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January 3, 2009

If you look at the slate of games today, the Pitt-Georgetown game is the game of the day.

Game worth flying to see in person: I wrote a column earlier this week about Cincinnati and how its schedule is impossible, at which time an astute reader pointed out that though it’s just as tough as I described it’s actually one of the easier Big East schedules. That’s a fair point, and for proof consider that No. 11 Georgetown opened league play with a win at No. 2 Connecticut, and now the Hoyas will spend Saturday hosting No. 3 Pittsburgh. Then on Monday, they’re at No. 7 Notre Dame, which means Georgetown could lose its next two games and still be a legitimate top 10 team. And that, my friends, is life in the Big East this season.

Maybe Tennessee-Kansas would have been if both teams were playing better. The Big 11 offers some surprisingly interesting games with OSU-Minnesota and even PSU-Wisconsin. The most underrated and few will see is tonight with Wake Forest at BYU — but airing on the mythical Mtn. Network. I do a chart of all games that air on Saturday. There is no game that features higher teams facing.

In ESPN.com’s power poll this week, Pitt moves to #2 and G-town at #4. At least for now.

Even though, this is only the second game in the Big East for each team, this game is even bigger when you look at the last couple of years.

“Playing Pittsburgh is a beautiful thing,” Georgetown senior guard Jessie Sapp said. “You always know when you play them, it’s going to be a war. I think there’s still a bitter taste in our mouths left over from last season’s Big East Tournament final, [which the Hoyas lost 74-65]. They played so hard in that game, and I don’t think we matched their intensity in that game. Everybody’s ready to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

One of the game’s more intriguing matchups pits Sapp against senior point guard Levance Fields, who leads the Big East and ranks third nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.4). The two first met on the court seven years ago when both tried out for New York’s famed AAU program, the New York Gauchos.

“The way we met was going against each other in that tryout,” Sapp said. “I’ve never beat him at Pittsburgh, and he’s never beat me here. I told him that’s not changing.”

Dating to March 2007, the Hoyas have a Big East-best record of 46-8. Pittsburgh is the only team responsible for more than one of those losses.

The guard I am most fearful of for this game, though is Chris Wright. He is healthy this year, and has looked so quick to the basket. Like what was expected last year.

Hopefully Sam Young won’t come down with the affliction that seemed to hurt so many Pitt players when it was time for a road game at MSG vs. St. John’s. He is very excited for this game.

While Pitt’s players from New York City always seem to leave their hometown with a win or a trophy, Young is still searching for his elusive first victory in the District.

“I always play in front of my family when I’m down here,” he said, “and we always seem to lose.”

Brad Wanamaker’s performance against Rutgers made Coach Dixon happy.

“There has never been a doubt in my mind how good a player he is,” Dixon said. “I was so sure he was going to be such a good player, and nobody thought he was as good as he was. I have so much confidence in him. At times, I’ve been harder than I should on him.”

Looks like Coach Dixon has seen the tapes with his facial expressions when Wanamaker has screwed up in the past.

The bench performance against RU impressed Andy Katz, who for reasons that escape me, was at the regional telecast as a sideline reporter.

But the Panthers will get even better throughout the course of the season if Gilbert Brown and Brad Wanamaker can duplicate what they did against the Scarlet Knights.

Few teams in the Big East, let alone the country, have a player like Brown off the bench. Pitt coach Jamie Dixon envisioned that Brown was going to be a star. But injuries have constantly limited him. That wasn’t an issue Wednesday. Brown made shots (4-of-8), got to the free throw line (3-of-4), elevated for an intimidating dunk, blocked a shot, scored in double figures (11) and gobbled up important minutes (22).

“The injuries have been slowing me down all year,” said Brown, a 6-foot-6 sophomore wing. “I’ve had both ankles, forearm, knee, shoulder, everything.”

Dixon said the running joke among the staff is that Brown is always hurt. But what’s no laughing matter is how much Brown will change the Panthers if he stays healthy.

“He can make shots, defend; he’s athletic, and he’s very smart,” Dixon said of Brown. “He knows everything that is going on.”

Sounds more like gallows humor. Pitt fans as well have high expectations of Brown if he can stay healthy.





Pitt’s killing it in the paint thus far, but Summers is lighting us up.

Comment by Chris 01.03.09 @ 12:33 pm

I didn’t turn the game on until about 12:30, but has Dookie V. been kissing Georgetown’s ass the whole game?

Comment by Jimbo Covert's my dad 01.03.09 @ 12:41 pm

Vitale’s been annoying, but he shows love for Blair, so it hasn’t been entirely one-sided.

I’ve been hard on Wanamaker in the past, but the kid’s been tremendous the last two halves.

Comment by Chris 01.03.09 @ 12:50 pm

Scary game but very fun to watch. The sports guy in me approves of pain and suffering as long as there is some form of scoring. It is amazing how we keep improving year after year. Even if we lose this game, we belong in the top 10.

Comment by Panthoor 01.03.09 @ 1:06 pm

Is Vitale usually this annoying?

Comment by Brian 01.03.09 @ 1:07 pm

The three point shooting isn’t so great right now.

Comment by Jimbo Covert's my dad 01.03.09 @ 1:12 pm

J Dixon off balance shooting is killing Pitt…need to get BW in…doesn;t Summers ever graduate?? Seems like he;s been killing Pitt for 7 years. Pitt brought there A game today. No more JV….we’ll see how it works out!

Comment by dan 72 01.03.09 @ 1:12 pm

This is the best we’ve been playing all year. I’m just afraid GT will somehow steal the game anyway.

Comment by Brian 01.03.09 @ 1:15 pm

Summers is only a junior. He’s just reminding you of Jeff Green, to make it seem like’s been there longer.

Comment by Chas Rich 01.03.09 @ 1:16 pm

summers is on today. pitt’s going to have to find a way to limit him

Comment by kkc 01.03.09 @ 1:19 pm

If we could pick up the three point shooting, we’d be pounding them.

Oh look, they’re trying to force a dog to bite what looks like a shoebox painted Pitt colors… ok.

Comment by Jimbo Covert's my dad 01.03.09 @ 1:26 pm

Vitale is the most annoying when doing a Duke game and performing (mental) fellation on Coach K.

SERIOUSLY …. just how much is T Biggs underappreciated? I think without question he has been the steadiest Panther, and has played well every game this year.

Comment by w bill 01.03.09 @ 1:28 pm

Vitale? Has not a clue. Goes with the flow of the game offers and absolutely no insight.

Comment by steve 01.03.09 @ 1:31 pm

P.S. – I know how to spell fellatio — my typing really sucks!! (pun intended)

Brown & Wannamaker contnue to play well

Comment by w bill 01.03.09 @ 1:33 pm

long way to go but that is as good a stretch as I have seen Pitt play in a while…total domination on the boards…

Comment by dan 72 01.03.09 @ 1:34 pm

Completely agree Dan, phenomenal five minutes of bball…

Comment by Chris 01.03.09 @ 1:36 pm

Both teams going to their big men when in trouble.Let’s not be stupid insdide w. Monroe…let him have his dunks…don’t foul!!

Comment by dan 72 01.03.09 @ 1:37 pm

Yes, if the 3-point shot happens for us soon, then the Big East is ours. This game isn’t over though, it’s sweating time.

Comment by Panthoor 01.03.09 @ 1:37 pm

When you can substitute a Young for a Brown? Priceless

Comment by steve 01.03.09 @ 1:40 pm

We’re just dominating inside.

We’re hitting the 15 footers too, just hit a few threes!!

Comment by Jimbo Covert's my dad 01.03.09 @ 1:42 pm

There’s the three!! And killed a ton of clock.

Comment by Jimbo Covert's my dad 01.03.09 @ 1:43 pm

Forget the threes, if we play this well in every other facet of the game, Pitt is borderline unbeatable.

Comment by Chris 01.03.09 @ 1:44 pm

Forget #2. How about #1?

Comment by steve 01.03.09 @ 1:45 pm

Every year I say “This is the best Pitt basketball team yet”. I love that.

Comment by Panthoor 01.03.09 @ 1:46 pm

I hate these bastards…run it up! Anyone remember when GT cleared their bench several years ago…I think at Pitt showing us up in a huge GT run. Let’s return the favor..

Comment by dan 72 01.03.09 @ 1:46 pm

Ha now Dickie V turns his attention to the ACC talk

Comment by Hollywood 01.03.09 @ 1:46 pm

I think Blair wants the triple double with all these nifty passes he’s starting to make

Comment by Hollywood 01.03.09 @ 1:47 pm

Even though we’re 13-0, let’s face it, there’ve been murmurs that we haven’t played anyone yet.

We needed a nice solid assbeating, on the road, against a top 10 team to legitimize ourselves.

Comment by Jimbo Covert's my dad 01.03.09 @ 1:51 pm

Fantastic win. Now if only Carolina would ever lose….go BC!

Comment by Brian 01.03.09 @ 1:58 pm

Biggs and Blair were monsters today. They rebounded as well as I have seen any team do this season.

Comment by Panthoor 01.03.09 @ 2:02 pm

STATEMENT BY Pitt!! What a refreshment for the Pitt Nation from the football debacle!
Make anyone elses weekend?

The only criticism I have as an ex bball coach…I would make Dixon take jumpers in a phone booth for the next 24 hours…go straight up !! All lefthanders drift on their shots but he is ridiculous…

What a breath of fresh air! Total schooling by Pitt!

Comment by dan 72 01.03.09 @ 2:04 pm

How many turnovers did we have today? I counted only 1.

There was never a point when I thought we wouldn’t win. I term it “power.”

I would’ve loved to hear the Fields Summers “conversation” towards the end. It certainly wasn’t complements to their respective families.

Here’s my guess:
Summers: Wait ’til the NCAA’s, you guys’ll fold again.
Fields: Yo mamma

Comment by steve 01.03.09 @ 2:10 pm

Wow! What a spanking on the road. Did anyone else hear the Pitt fans going crazy? I’d say this one ranks up there with any regular season win Pitt has notched the last several years.

Comment by Brian 01.03.09 @ 2:11 pm

It was a thing of BEAUTY…Thank you PITT BBall!…You guys represent the University with dignity and honor…Unlike our football team, when you guys are on a national stage, you know how to shine….Thank You!!!

Comment by jumpingjohnnie86 01.03.09 @ 2:23 pm

Before you guys buy into the fact that we “haven’t played anybody” remember that our RPI SOS is #8 before this game, and our RPI is #1. Georgetown was 6 coming into this week, and that was before beating UConn (who was 9). Carolina is 8 in the RPI with an SOS of 64. I wish people would get over the scheduling thing, because it was a problem when we scheduled UMBC 12 times a year, but its NOT a problem now. A road game against a BCS conference team (FSU) two more neutral site games against BCS conference teams, and some solid mid-majors (Miami, OH and Siena) is a good non-con slate. Sure, we didn’t get a top 20 team, but we play 3205923061926 of them in conference. Not to mention the fact that many of the preseason ranked teams are unranked now, and vice-versa. The schedule is fine.

This game was a beautiful, outright beating. Great way to start the conference slate, with back to back roadies against a solid Rutgers team that will defend the RAC consistently again and a top-echelon Georgetown team. Bring on the Johnnies!

(all stats courtesy link to realtimerpi.com)

Comment by maz. 01.03.09 @ 2:24 pm

Thank you, hoops, for taking my mind off the Sun Bowl. I hate Georgetown with a passion. WVU is our biggest football rival, but the Hoyas are definatley our biggest hard court rivals. I hate them so much. Props to Jamie for keeping the starters in so G-town couldn’t make the score respectable. I loved their stupid bandwagon fans all leaving with 5 minutes left. Blair had maybe the best game of his career, and the crying Georgetown fans made my day. Hoya Suxa and Hail to Pitt.

Comment by hail2pitt 01.03.09 @ 2:25 pm

great win. Large pitt group at the verizon center. GT had no answer for Blair. Hope he got his due f dicki V
Blair was amazing. Hope he got his props from Dickie V

Comment by tmgpanther 01.03.09 @ 2:25 pm

ESPN final rebounding stats: Pitt 42, G’town 18. That’s ridiculously good and makes me laugh out loud. I hope we remember what we did today and play Pitt ball instead of playing down to St. Johns level next game.

Looks like all those minutes that Wanamaker played during cupcake season didn’t go to waste. Gibbs has to be close as well and when it happens for him then we become lethal good.

Comment by Panthoor 01.03.09 @ 2:27 pm

“…but any doubts over a soft schedule were put to rest well before Blair began thumping his chest to the thousands of fans chanting “Lets go, Pitt!” in the upper bowl of the Verizon Center late in the second half.” ESPN recap

Wish I would’ve been there to add my vocals.

Comment by steve 01.03.09 @ 2:39 pm

But then ESPN falters. Must’ve laid off their proofreaders:

“Monroe set the tone early in both halves. He won the opening tip, scored the game’s first points with a half-hook, then picked off a pass and made the score 4-0 with a layup. In the second half, he scored Pittsburgh’s first seven points, including a hook shot against a triple team after losing the ball and recovering it in the paint. Immediately after that play, he blocked Monroe’s shot at the other end.”

Comment by steve 01.03.09 @ 2:41 pm

Any word on Brown? Really would be crappy for him to go down right as BE schedule is starting.

Comment by Ira 01.03.09 @ 2:48 pm

Blowing out No. 8 on the road? All I have to say is wow. Pitt’s inside dominance publicly emasculated GTown. They are weak inside. I mean Fields had a put-back. And as for Monroe. He’s big and agile, but he got dominated by Biggs and Blair. If he had an outside shot or some decent post moves I’d be impressed. Pitt’s 3-point shooting is troubling (15 percent today). How many times did you see Dixon go up for a 3 and think that was Ramon last year? Also, Wannamaker is becoming a player.

Comment by pittnyc 01.03.09 @ 2:58 pm

Tremendous all-around game. Hopefully Gil won’t be dinged up too soon.

Comment by Orange Julius Page 01.03.09 @ 3:05 pm

After the first few minutes of the game, never did I feel nervous about Pitt’s play. Even after I saw Georgetown struggle back to tie in the second half, I smiled, seeing Pitt’s bench in there, and knowing they were still able to stick it to the Hoyas.

Halfway through the second half, I could tell Georgetown was just throwing up prayers, and all sorts of sloppy shots. The Panthers had this game sewed up by the 10-minute mark of the second half.

An absolute sweet game. Surely, we are among the nation’s best teams.

Comment by Colt Convert 01.03.09 @ 3:19 pm

I was impressed by Pitt’s playing as a team. Often seniors want to pad their statistics in their last season. The guys ran designated plays and passed off when someone else was open or had a better shot. To me it shows character.

An obvious nominee for Most Improved Player: Tyrell Biggs. Is it because he is getting minutes or is he getting minutes because he is playing better? Any other nominees? Brad Wannamaker?

Comment by BigGuy 01.03.09 @ 3:39 pm

Just an all-around great PITT Team performance…in the second half, I was worried when they took Brad out, only to see his “sub” was Sam…Brad and Gil having been sizzling off the bench.

Any word on Gil’s shoulder?

Hail to PITT!
-al-

Comment by Oregon_Panther 01.03.09 @ 4:06 pm

St. John’s beat ND. Blair’s former H.S. teammate, D.J. Kennedy had 20 points. How aggressively (if at all) did Pitt try to recruit him?

Comment by BigGuy 01.03.09 @ 4:12 pm

Great win by Pitt. Hopefully our 3 pt shooting improves, meaning Jermaine Dixon. I barely recognize Wannamaker from how bad he was last yr, maybe he’ll turn into the shooter all the experts say we lack.

Enjoyed watching ND go down. To answer the question, Kennedy’s brother was shot downtown, and he wanted to get out of the city.

Comment by derf 01.03.09 @ 4:34 pm

So he opted to play/go to school in Queens?

Comment by SC Steve 01.03.09 @ 4:43 pm

does pitt really have room on the roster for dj kennedy? honestly who would you take a scholarship from? and 20 points against notre dame! the way they play defense, any one of us could score 20 on them.

Pitt’s athleticism is simply outstanding. the only team in the country that has the same number of athletes is UNC. who knows what happens in a few months, but this team is really good.

the verizon center is a nice place to watch a game. especially when your team dominates and the “let’s go pitt” chants are more than audible from the opening tip. glad i decided to make the trip.

Comment by omar 01.03.09 @ 5:16 pm

What are the rules re: redshirtig, i.e. how many games can a player play (e.g. Robinson and Woodall) and still be redshirted?

Comment by BigGuy 01.03.09 @ 6:32 pm

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