Yeah, so, I didn’t see that upset coming tonight. I was actually watching the USC-Oregon State game, since I figured that UNC would kill BC in Chapel Hill. I mean, UNC wasn’t just winning games, their “closest” game was by 15 to start the season against Penn and against ND. They blew out Michigan State. They were just dominating. I’m not complaining, but I didn’t see even a chance they would lose until the following Sunday when they head to Wake Forest.
So, barring something really bizarre, like Duke leapfrogging Pitt. No, that couldn’t happen. Right? Pitt will be #1 in the national polls tomorrow. I mean, ESPN.com already made Pitt, the the team of the week.
Some haven’t wasted any time moving Pitt to #1.
Naturally, the next Pitt game will be on Sunday. Of course, the Steelers are scheduled for their playoff game on the same day. The good news is that Pitt plays at noon at the Pete. Plenty of time before the Steelers 4:45 kickoff.
So, this late media recap takes on a decidedly different feel in light of the events of today.
This team has the chance to really capture the city. Even hockey fans, frustrated by the Pens.
How bad was it for the Penguins on Saturday? Outside of the fights, the biggest cheers from the sold-out crowd came after the score of Pitt basketball’s win over Georgetown was shown on the center ice scoreboard.
If you want to geek out on numbers, Hoya Prospectus has the tempo-free numbers. As they feared, DeJuan Blair was not contained.
Should we just stay with the Blair-centric stuff? Yeah. There’s more. He was the dominant force and generally draws people to him.
Blair, who once weighed more than 300 pounds, lost 10 pounds in the off-season, decreasing his weight to 265 pounds. The results have been noticeable.
On Saturday, Blair had 20 points and 17 rebounds in leading third-ranked Pittsburgh to a 70-54 victory against No. 11 Georgetown, snapping the Hoyas’ 29-game home winning streak. Blair played 31 minutes, and an occasional wide grin made it clear that he was not low on oxygen.
“I’ve got good teeth,†Blair, a sophomore, said. “Why not show them off?â€
After the game, Blair did not hide that he used all the hype of Monroe to motivate him (Hasheem Thabeet should be put on notice).
“They hype those guys up so much,” Blair said. “[Monroe] is supposed to be the next big thing. They were picking this young cat against me. I’m not going to take that. Why not go right at him? …
“I guess I got the better of him today.”
Blair is approaching new levels of cool by referring to Monroe as “this young cat.”
Not to mention making sure the scouts see more than his size.
Pitt players, admittedly, didn’t forsee a rout or the kind of rebounding domination that occurred.
“We talked about making a statement to the rest of the country,” Pitt senior Sam Young said. “That’s what we did. Considering they were coming off a big win at Connecticut, and we were coming into their house … For us to have a big win against them, shows a lot for our team.”
Young and fellow forward Tyrell Biggs each scored 14 points as Pitt’s frontcourt annihilated Georgetown’s front line. The Panthers outscored Georgetown, 48-22, in the paint and did what they pleased against the Hoyas, who never figured out a way to counter the Panthers’ brute strength.
“They’re not a great rebounding team,” Young said. “We thought we could come in here and outrebound them by a lot. But we didn’t think it was going to be like that.”
Yes, statement was a theme. It’s been made, now it’s about getting ready to face having the bullseye.
The danger for Georgetown, in playing in a professional arena, the extra seats to fill. Especially with a sizable school within a reasonable driving distance coupled with a pretty decent sized concentration of alumni in the area. It can remove that homecourt advantage.
Steelers fans are known for traveling better than any in the NFL. Pitt basketball may gain that same reputation after thousands descended on Verizon Center on Saturday. Dixon made mention of the fans during his post-game interview.
“Our fans were terrific,” he said. “It was amazing we had this many fans here.” At one point in the second half, there were loud chants of “Defense, defense” — when Georgetown had possession.
Of course Georgetown has other concerns beyond not having homecourt.
“We have to bounce back,†said Hoyas head coach John Thompson III, whose team departs tomorrow for Monday’s encounter at No. 7 Notre Dame. “We have to figure out what we’re going to take away from it, and then immediately focus on what’s ahead.â€
At some point, Thompson will have to figure out how to stop DeJuan Blair, who paced the undefeated Panthers (14-0, 2-0 Big East) and outshined his counterpart, Georgetown freshman sensation Greg Monroe, by using his six-foot-seven, 265-pound frame to clear out space for 20 points and 17 rebounds.
Monroe, who soared to the top of NBA draft boards after out-dueling Connecticut’s Hasheem Thabeet, had 15 points and eight rebounds but gave credit where it was due.
“[Blair is a] very good player and he knows how to use his strength and his width,†said Monroe. “He’s also deceptively long. That’s his whole game plan, using his strength and wide body under the basket to get points.â€
The rebounding or lack thereof, is a big issue for the Hoyas.
“In many ways you do throw [the film of the game] away, because that’s the type of game that sits in your stomach. But we don’t have time for that, because we have a game on Monday [at [JUMP]No. 7 Notre Dame],” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. “That’s the nature of this league, and to a certain extent this year: You have to bounce back. You’re going to have to figure out what to take from it and immediately focus on what’s ahead of you.”
What’s ahead of the Hoyas (10-2, 1-1) is the final leg of a daunting trio of opening conference games (at No. 2 Connecticut, vs. No. 3 Pittsburgh, at No. 7 Notre Dame). Although the Irish (10-3, 1-1) are less imposing on paper than the Huskies and Panthers, they feature the league’s reigning player of the year in center Luke Harangody and the nation’s second longest home winning streak (43 games).
If the Hoyas don’t do a better job of rebounding at the Joyce Center, Notre Dame will make it 44 straight.
“Is it deflating to see them get a rebound after forcing a difficult shot on defense? Yes, of course it is,” Thompson said.
Oh, and maybe get more than 2 points in the final seconds of a blowout from the bench. Hoya Paranoia has been, for the moment, it seems put in its place.
A bit later, JT III conceded what every eyewitness knew: “We have to get better. How? I’m not sure.”
Give the man high marks for candor. Seven consecutive wins against Maryland, American, UConn and a pastry box full of creampuffs perhaps raised unrealistic hopes among some of the faithful. With a roster composed mostly of talented underclassmen, the Hoyas could indeed be very good. They aren’t yet, but who cares? There is, after all, no such thing as January Madness.
It is a fair point. A team like Georgetown will very likely improve by the end of the season. While Pitt won’t see them in the regular season, let’s not forget the Big East Tournament. There will be plenty of teams like that.
Finally, someone at the game shot video and has their own highlights of the game. Thanks.
