but not vital. The nice thing out of this to me was that Gibbs also won the 3-point shooting competition. The 3-point shooting will be something Pitt needs from another guard next season.

Nasir Robinson was part of the Philadelphia Inquirer All-area team.

Another member of the 1st team was Aaric Murray who Pitt is looking at for 2009. He’s 6’9 -6’10, and a raw project. He has been in trouble for missing school. Lots of school.

When he was a youngster growing up at 20th and Susquehanna, he thought otherwise. He once skipped 150 days of class in a single school year. He repeated the eighth grade twice. And despite standing 6-foot-91/2 in his socks, basketball was something he watched only on television.

Today, after making a commitment to the hardwood and making dramatic academic improvements, he is a college-prep-course-taking, can’t-miss college prospect.

He is Aaric Murray, a junior center at Glen Mills, a residential school in Delaware County for court-adjudicated young men.

“Coming here was a blessing,” said Murray, sent to Glen Mills for years of truancy. “That’s why I thank God every night. It was definitely a blessing.”

So much of a blessing that he will remain at Glen Mills even after his 14-month sentence concludes next month.

Craig Mellinger, the Bulls’ longtime basketball coach, marvels at Murray’s transformation.

“Two of the biggest things that he has had in growth the last year is, No. 1, maturity,” Mellinger said. “And along with that maturity has come the confidence to interact and ask questions. He’ll tell you that a year ago, you couldn’t pull five words out of him.”

He also hasn’t played a lot of basketball. But he has potential.

“I only saw him one time,” said Dave Telep, Scout.com’s national basketball recruiting analyst.

As a result, Murray isn’t ranked nationally by the Web site. But. . . .

“The one time I saw Aaric, he showed the ability to be a major Division I player,” Telep continued. “I really had a positive impression of him.”

SLAM had him on their radar last January, listing him at #13.

Mixed feelings. He seems to have a lot of potential, but he is a definite project. The kind that will need a redshirt and some time. As long as he isn’t planning to decide until after the summer, Pitt might be best served by seeing how McGhee is coming along over the summer and if Austin Wallace will ever be able to comeback. Not sure Pitt can afford to have too many big men projects at once.

I hate to waste time on this sort of thing, but Bob Smizik’s usual column about how unimportant the Big East Tournament is, has come out. Honestly, I have a hard time getting worked up about most of what Smizik writes. Recycling the same columns, themes and just changing names has been his M.O. for years at this point.

Let’s give Smizik props for sticking with the position he has advocated before. At least he isn’t always a weather vane. He may have not said a damn word if Pitt had gone further, but that’s just human nature. Apparently playing well in the Big East Tournament is only bad for Pitt. G-town went to the Final Four last year after winning the BET. UConn won national champs in two of the three times it won the BET.

For Pitt, though, it is overemphasized because they had nothing left for the NCAA Tournament. Really, if Smizik was going to recycle a column, I would have expected his 2006 complaint about Pitt not being a good shooting team. You know, because they were too focused on defense and rebounding. He couldn’t complain about it in 2005, because Pitt lost in the first round of the BET. Don’t worry, he doubled it up in 2004, with focus on the unimportance of the BET and the regular season title, but then complained about how flawed Pitt was after losing the BET.

His theme this time, was that Pitt should have not played the 7-man rotation so much in the BET, even if it meant losing.

Gary McGhee, for example, did not get on the floor in the Big East tournament. That’s ridiculous. McGhee, a 6 foot 10 freshman, should have been part of the rotation, giving a rest to either Sam Young or DeJuan Blair so those two valuable players would be at their best for NCAA play and not possibly fatigued. Not only does it help Young and Blair, it gives McGhee valuable playing experience.

Brad Wanamaker, a player who might be starting next season, played a total of 16 minutes in the Big East tournament and did not get on the floor in the final two games. Wanamaker should have been used to spell Ronald Ramon and Levance Fields to keep them fresh for the more important games ahead.

As it was, Ramon and Young averaged 38 minutes and Fields 36 in the four Big East tournament games. Allocating those kind of minutes to a secondary tournament is poor coaching.

No one can be certain fatigue was the reason Ramon and Fields shot a combined 1 for 9 from 3-point range against Michigan State or that Young was 4 for 12 from the field. But it might have been, and that possibility should have been enough for Dixon to keep his players fresh instead of overextending them.

So, let’s say McGhee and Wanamaker got 10 minutes in each of those two games. Here’s the problem with that idea — I mean beyond the minimal actual impact on minutes.

It assumes the substitution is an individual occurrence. That the team doesn’t make adjustments to the rotation on hand. Like, having to help more inside with McGhee who is a step slow and not as sure inside. Or the other players having to work harder on offense because there is more pressure on the other 4 while McGhee is out there. The same can be argued for Wanamaker. He’s a solid defender, but his offense has been a non-factor and turnover risk in his freshman year.

I have high hopes for both. I think both will show marked improvement next season. That doesn’t mean you put them out there in these situations, and put these games at risk. To say nothing of the possibility of damaging their confidence if they make big mistakes in these situations.

Well Pitt’s pro-day for the NFL scouts was Monday. The main attraction, Jeff Otah, was unable to go because of a lingering high ankle sprain.

There were other seniors who worked out — Mike McGlynn, Joe Clermond, Darrell Strong and Kennard Cox.

McGlynn (6-4, 310), a four-year starter, started two games at right guard and nine at right tackle last season for the Panthers. But he is being projected as a guard by NFL scouts and coaches because of his height and arm length. However, what makes him an attractive mid-round prospect is that he has what Tomlin called “position flexibility.”

“That’s the good thing about him — he can play three positions,” said Arizona Cardinals offensive line coach/assistant head coach Russ Grimm, a former Steelers assistant who attended the workout. “He was a center before he played guard and tackle.”

Strong is an intriguing prospect because of his size (6-4, 268), athleticism and big hands, yet he is not ranked among the top tight end prospects in the draft. Part of the reason is that Strong began his college career as a quarterback, was switched to wide receiver and has only been a tight end for three years.

“It went good,” Strong said of his workout. “I think I did good in all the drills. I improved on all the things I did at the combine.”

Size likely will be a deterrent for defensive tackle Joe Clermond (6-3, 250), who was a productive player at Pitt and led the team last season with 10.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss and was second team All-Big East. Colbert said Clermond would be an outside linebacker in the 3-4 style of defense the Steelers employ, but he could play end for a 4-3 team.

The more Pitt players drafted, the better.
Today is the start of spring practice. As is usual, there is a sense of optimism and excitement. This despite a slew of questions and upheaval.

Pitt opens spring football drills Tuesday with a four-way competition at quarterback, an overhaul on the offensive line and a coaching staff that features five new assistants.

That would be cause for alarm at some schools, but the Panthers’ 13-9 victory at No. 2 West Virginia in the season finale and 100th Backyard Brawl has provided optimism.

The challenge for Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt is to build on the momentum of that monumental victory, when the Panthers finally played the way he had long envisioned.

“We’ve got to get coaches and players feeling that confidence that we finished the year with,” said Wannstedt, whose Panthers are a preseason top-25 team in some polls.

The biggest issue will be the position battles. QB, Center, all along the O-line, Linebacker spots outside of McKillop still look open, CB, depth chart issues at WR.

There’s nothing like the spring practices to challenge the cynicism. There’s the anticipated — almost standardized — stories of off-season workouts; new coaches and new perspectives; position changes; players ready to step up; blind optimism; players coming back from injury and so on.

God help me, every year I get sucked into it and believe this year will be different. Can’t wait.

Why wait? Scott McKillop gets the first national puff-piece in the week before spring practice.

It’s a defender’s version of nature vs. nurture. Are good tacklers born or are they made? Good tackling may be all about technique. Ask any safety who has to listen to a coach berate him for lunging at a tailback. But if the player doesn’t have “a nose for the ball,” as coaches are wont to say, it doesn’t matter how good his technique is.

Take the case of Scott McKillop, the Pittsburgh senior linebacker who, in his first season as a starter, led his team in tackling. He led every other team in tackling, too. McKillop made more tackles per game than any player in the nation last season. His 12.58 stops per game is more than 1½ tackles higher than any other returning player averaged in 2007. That adds up to 151 tackles, or 91 more — that’s right, 91 — than Pitt’s runner-up, linebacker Shane Murray.

Let the unbridled optimism flow.

The Pitt women’s basketball team beat 11th seeded Wyoming on Saturday 63-58 to advance to the second round against 3rd see ded Baylor. They advanced this far last year but Candace Parker from Tennessee rolled right over them on their way to an NCAA title.

Baylor (25-6) limped into the tournament with three straight losses — its first three-game skid since the 2000-01 season. The Bears’ struggles were largely due to inexperience and a lack of healthy bodies. They have just one senior on the roster and haven’t played more than seven players in any game since beating Oklahoma on Feb. 17.

That one senior, however, made a big difference on Saturday, when Tisdale had 26 points and six assists in Baylor’s 88-67 first-round victory over Fresno State. “She’s the key to our offense,” junior forward Rachel Allison said of Tisdale, averaging 24.4 points in her last five games. [ESPN preview]

If they are able to beat Baylor tonight, it would be the first Sweet 16 appearance in program history. Game time is set for 7pm on ESPN2.

Women’s basketball was once a strong point of Penn State athletics, but now we have that. At least they can always fall back on their 12 NCAA men’s gymnastics championships.

And holy hell does ESPN have a lot invested in this tournament or what. After CBS picked up the exclusive rights to every game of the men’s tourney, ESPN swooped in for the women’s. I’m willing to bet if they didn’t have the women’s tournament on their networks they wouldn’t have as much of their website dedicated to the women as they do the men. Just sayin’.

Congrats to coach Agnus Berenato for putting the Pitt women’s team on the map when they weren’t relevant even two years ago. Back-to-back tourney appearances is a big deal.

I knew it was good for me to write about Pitt’s season having already been enough. Win or lose against Michigan State, it was enough. I’ve already reread that post five times – I’m positive it’s kept me from saying something I’ll regret later. I’ve had about 40 hours to digest it – I think it’s time to move on.

Having said that…ouch. That’s a tough one to lose. I can’t wait to hear the people saying Dixon still can’t win the big ones – I don’t think any coach can win when your team shoots like that. He wasn’t the one shooting 2 of freaking 17 on three pointers. Ronald Ramon and Keith Benjamin both played like crap and there’s no denying that. I’ve been pretty tough on both all year (especially Ramon) and this game didn’t help their cause. Still, thanks to them for giving so much to this program over the years and I hope them both the best in whatever their life takes them to next. It’s not like the seniors were the only ones to drop the ball though – everyone except for Fields played like #%@&. I’m not even mad anymore because, well, it’s over.

But hey, when Drew Neitzel is going to hit every shot he takes then you’re already fighting a losing battle. As Chas mentioned, Neitzel frustrated the hell out of everyone by both his crazy shots and his attitude. Someone I watched the game with, not a Pitt fan, commented on how much of a jerk he was and somebody from Pitt needed to foul him hard at the end of the game. I responded with some harsher words (one f-word followed by a different f-word) but whatever. Just add him to the list with Gerry McNamara and Chris Quinn – certified Panther killers.

Please don’t bring up the argument that they were worn down by the Big East Tournament. I’m not buying that excuse at all. These are 18-22 year old kids in the best shape of their lives. Sure four games in four days was tough but it was a whole week ago. The game against Oral Roberts was so easy and boring that it was like a day off anyways.

It also would have been nice for them to win for the simple fact it would have given us something to write about for another week. Blogging the offseason sucks.

From a selfish standpoint, I definitely want Sam Young to come back for his senior season. I can argue all the good reasons for his development and game that say he should come back. Mostly consistency issues. More consistent mid-range jumper needed, attacking the rim when there’s a defender in the vicinity more frequently, defensive effort, etc.

At the very least, Young has to put himself through the NBA draft process before making a final decision. It’s the most responsible thing for him and his family. Find out what the NBA scouts actually say. See who else is coming out and get a better idea of the competition at his spot for next year’s draft.

Then there are these reasons.

Age. Young will be 23 by the time of the draft this season. The NBA likes the players younger because there’s the tantalizing prospect of “upside.” The older, more mature a player is, the less room they see for growth in his game.

Health. We sometimes forget it, because Young has been so healthy on the court this year, but he doesn’t have knees that are in great shape. He continually battles tendonitis in both of them. Often needs both to be encased in ice after games. Given how important his jumping ability is to his game, he has to consider both the risk of injury if he comes back for his final year and the question of how long he can play professionally and earn a living before his knees become too much of an issue.

Strong finish. The season may have ended with a clunk in the NCAA Tournament, but that hardly erases his tremendous performance in the Big East Tournament. Against teams with NBA talent in the front court, like Louisville and Georgetown, Young was the best player out there. He dominated on both ends. Swatting shots, hitting his own. He was a force. In the BET there were plenty of scouts there to see players like Palacios, Hibbert, and others.

Potential. Come back for a final season after getting national recognition/breakout year, all too often means that scouts and draft people spend the next season criticizing and picking apart the game.

Plenty of reasons to come back, but it isn’t nearly so clear-cut.

Evening. I just got home a short while ago from a weekend visit to the family out east. Spent most of the 375 miles of the drive still thinking about the missed shots, and Drew Neitzel sending in those 3s.

The rational part of my brain knows Neitzel was just hyped and relieved he didn’t get the foul called on his reach-in and he didn’t realize Fields was down; but seeing him screaming and posing towards Michigan State’s end of the court as Fields was writhing on the court and called for an offensive foul still irritates the hell out of me and has me wishing him ill.

Levance Fields, though, took the high road.

On the next possession, as if to prove these guys really do make their living playing the brutish defense Tom Izzo’s teams are known for, the guards combined on the final blow. Neitzel reached in to redirect Fields — who found himself slamming directly into [Kalin] Lucas. The ref called a charge and, cruelly and almost appropriately, the play ended with Fields on the ground writhing in pain.

Pitt lost the ball on offensive fouls four times down the stretch.

“Lucas did a great job getting position,” Fields said. “He got the call. It could have gone either way, but he did a good job on defense.”

This may seem (maybe it is — it’s hard to tell right now) sour grapes, but Drew Neitzel’s game would have driven me insane if he was on Pitt. So maddeningly inconsistent at times.

It didn’t hurt that Neitzel’s here-today-gone-tomorrow offense materialized when his team needed it most. After an erratic 2-of-11 from the field against Temple in the first round, Neitzel found a degree of consistency against the Panthers. Despite a cold stretch at the start of the second half, he finished with 21 points on 6-of-13 shooting. He hit 5-of-8 from three-point range, including a crucial pair at 6:27 and 5:03 of the second half. Those shots seemed to reestablish his swagger; Neitzel followed them by burying a jumper from just inside the arc with 4:18 remaining.

“I love the fact that he took those three shots,” Izzo beamed.

Asked about the 3-pointer he sank from in front of the Michigan State bench after he’d gone cold, Neitzel said simply, “I just stepped in and knocked it down. Throughout the year, I’ve gone through some ups and downs as far as my shooting. … No matter if I miss five, 10 shots in a row, what I’ve got to do is keep shooting.”

Far be it from Izzo to disagree: “He’s our guy. He’s the guy we have to have making shots.”

Obviously from the Pitt-perspective, it was all about how badly Pitt shot the ball. Whether it was Ramon and Benjamin not hitting open looks in their final game or Blair missing easy lay-ups even when the Spartan big men were out. Everyone not named Levance Fields couldn’t seem to connect.

Frustrating.

“This is a loss that will hurt, because we could have played better,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said.

Pitt, which had used its magical run through the Big East Tournament to become a darling of the tourney, missed 20 of 29 shots in the first half and mustered only one field goal in the final 9:41 to see its season end.

“I felt like a lot of shots that we normally make, we missed tonight,” said junior forward Sam Young. “I thought they played great defense, but the shots that we were able to get good looks at, we didn’t knock them down.”

Fourth-seeded Pitt, trying to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the fifth time in the past seven years, ends the season at 27-10.

There’s a lot to love about this team. To be hopeful for next year. To appreciate what they did accomplish this year — when there were so many things that went wrong. So many questions early. I know that I’ll get to that point. Just not quite yet.

Not good so far this evening for the Big East with Notre Dame and Marquette falling.

Hopefully that was just a Pac-10 aberration.

9:27: Okay, just ugly shooting so far. Neither team looks particularly comfortable. There’s a good amount of bumping and physical activity. Pitt down 4-2 but Sam Young shooting foul shots after the break.

9:39: Pitt down 13-12, 10:20 until halftime.

Pitt 6-6 on free throws. Shooting struggles continue. Pitt forced a short flurry of turnovers and that resulted in Michigan State starting to hold onto the ball a bit more rather than trying to move the ball more. Right now the Spartans are hitting shots and Pitt is not.

9:47: Right now, the question is whether Pitt can shoot above 25% from the field before halftime. On the stunning side, Pitt is 8-8 on FTs.

9:55: Crap, but Neitzel is shooting well tonight. I guess on the positive side, MSU has been hot while Pitt is cold this half. Yet it is still quite close.

10:08: Fields did nearly everything in that half. That steal was tremendous, and he finished this time. Of course, the rest of the team stood there and watched as Kailan Lucas took it all the way and right to the hoop.

Pitt down 30-28. All told, Pitt should be happy to be down only 2. 9-29 shooting and being outrebounded. MSU shooting fantastic. 12-25 shooting, 4-5 on 3s.

Pitt has stayed close because of getting turnovers and shooting 8-8 from the line.

The team has to shoot better in the second half.

10:35: How can Pitt still be missing these shots? More activity on defense, but no conversions on offense.

11:32: Sorry, Pitt finally went on a run when I backed off any posts, so I went with it.  That didn’t last. Kiddie stuff then interfered with any more posting.
So the season comes to an end. Looked like the legs were finally giving out on the players. So many shots that just seemed to hit the front of the rim.

Michigan State made the tough shots. Have to give the Spartans credit. Neitzel had the hot shooting game, they needed. Kalin Lucas was able to attack off the dribble and was simply faster.
Pitt missed the open looks. Unbelievable number of open looks — especially from the perimeter — that Pitt left short.  Pitt shot 2-17 on 3s, which was somewhat offset by shockingly good FT shooting — 18-19.

DeJuan Blair struggled with too much size inside from Michigan State, and being the only Pitt player inside all too often. When Levance Fields is the second leading rebounder, that never bodes well.
Hate to see Ronald Ramon and Keith Benjamin go out like this. Neither of them able to do much on offense.

It’s several hours before tip-off and I am already tense. The Spartans Weblog has their take on the game. I appreciate the bias (“MSU should be prepared, having played 20 games in the most physical conference in the land”), and the focus on tempo-free stats. That said there is some fun with myopia. There’s a bit of dismissal of Pitt’s defense as not being as good as the media portrays based on the stats, while downplaying the Spartans own turnover problems reflected in the stats because they have been under control recently. Pitt’s defense, in case they hadn’t noticed, has picked up in the last couple of weeks.

I’m not sure either side is sure what to expect from their teams. Having seen the Spartans several times this season, they do have a tendency to be very, very sloppy with the ball. When that happens, they tend to get frustrated and out of sync. Pitt has been good at forcing turnovers this season. The Spartans have a big advantage in depth. If the game is called tight, Pitt is at a bigger disadvantage.

The major theme for this game has been both teams’ reputation for playing defense. Hard-nosed, physical, brutal, tough, defense. We get it. Oh, and physical practices.

For Michigan State it’s the “war drill.” A ball rolls onto the floor and the players go after it. There are no fouls called. Contact is demanded. Bloody noses and lips are often souvenirs.

“It’s pretty intense,” Spartans guard Drew Neitzel said.For Pittsburgh, it used to be called the “war drill.” Now it’s just the “box-out drill,” but the same anarchic principles apply. Two players trying to prevent two other players from getting a rebound. Until you get two boards in a row, you do not leave the drill. Broken nose or not.

“That can get real brutal,” Panthers guard Sam Young said.

Of course, both coaches have downplayed the whole thing.

Izzo is a hell of a coach. No denying the obvious. Scary how successful he has been in this second round. He’s only lost twice in the round of 32 in 13 tries. Yeah, that makes me nervous even if technically it should have no bearing on this game.
Quickly to the player pieces. A couple on DeJuan Blair — hometown hero and as a vital part of the team as a freshman.

Sam Young gets the puff piece, including his ability for playing the piano — which now seems to be a requirement to be the starting power forward at Pitt.
Levance Fields gets plenty of love as he is hot and healthy. For this week he has drawn Mateen Cleaves and Khalid El-Amin comparisons.

Hopefully no one has had time to read their press clippings the last couple days.

Most of the conversation you’re going to hear when if Pitt loses is “Was it enough?” A lot of people will tell you it’s not enough unless they finally make it past the Sweet Sixteen. This year is a different situation though. The Mike Cook and Levance Fields injuries took this team from Final Four potential to just another average group. We were supposed to be lucky to finish .500 in the conference and nobody could have ever imagined the amazing run at the Big East Tournament. We avoided getting upset by Oral Roberts and now we play a traditional power in the 4-5 match-up of the second round. As the guys on ESPN Radio put it, there won’t be any shame in losing to a good Michigan State led by Tom Izzo, a coach that has had plenty of NCAA Tourney success.

However… this is a different team. Sure they have flashes of Pitt teams from the past eight years, but they also play a faster, quicker, and more athletic brand of basketball. At this point, Fields is looking better than ever, even with the hair flowing a little longer. They are physical enough to match up with Michigan State and yet fast enough to possibly hang with run-and-gun Memphis. Izzo says he would give Jamie Dixon a Coach of the Year vote:

“If I had a vote for national coach of the year, he’d have to be right up there, for surviving what he went through this year in a tough conference,” Izzo said. “With the injuries he’s had … he’s battled that. He’s had 25-point losses and turned it around. I think that’s the mark of a great coach, getting knocked down a few times, yet getting his team back.”

Maybe I’m writing this so I can look at it later and read this instead of saying something stupid with the thoughts of the game fresh in my head: even if we lose tonight, it has been plenty enough to call this a successful season. I’m getting a little worried though.

Also, has this been the most exciting Pitt basketball season in recent memory? Washington’s overturned buzzer-beater, Fields’ trey to beat Duke at MSG, Ramon’s buzzer-beater over West Virginia, the crazy comeback at Syracuse, and then four wins at the Big East Tournament.

…or just the Pennsylvanian voters?

The PA Primary is April 22 — looks like someone is trying to get on the good side of our voters’ minds. His entire bracket can be found here.

I should have posted this on Monday night but I didn’t. Whoops.

For the second time in as many years (and for the second time in school history), the Pitt women’s hoops team made the NCAA Tournament. They are a 6 seed, playing 11th seeded Wyoming on Saturday in New Mexico. It’s a bit different from last year when they hosted 1st and 2nd round games at the Pete.

People that know much more about women’s college basketball than I do are interested in Pitt’s chances and think they’re a possible Cinderella team.

Possible upset: Pittsburgh over Baylor in the second round. Baylor might have peaked already, and Pittsburgh has a dangerous player in Shavonte Zellous.

And also here:

Big hat tip to Dan for the scan.

So, uh, about that “shock the world” and “expect a miracle,” not so much. Mild concern for the first 5-8 minutes when Pitt was clanging shots and the Golden Eagles were shooting well. Then reality set in. Not to mention a 2-part great spark plug performance.

Keith Benjamin may have struggled with his shot in the first half (0-5) but he was attacking the basket and got fouled. Most importantly, he made 5-6 on free throws which seemed to encourage the whole team. Then Gilbert Brown came off the bench throwing down baskets. Again, attacking the basket rewarded. It seems, he is still feeling confident.

That opened the perimeter up along with the needed obsession to watch Blair and Young — hey, at least ORU wasn’t completely fooled by Young’s pump fake — left Fields and Ramon wide open to drain 3s. The ORU defensive prowess, clearly wasn’t nearly as good as advertised.

Pitt took care of Oral Roberts 82-63. Clearly, taking them seriously.

It also means, Pitt has gotten past the “worst case” scenario.

Best Case: Absurd Big East tourney roll carries over, picks up steam with Bob Knight endorsement, shatters Sweet 16 ceiling and does not end until the Panthers are in San Antonio losing a pitched championship battle to North Carolina. Sam Young keeps blocking shots, Levance Fields and Ronald Ramon keep making jumpers, and nobody can get close enough to take advantage of Pitt’s scattershot free-throw shooting.

Worst Case: Take the Panthers out of the Garden and you take the starch out of the Panthers. Absurd Big East roll ends in thin mountain air against experienced Oral Roberts, intensifying the belief that Pitt will not get beyond the Sweet 16 anytime this century, no matter how it comes into the Big Dance. Panthers return home to watch West Virginia going farther.

It’s not just Knight penciling Pitt in for deeper than the Sweet 16. Scary. At least the players are saying they are paying no attention.

“Anything that’s said outside the locker room is not even an issue for us,” guard Sam Young said. “If it’s not us, if it’s not the coaches, if it’s not the staff, we try not to even pay attention to it. We’re still going to come out with a chip on our shoulder. We’re still going to be hungry.”

Said guard Levance Fields: “That Big East championship may be in the minds of the fans and you all, but that’s over with for us.”

Speaking of scary, it’s always disturbing when some sports sites send writers from other sports — who haven’t covered or paid attention to anything else the whole time — to cover a region. In this case, sending Sporting News CFB writer Matt Hayes to Denver. Nice things to say about Pitt, factually, um, huh?

The NCAA Tournament? Hell, at one point, Pitt was in danger of missing the Big East Tournament. How bad did it get? How about guys playing out of position in games. And practices consisting of only film study and shot drills because there weren’t 10 guys to scrimmage.

Missing the BET? When was that a possibility? After Pitt lost their first game of the conference slate?  And don’t get me started on whatever attempt at a timeline there is in the piece.

Pitt played solid defense once more. Only ORU hitting some wildly deep 3s kept them from being completely destroyed. The Golden Eagles were only 13-41 (31.7%) inside the 3-point line.

As for concern that Pitt’s physical play will get them in trouble outside of the Big East. I guess it’s always a worry, but for Saturday’s game against Michigan State, it shouldn’t be a big issue. Of course the toughness of the team is no longer in any doubt.

Finally, time to talk. You know it’s the NCAA Tournament and Pitt is on people’s minds when a Jerry Micco chat actually has a lot of (any?) Pitt basketball talk. There’s also the Ray Fittipaldo chat.

I’m home, but with the kids. That means I can’t be liveblogging. Dennis is at the Pete.

Pitt is just not allowed to lose this game. The wife’s oldest brother is a huge honkin’ Ohio State fan, which is annoying enough. To have her other brother with direct bragging rights just cannot happen.

Halftime: Pitt killing right now. 47-24.
Or as Gus Johnson put it: Pitt’s not messing around.

Oral Roberts, despite having similar inside size, means nothing on offense. The Golden Eagles are continually just hung out shooting long jumpers.

Pitt is shredding this vaunted ORU defense, like they are nothing.

They are taking uncontested jumpers and just blowing past every ORU player.

McGhee has already seen some action late in the first half — and scored.

I expect to see Wanamaker in the second half.

So far, this is just the perfect game to keep only one eye upon.