Okay, Pitt comes in at #6 in the ESPN/USA Today Coach’s Poll. Pitt had 576 points. #5 Duke had 578 points and #7 Michigan St. had 572 points. Very tight grouping.

For those of you who play EA’s NCAA Basketball, Coach Jamie Dixon was one of the coaches the game designers consulted. Definitely go with the Pitt players.

Draft Express looks at top NBA prospects from the Big East. DeJuan Blair was ranked #6.

This will be an important season for Blair if he improved his body as much as has been suggested, mainly because it should give evaluators a much better feel for what his potential is physically. If he can show improvements with his quickness, explosion, and conditioning, it would go a long ways for improving his chances to play in the NBA. Still, at 6’7 without much semblance of a jumper, it’s going to be something of an uphill battle for Blair, even though he’s clearly on the path to being an outstanding college player.

He was also ranked #10 overall by CBS Sports among “Big Men.”

Meanwhile, Sam Young was listed at #4 by Draft Express for the NBA.

Although Young has received much praise regarding his improved offensive skills, he makes his biggest impact on the defensive end. He plays exceptional man to man defense with a certain spirit and energy which is contagious – elevating the defensive efforts of his teammates. His physical attributes don’t hurt him either, as he possesses a long wingspan which he uses to contest every shot and deny passing lanes. His off the ball defense could get better, as he can be late on rotations and gets hung up on pick and rolls. His rebounding however is very good for a player of his size as he averages about 6 a game.

With improved ball-handling skills and increased 3 point range, Young will try to establish himself as a solid first round pick this season, even though his upside won’t be deemed as high as some others due to his advanced age. His physical tools, defensive abilities, and no nonsense attitude will be his strongest selling points.

Young was also the focus of an AP piece that has gotten national play on his move to small forward.

“I’m 100 percent ready to play any position they need me to play,” said Young, who led Pitt to a 27-10 record, the Big East Conference tournament title and the NCAA round of 16.

Young doesn’t think the deeper 3-point line will affect his shooting.

“Not even a little bit,” he said. “As soon as we found out it was going to be changed, coach Dixon got a new (line) put on our court. We’ve been shooting with it ever since. I think we’re all just as comfortable with it as before.”

Over to recruiting, Dominic Cheek is puting off his visit to Pitt for another week. He has eliminated Indiana and Seton Hall from contention.

Ashton Sterling Gibbs, visited his older brother and the liked what he saw from Pitt.

“The trip was crazy,” Gibbs said of his visit to Pitt. “I had a lot of fun hanging out with Ashton and the guys, it was a really good overall trip.”

On Sunday, it was Pitt’s annual fanfest where a Blue/Gold scrimmage took place. Even though Sterling and his family were headed back to New Jersey for the Eddie Griffin Challenge by the time Asthon hit the floor, they were able to see that Ashton is adjusting well at Pitt.

Gibbs is a 2011 target and has no leader at this point.