Levance Fields and DeJuan Blair ended up with double-doubles. Blair had 18 rebounds and 13 points. Fields is now in a rush to get those 500 career assists. 14 assists and 11 points. Pitt came away with the 75-62 win.

A little frustrating on the defensive end. Pitt did a good job early with turnovers, then that went away. What remained consistent was making South Florida work for their scores. Yet they did. They had to use a lot of clock, but they did a great job of scoring. Gus Gilchrist showed why teams pursued him despite the flakiness.

I hate. I mean, I really hate complaining about officiating. I’ve avoided it to date, but this game was called horribly. The refs were letting anything go inside, but guards driving to the baskets they call touch fouls. Obviously, the problem for Pitt against a team like USF that relies on the backcourt to score the officiating benefits USF while killing Pitt. Blair and Young were getting mugged and hacked inside, while Dominique Jones and Chris Howard for USF merely had to dribble towards the basket and get a call. If this officiating crew is calling the game when Pitt faces Marquette or Villanova, I don’t like Pitt’s chances.

In the last two games, Sam Young has opened the game by draining a 3 in the corner. Then he proceeds to struggle shooting the entire game. Overall, though, on the offense there was just tremendous patience for most of the game from Pitt. Just waiting to find the best shot.

Tyrell Biggs was huge in the first half. He finished with 16 points to lead Pitt. He has stepped up in his senior year to be the player he was recruited to be. Following the senior step-up of the past few years from Graves to Benjamin to Biggs.

Meanwhile, Brad Wanamaker really seems to get it after a disappointing freshman year that had people writing him off. Another solid performance off the bench.

Three point shooting was absurdly good. I just fear that will mean come Saturday, we will see some 3-20 performance from the perimeter. At the very least, though, it will make Louisville concerned that they can’t just dare Pitt to shoot the 3s, and let Pitt get inside.

Idle thought of a negative mind: on what scale of devastation would an upset by USF tonight hit? At the very least, it would make that upset by USF back in 2002(?) look minor.

There is a target on Pitt, Louisville is looking forward to it. So are the Bulls.

“One is unique,” University of South Florida coach Stan Heath said. “The other [rankings] are impressive, don’t get me wrong. No. 1 has a little more uniqueness to it.”
…
A USF victory against No. 1 would be “a tremendous step forward, just a huge accomplishment, something that would resonate nationally and even throughout our community,” Heath said. “It’s a tall order for us, but a great opportunity. Why not embrace it?”

USF has not defeated a team ranked higher than No. 15 – and that was 17 years ago at No. 15 Tulane – but sophomore guard Dominique Jones is looking forward to the challenge.

“It’s really exciting, everybody is kind of pumped up for it,” Jones said. “I think some people are kind of nervous, but that’s only normal. For me, I think it’s an opportunity.”

The emphasis on the Bulls is their guards. Why? Because Gransberry graduated and they don’t have a replacement.

Jones, a 6-foot-4 sophomore who ranks ninth in the Big East in scoring, has four 30-point games in his brief career. Last season, he became the first Big East freshman to have back-to-back 30-point games since Allen Iverson 13 years ago. Jones rarely leaves the floor, averaging a Big East-leading 36.4 minutes per game.

But Jones and Verdejo aren’t consistent.

Jones was 0 for 12 from the field against Wright State and 1 for 10 against Louisville. But he made 7 3-pointers in a 36-point outburst against Iona and hit 5 3-pointers against DePaul.

Verdejo went 0 for 10 from behind the arc as part of a 3-for-17 disaster against Syracuse, but he shot 9 of 15 against DePaul.

“They are streaky,” Dixon said.

South Florida coach Stan Heath said Pitt’s three top scorers — Sam Young, DeJuan Blair and Levance Fields — can’t be stopped.

“You have to pick your poison,” he said. “You’re not going to stop them, but we have to slow them down. We can’t let them go nuts on us. No one can stop them.”

There are ties between Sam Young and a couple USF players.

Chris Howard and Sam Young won two state championships together in high school, and it’s a rare day that the USF point guard doesn’t trade phone calls or motivational text messages with Pittsburgh’s athletic forward.

“That’s my best friend, like a brother to me,” Howard said. “We talk every day, communicate maybe four or five times a day.”

…

When Howard and Young were seniors at Friendly, USF F Gus Gilchrist was a freshman. He remembers the work ethic Young showed in high school.

“Sam was the hardest worker I’ve ever seen,” said Gilchrist, who saw Young at open gyms when he was at Maryland last summer. “Sam motivated me when I was younger, seeing a senior win back-to-back championships. Their hard work was instilled in me.”

A win tonight and Coach Jamie Dixon passes Paul Evans to move to third on Pitt’s all-time wins list. Coach Dixon has done a lot in a short time.

For the fourth time in his six seasons as head coach, Jamie Dixon has taken the Panthers into January without losing. If No. 1 Pitt beats South Florida tonight, this team will own the third-best start in school history.

Amazingly, of the top 10 starts to a season in the 101 years of Pitt basketball, Dixon has coached six of those teams. Dixon’s first team in 2003-04 started the season 18-0 before losing at Connecticut. The 1927-28 team finished the season a perfect 21-0 and will forever own, or at the very least share, the best start.

“We have the best record in the Big East over the last eight years,” Dixon said. “It’s not even close. And we’ve had the best record overall. You’re going to win a few games in all of the months of the calendar that we play in.”

UPDATE ON THE GAME: It will tip-off at least 10 minutes late on ESPNU. USF had trouble reaching the Pete. ESPNU showed them filing into their lockerroom live at 6:40pm.

Well, it’s official.

“When I signed with Pitt out of prep school, I didn’t know what to expect. I just knew in my heart that God had given me a second chance. As a result of a season-ending injury my senior year, I learned a humbling lesson. Nothing is promised to us and it can all be taken away in a moment.

“During my two years at Pitt, I have received an overwhelming amount of love and acceptance, starting from my first visit to the university all the way through the end of this season. I have been treated with respect, class and consideration. For that I am incredibly grateful.

“Recently there has been a lot of speculation regarding my decision to either stay in school or enter the NFL Draft. I have frequently played both choices in my mind. I have considered my alternatives — and I have prayed. I have made my final decision and will forego my junior season at the University of Pittsburgh to enter the NFL Draft.

“I will always cherish the opportunity Pitt has given me. I wore number 25 with pride and tried to represent my coaches, teammates, staff and Panther fans with class. I would like to thank everyone involved with the Pitt football program for a wonderful two years in Pittsburgh.

“On a personal note to Coach Wannstedt: Thank you for your support, guidance and counsel. I take a part of you with me. Although I will be wearing a new jersey next season, I will forever be a Pitt Panther.

“One of my goals in coming here was to help my teammates and coaches bring Pitt back to its rightful place among the prominent teams in college football. We made big strides in that journey, and I believe Coach Wannstedt, the coaching staff and my teammates will continue that upward climb next season and into the future.

“Hail to Pitt!”

Good luck to LeSean McCoy. Please don’t get drafted by the Patriots.

It’s worth noting that over the two years at Pitt, he carried the ball 584 times. No other back in the country carried the ball more over those two years. I hope he is at peace with the decision.

I also hope he eventually takes advantage of the chance to finish his education. Pitt does allow its former players who leave for professional sports the opportunity to come back and finish their undergraduate education at no cost.

It’s nice that a “source” says Lance Stephenson has an interest in Pitt. I mean, if a blue-chip, 5-star, presumed 1-and-done player wants to come to Pitt it’s hard to say no.  I just don’t see it happening unless DeJuan Blair leaves after this year. There’s the lack of the scholarship to actually give him at the moment. There’s also a sense that this is just a little passing fancy thing. Pitt has made attempts to recruit him, now Pitt is #1, so there is a little reconsideration.

It’s worth watching, but I’m not going to expect anything. Hmm. Apparently that is also what Dokish is saying (and lots of other recruiting stuff).

Plus, Pitt is pursuing a top player out of Ohio. Adreian Payne is a big man, that Pitt had identified previously and now pushing harder.

Of other interest is whether Travon Woodall is going to redshirt or apply for a redshirt. Apparently they feel he’s had enough little injuries to make a case for a redshirt.

Big shock, Pitt is still not a particularly good free throw shooting team. Both beat writers had stories on it. There’s no new ground broken. The same rhetoric. We’ll curse, mutter, sigh. Not much else to say.

I got a kick out of this.

When Blair walked into one class early last week, the other students gave him a standing ovation.

“They got up and started clapping,” Blair said. “I was like, ‘C’mon’. It was weird to me. But it’s cool.”

The story noted that Coach Dixon was doing interviews all week long with Pitt’s ascension to the #1 spot. It seems that Bill Plaschke wasn’t the only one doing the look-back with Maggie Dixon. This USA Today piece has some of the same details from the interview right down to the rocking chair and cutting his kids waffles.

The only comparisons for this sort of thing are in basketball. And those tended to be long drawn out things. Odd that this is really not even a week since it started leaking that McCoy was going pro. It feels like it’s been at least two weeks of angst. Of course, two weeks roughly corresponds to the Sun Bowl, so that might explain things.

Here’s the one thing that is absolute. No decision has been made.

Pitt athletics spokesman E.J. Borghetti released this statement last night: “LeSean McCoy spoke to (Pitt coach) Dave Wannstedt (Monday) afternoon and said he is not ready to make a final decision on the NFL Draft. Coach Wannstedt encouraged LeSean to take the time he needs to make such an important decision.”

After that it is rumors, speculation and leaks.

Lots of sources saying all sorts of things.

Still, a source close to the situation said that Pitt’s chances of keeping McCoy are “very slim” at best — if they are even that good — and that he is not likely to change his mind and return to school.

And those around the program don’t expect McCoy to change his mind, either, and have begun to prepare as if he is not going to return.

He has not been on campus since before the Christmas break and he has not been in classes even though Pitt’s spring semester began last Monday. He also missed a postseason team meeting on Thursday and that fueled speculation about his departure.

This report from his local tv station put McCoy down in Florida preparing for the draft, then sort of backtracking, with his HS coach indicating it is very undecided.

“He’s torn,” Weachter said then. “He loves Pitt. He loves playing for Coach Wannstedt.”

Then there is the juicy stuff.

Very close sources to this story are 100% confident that Shady McCoy wants to return to Pitt. He does not want to turn professional and leave Pitt. He loves being “Shady” McCoy and the big man on campus at Pitt. That is not meant as a criticism. He loves the fans at Pitt and loves college life. However, he is being pressured to turn pro. LeSean doesn’t want to cause friction within his family. On the other hand, he doesn’t want to leave Pitt and be unhappy “going to work” in the NFL. From what I’m told, McCoy is “an emotional wreck” and my source told me that “he really feels sorry for McCoy.”

What is reality? What are the ulterior motives of those being a source? Those are the questions that do have to be asked. Information isn’t just “leaked” without a reason. Sure there are natural gossips, and those that like to show off how connected they are. Still, take everything with a healthy dose of skepticism.

Everyone has an agenda. Any “soruce” always risks discovery and a loss of those connections. There generally has to be another reason to give things away like this.

All I’m doing is keeping a jaundiced eye on this and will not go much further in speculation. There’s still two more days before the clock runs out and the decision is made for him.

You know, I appreciate the candor from Levance Fields, but he’s not here next year and you can bet next year this sort of thing will be taped up in the St. John’s locker room when Pitt plays them.

“Even when it was a close game,” Pitt point guard Levance Fields said, “you could tell they really didn’t think they had a chance.”

Playing for the first time since its newly minted No. 1 national ranking, the Panthers overcame a slow start to bully St. John’s, 90-67, in front of a sold-out Petersen Events Center.

…

St. John’s failed to respond to Pitt’s second-half run and couldn’t repeat its upset victory over then-No. 7 Notre Dame last week.

“Their heads were down,” Fields said. “Once the lead got to double-digits and the crowd was into it, I think that was pretty much the end of the game.”

I’m not saying he wasn’t correct, but no team likes to have it announced that they knew they had no chance and then gave up.

D.J. Kennedy definitely disagreed with Fields’ views.

“Everybody in our locker room, from the players to the coaches, thought we could win,” Kennedy said. “As you can see, in the first half, we came out and went blow-for-blow with them.”

St. John’s starting five, composed of four sophomores and one freshman, hung with Pittsburgh’s senior-laden lineup in the first half. There were seven ties and 10 lead changes. The Panthers led 41-36 at halftime.

The first half was when St. John’s put the scare into Pitt fans about the game. Whether the team was a little tight about coming out there as the #1 team or just rusty from over a week off. St. John’s hung with Pitt and led for a significant chunk in the first half. The second half was a combination of Pitt just playing a lot better and St. John’s not able to match Pitt in strength or depth.

With the return of his very close friend facing him, DeJuan Blair just asserted himself.

Where Blair recorded game-highs of 23 points and 15 rebounds, along with six steals, to lead Pitt to a 90-67 victory Sunday, Kennedy gave the Panthers all they could handle in his homecoming. The 6-foot-6 sophomore from the Hill District finished with a team-high 18 points, making 5-of-8 shots from the field and 8-of-11 free throws, with seven rebounds in 40 minutes.

“We both played good,” Blair said. “It was a fun game, but at the end …”

Blair didn’t have to finish his sentence. He got the last word, but give Kennedy credit for his effort. He was chirping at Blair every time he went to the free-throw line, but Blair made 9 of 11.

“I was trying to shut him up by making it,” Blair said.

This is part of what makes Blair a special player. He gets up for the big games. Whether it was the G-town game and going against a heralded freshman in the paint or squaring off against his old HS teammate. He wants to come out ahead.

It’s cliche, but the Big East is such a tough conference and if you have any bit of bad luck or injuries you get buried. St. John’s has some good young talent, but their depth has been killed by injuries the past couple of years. Anthony Mason, Jr. — who torched Pitt last year is out for the season. Promising young point guard Malik Boothe has been out for several games with a hand injury. Their starting big man, Justin Burrell, has to wear a mask with three broken bones in his face. Plus he has a back injury that was re-aggravated which made him completely ineffective against Blair. You wonder about the possibilities if they ever have a healthy season.

Of course, the other problem for St. John’s has been the lack of continuity. On top of the massive rebuilding from the devastation to the program from Mike Jarvis, there has also been a steady stream transfers that have sapped the depth. Pitt has such depth and continuity.

“It’s disappointing for us, but it’s also freshman and sophomores. That’s what we’ve got. They’ve got juniors and seniors. They have veteran guys,” said St. John’s coach Norm Roberts. “It’s part of the Big East. You play this game, and you put this game away, and you get ready to play the No. 5 team in America.”

DeJuan Blair had 23 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Panthers. Jermaine Dixon added 17 and Levance Fields had 13.

“Our seniors have exceeded my expectations on them. I think how they’ve handled things, prepared themselves for games, they’ve become leaders,” said coach Jamie Dixon.

And as the second half wore-on the Red Storm wore-down.

Like previous Big East Conference games at Rutgers and Georgetown, Pitt (15-0, 3-0) dominated the second half. Only one team – NCAA Division II Indiana – has outscored the Panthers during a second half this season.

“Physically, we got worn down,” St. John’s coach Norm Roberts said. “When you get worn down, you get a little frustrated and we did.”

And Pitt killed them quickly for it.

Associate head coach Tom Herrion gets a nice story in the Trib.

Dixon and athletic director Steve Pederson recognized how valuable he had become when Herrion’s name surfaced last spring for vacancies at Marist and James Madison. Pitt quickly promoted him to associate head coach. Herrion, who lives in the North suburbs with wife Leslie and son, Robert, 3, said he will be patient for another head-coaching position.

“It’s not the end all, be all, to be a head coach again,” he said. “We love it here. … I’ve gained perspective, having gone through some different things in my career.

“I feel like if I do my job to the best of my ability, good things are going to happen. When I was younger, it was ‘How fast can I be a head coach?’ Now you appreciate things differently. I’m comfortable and happy being an assistant.”

But it might not last. Herrion is likely to follow in the footsteps of past Dixon assistants who became head coaches, including Barry Rohrssen, Joe Lombardi and Rice. As a relatively young assistant — he turned 41 in November — with head-coaching success at a mid-major, Herrion’s name will likely surface again.

“I think he’d like to be a head coach again,” said Gillen, who works as a TV analyst. “But it would have to be the right opportunity.”

The question is what is the right opportunity? His time at the College of Charleston had a bit to do with not being the right fit. Maybe I’m rationalizing because it would be great for Pitt to keep him as long as possible, but he might be better served by waiting for a shot at a major opening rather than somewhere in the mid-major ranks. He’s a recruiter of talent. That’s how he made his name, and where he excelled. At CofC, one of the issues was that to get the talent, he took a chance on character and academics and it blew-up on him. At a major conference program — even one that isn’t too good — it is still easier to recruit good talent that does not carry as much baggage.

I’m not a big fan of Bill Plaschke. The LA Times columnist tends to grate on me, and not just for his shrill, self-righteous “Shame on you ____” schtick on Around the Horn. Of course, here’s a lengthy feature he did on Coach Jamie Dixon and still missing his youngest sister.

It is the story of a North Hollywood kid who, having spent his life searching the world for basketball fulfillment, is finally reaching it with strength from home.

Meet Jamie Dixon, family guy.

Home is where parents Jim and Marge — whom he still phones every day — gave him the work ethic to lead Pitt to the top after a career spent bouncing around the bottom, playing professionally in four minor leagues in four countries, serving as an assistant coach for five teams.

Not counting the time he taught basketball to 10-year-old girls in New Zealand.

“You know how you always think of your children as kids?” said father Jim, a screenwriter. “Not my son. He’s a real man.”

And mercifully, nothing about moving West, despite playing up the whole LA connection.

My friend Pat sent me this message from his Blackberry late at the game this afternoon:

Are they showing any of the football recruiting the Zoo is doing? The recruits are calling them over to sign off on a white board. Pretty cool – 5 so far.

Well, we know of two new verbals in Kolby Gray, the QB out of Texas, and Jason Hendricks, a CB from NJ.

Gray, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound dual-threat quarterback from Houston’s Cypress Falls High, chose the Panthers over scholarship offers from Boise State, Rice and Utah.

Hendricks, a 6-1, 167-pound defensive back from Jersey City (N.J.) Hudson Catholic, had offers from Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Syracuse and Temple.

Gray is a 3-star recruit and Hendricks is a 2-star recruit. Little sidenote with Hendricks. There’s a question on his actual height. Rivals.com puts him at 6-1. Scout.com says 5-10.

As for anyone else putting their name and/or a check on the whiteboard, I doubt that it was Dan Mason — though that would be nice. He’s down to Pitt and WVU, but in no particular rush.

Mason said he was still considering Penn State and Boston College, but said no coaches from those schools have called him in months. He is on a visit to Pitt this weekend and plans to go to West Virginia Jan. 23.

“I never felt any pressure to make an early decision,” Mason said. “I don’t want to put myself into a situation where I make a decision, and a couple months later I don’t want to be at that school. I’ve always wanted to take my time with this.”

Here’s the list of official visitors today. It might well be that a few of the people checking-off may have already given a verbal.

UPDATE (9:06): See, this is why I should have looked about a little longer. DPJ at Cat Basket gives the details on the checklisting.  According to him, there were 3 check-offs. And it #3 is Bernardo Nunez.  A DE from New Jersey listed as a 3-star recruit and also holding offers from WVU, Michigan St., Maryland and Virginia. I guess we’ll find out soon whether it was being caught up in the moment or meant.

Even before Pitt won today, the news got out that Isiah Epps gave Pitt a verbal.

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound Epps picked the Panthers over Maryland. Epps, who is the first Pitt commitment for the Class of 2010, is ranked as the No. 8 point guard and the No. 40 overall player by rivals.com.

Here’s the Rivals.com link, which tabs him as a 4-star. Scout.com has him as a 4-star and the #10 PG. Epps is from Plainfield (HS), NJ. He’s also a ESPN/Scouts, Inc. Top-100 player (Insider subs.).

Epps, a lefty, drains his fluid jump shot with regularity. He has very good rotation, which naturally points to proper follow-through on the shot. He catches defenders off-guard in transition by opting to pull up on the break, and he hits 3’s in the defender’s face often.

Here’s some comments from Mr. Epps on his decision.

“I decided to go to Pitt because I was cool with Brandin Knight and he played with the Playaz before,” Epps said Sunday by phone. “He had that relationship and I felt at home when I was at Pitt. I felt real comfortable.”

Epps cannot a sign a National Letter of Intent until April. He will visit Pitt next Sunday and will stay for Monday’s Syracuse game.

…

“I made my decision last week but I talked to the coaches [Jamie Dixon and Knight] on Friday,” he said.

Epps follows in the footsteps of New Jersey guards Ashton Gibbs (Seton Hall Prep) and Travon Woodall (St. Anthony) who also chose Pitt out of the Garden State. Both will be juniors when Epps arrives on campus.

“They told me I was going to go in there and start from the jump,” Epps said of his role. “They might move Ashton Gibbs to the two and put me at the one.”

Epps will be heading to prep school for his last year. Not because of grades, but because of his age.

Epps will not play for Plainfield next year because he will be too old as per New Jersey state regulations, and will have to prep somewhere. It remains unclear where he will spend the year.

“The school that I committed to I’m letting them decide on that right now,” Epps said.

Said Vasil: “I think it’s going to be a luxury for him to go to a prep school because he’ll be able to focus even more on his academics, so that qualifying isn’t really an issue.”

The biggest players Pitt beat out for him were Maryland and the Jersey schools of the Big East. Texas and ‘Nova were also nosing about, but had not yet offered.

Speaking of future Pitt players and prep school, Lamar Patterson has been elevated to a starter at St. Benedict’s.

Patterson, who transferred to St. Benedict’s after three varsity seasons at McCaskey, is getting with it. Saturday’s game was his third consecutive start. He played well overall and scored 14, two less than his season high.

“I’ve gotten in better shape and I’ve been playing better in practice,” Patterson explained. “I never really thought I’d have trouble playing here once I got in shape.”

“We wanted him to earn it,” Hurley said of the starting job. “He’s been playing starter’s minutes all along. Right now, his body is in Big East shape for the first time.”

Big East shape is an issue, of course, because Patterson verbally committed, early in his junior year, to Pittsburgh.

“We expect our seniors to play hard, be unselfish and defend, because that’s what they’ll have to do in college,” Hurley said. “If you’re not ready to guard as a [college] freshman, you get buried on the bench, and then they recruit over you.”

By the end of his junior year, at McCaskey, Patterson was struggling, and realizing that unless he did something, he wasn’t ready for Pittsburgh.

Which is why he submitted himself to Hurley’s brand of discipline.

“I don’t think he’s the devil,” Patterson said of his coach. “He’s there to push me. [Pitt coach] Jamie Dixon is going to be 10 times worse than him.”

I don’t think Patterson’s work ethic will be a problem.

Spent the time before the game shoveling out. No liveblog. Just an open thread. Observations at the half.

HALFTIME: Pitt leads 41-36.

Do the Red Storm have your attention now? Let’s give those Johnnies credit. They came out fired up and ready to take down Pitt. They want to show that they can compete with anyone — and they are.

First things, first. Jermaine Dixon came out with a shaved head. I approve. Might have done it to try and get a jump or a change. It actually seemed to help. 8 points and 3 steals in the first half. Just getting to the basket and starting to finish some shots. Still can’t hit a 3.

Sam Young just was pressing — 2-11 shooting. After dropping that opening 3, it was nothing. The worst was a sequence where Pitt got the ball on a steal, and Young ran right into traffic in the paint and put it up short. Rather than passing to anyone on the wings waiting. He started to get back into the team game, when he made the alley-oop for Gilbert Brown to slam home. I was terrified he would try and take his man to get the score himself. He got the authoritative slam before the half which might be the spark

Early in the game, Pitt just was getting looks from everywhere, but nothing falling. You could see the frustration growing. The defense was solid. Lots of turnovers forced, but St. John’s when they did shoot was being patient. Not much forcing shots or desperation as the clock wound down.

Free throw shooting. Ugh. Pitt shooting way below average — 7-15. Meanwhile St. John’s was shooting 9-11 (82%) — significantly above their average.

Another Saturday of sitting on my ass watching college sports. I love the FanHouse gig.

The downside is that I have not done much today with the basketball game tomorrow.

No surprise that both beat writers ran stories on D.J. Kennedy coming home and facing off against his best friend in front of friends and family.

Kennedy hopes to bring about 50 family and friends to the game, which will be his first real action on the Pitt campus since playing AAU ball as a high schooler. But high demand to see Pitt has only increased since the team achieved its first-ever No. 1 ranking.

Said Kennedy: “It’s real tough to get tickets.”

Yeah. It would be.

Levance Fields does not think the team will take anything or anyone for granted — among other things.

“We’re not that kind of team,” Fields said. “We never look past opponents.”

That’s due to the Panthers toughness – especially with Fields, Sam Young and DeJuan Blair. In fact, I’ve always wondered which of the trio is actually the toughest on the team.

“Myself,” Fields said. “But I think both Sam and DeJuan would say themselves.”

Between St. John’s upset of ND last week and the D.J. Kennedy motivating factor for Blair, the only  thing I worry about is that they will come out tight, trying too hard.

Fields got a nice piece at the beginning of the week as he gets closer to 500 assists to go with the 1000+ points scored.

Even with the extra time off, there was no change to Pitt’s practice schedule.

The Johnnies are gearing up for the game and insist that the win over ND taught them something.

There was the euphoria they felt from winning, and the swarm of congratulations they received from family, friends, classmates and even strangers. They enjoyed the fruits of their labors, so they continued working for another taste.

“We learned a lot about playing 40 minutes,” the sophomore forward Sean Evans said. “We have to bring this mind-set to every game.”

Evans spoke about how much more focused he and his teammates were in practice. The sophomore forward Justin Burrell said that the team was working harder in practice than he could remember, and that there was none of the bickering or distracting side conversations that had been too prevalent in the past. And the sophomore swingman D. J. Kennedy confirmed that that had been the way the team had operated since the Providence loss. Even Roberts was willing to acknowledge a rise in intensity, though he attributed it to preparing for a hard-nosed team like Pittsburgh (14-0, 2-0).

“We’ve emphasized being much more physical in practice,” Roberts said.

With Fields, Blair and Young set. Not to mention Tyrell Biggs being reliable inside. That means the only position to still angst over would be at shooting guard/wing guard. So, there are at least some wondering about getting Gilbert Brown more playing time or playing Wanamaker more over Jermaine Dixon.

I love Dixon’s defense, but Ray Fittipaldo did make a good observation regarding Dixon’s playing time.

The Georgetown game could be a peek into the future as to how Jamie Dixon divvies up the minutes among his guards. Against Georgetown, Brad Wanamaker played 22 minutes, fellow reserve Gilbert Brown played 20 and Jermaine Dixon 19.

Dixon isn’t just shooting poorly on 3s, he has had a hard time finishing his drives to the basket recently. One of the attractions of Jermaine Dixon is that he can attack the basket. The problem has been that his shots are coming up short lately. Take away the 7-43 on threes, and he is 32-57 everywhere else. It seems like it should be higher.

The way too early speculation of who can win it all has returned. Well, more precisely, it has rebooted after everyone’s pick, UNC actually lost just as conference play got going. Media punditry appreciates the timing.

SI.com does a roundtable of who they think can possibly take UNC. Everyone takes UConn, with one exception:

Luke Winn: Pitt.

It’s good to be Carolina this year, because the team that really should have the best chance — the one that fits the formula of NBA athletes, size, and a deep, star backcourt — is UConn, and UConn has no experience winning anything in the postseason. The Panthers may have slightly less talent top-to-bottom, but they have more experience (Levance Fields and Sam Young have three NCAA trips under their belts already) and seem to possess more of a killer instinct.

Mike DeCourcy runs through the contenders and leads with Pitt:

Primary strengths: Chemistry, toughness, discipline, leadership.

Areas of concern: Height, perimeter shooting, building depth.

Bottom line: This Pitt team is different from its predecessors because of center DeJuan Blair and forward Sam Young, who have developed into elite college players. If the Panthers again advance to the Sweet 16, this might be the first time in a while they enter that round with better individual talent than their opponent.

The Panthers aren’t likely to become a great shooting team by March, but they can overcome that by not making a huge issue of it. Never forget: UCLA won the 1995 NCAA title by making four 3-pointers in two games at the Final Four. If the Panthers execute as they did in beating Georgetown, they can generate enough points.

It’s not about being a great shooting team. It’s about being efficient with the possessions.

It looks like it will be at least until Monday before there is an official word.

McCoy’s parents, Ron and Daphne, and brother, LeRon, accompanied him to the meeting at Pitt’s Duratz Athletic Complex on the South Side. Afterward, LeRon McCoy said his brother was overwhelmed by the gravity of the decision and will wait until next week to make up his mind.

“We had a great meeting, and coach Wannstedt put the options on the table,” said LeRon McCoy, who has spent three seasons in the NFL as a wide receiver. “LeSean is going to take some time to think about what he wants to do. It’s a very hard decision.”

…

“Coach Wannstedt is very supportive of LeSean in everything he does,” LeRon McCoy said. “It’s more about what he thinks is the best option for him. LeSean wants to make sure his decision is the right one.

“He’s going to use the time available to do that.”

It’s good that McCoy is taking his time. He does have that choice, but it really seems that he is still leaving.

McCoy still is expected to declare for the NFL draft. But the meeting gave Wannstedt the opportunity to sit with him, and the two were able to hear each other’s thoughts.

And while Wannstedt is hoping for McCoy to have a change of heart and return, it is clear those within the program already have begun moving forward as if McCoy, who has two years of eligibility remaining, is not going to be back. The most telling sign is that McCoy has not been on campus all week despite the fact classes began Monday.

Wannstedt spent the week recruiting in New York and New Jersey and said yesterday was the first time he and McCoy and his family had a good chance to have an open discussion about the subject. This weekend is a big weekend for recruiting, and the team is playing host to 14 recruits on their official visits.

“We had a lengthy meeting and tried to talk through the pros and cons of staying and leaving, and I tried to present him with some facts and truth, more than anything else,” Wannstedt said. “He is going to go home and sleep on it over the weekend, and I think he’ll have a definite decision the first of next week.”

[Emphasis added.]

Missing the first week of class to think about it  isn’t a killer, but it doesn’t help.

It’s no surprise that Coach Wannstedt was completely neutral on the issue other than to be supportive of whatever he does. There’s no other way to handle it. All you can do is present the facts and back the player.

“My role as the head coach is that I make a commitment to these kids that I want to see everyone of them graduate and I want to see everyone of them get in the NFL if they have the ability. That is the commitment I made to him, and I stand by it.”

Wannstedt said he hopes that McCoy comes back, but he is not going to let McCoy’s decision change the way the Panthers prepare for next season.

“To continue on here, our focus is to win a Big East championship,” Wannstedt said. “I made that very clear. I told him ‘I love you and as much as I want you back, we’re moving forward, and [if you decide to stay], you better be ready to go to work.’ It is about the team.”

Not that anyone was or is questioning McCoy’s work ethic. It’s not just about how many underclassmen are coming out, and how deep the draft is at running back. It’s about what McCoy wants to do. Is he ready to make football the full-time job? Does he want to go play in the NFL now? Or does he want to stay at Pitt for a little longer, playing college football and still have a little time for a life?

It is free candy week with ESPN’s Full Court package. Lots of extra games to watch without paying. Most importantly for those who don’t live in the Pittsburgh area for WTAE or the cable channels: SNY and MASN. Well, the game is on the Full Court package for everyone else to watch.

So no excuses not to be able to watch on Sunday at noon.

Speaking of video to watch, here’s Coach Jamie Dixon’s interview with Jim Rome.

I still marvel at how far Dixon has come at being comfortable in his own skin in these interviews. He started out so stiff and uncomfortable. I mean, he’s never going to be confused with a John Calipari or Bruce Pearl in personality and energy to an interview, but now he isn’t stumbling over words and doesn’t look like he’d rather be getting a discount vasectomy rather than do the interview.

While on the subject of Dixon, congrats, I guess on a mid-year coach of the year award. Really? There is a mid-year coach of the year award?

Back to the fun stuff.

Power polls from the various sports sites. Unanimity, for this week at least, is good.

Luke Winn at SI.com:

These Power Rankings begin with an exclusive What-If Scenario: In the course of reporting the James Harden feature that’s in this week’s SI, I stumbled across a Pitt story: Arizona State assistant Scott Pera — the former Artesia High coach whom Harden followed to Tempe — told me he had discussions with Pitt’s Jamie Dixon about job opportunities in the spring of 2006. The Sun Devils made the first move on Pera in late May, and he left Artesia to become their director of basketball operations. The first day Pera was starting work at ASU, Dixon called him to say, “I’m ready to move now [and offer you a job].” Pera, who grew up in Hershey, Pa., might have accepted that offer had it come much earlier. He said that he wasn’t sure if Harden, an L.A. kid, would have been willing to make the same cross-country jump. “You should ask James that,” Pera said. “I’d be interested to hear what he says.” So I asked Harden. And he said, “Yeah, I would have gone [to Pitt]. That’s a great program, coach Dixon is a great coach, and that would have been a good opportunity for me, too. I didn’t want to stay in L.A.” Pitt fans, could you imagine having a starting lineup of Levance Fields, Harden, Sam Young, DeJuan Blair and Tyrell Biggs?

And Pitt fans are accused of never being satisified.

ESPN.com had Pitt ranked at the top. Two of their ten voting analysts kept UNC at #1. Jay Bilas was one of them, I think everyone and their dog knows who the other was — but he swears no malice (Insider subs).

FoxSports doesn’t grasp permalinks in their power rankings. So, this will change over time. Still, for now.

The good: The Panthers are enjoying their first No. 1 ranking in school history after thumping Big East rival Georgetown on its home floor with a double-digit win. The bad: Pitt proved with its win over the Hoyas that it can play with the big boys despite a soft non-conference schedule, but things get tough later this month with road games at Louisville, West Virginia and Villanova.

Finally, it is time for some hardcore number crunching. John Gasaway at Basketball Prospectus has sung the praises of their offensive performance. Now he hits on game planning against Pitt.

With all this talent and all these skills, the game plan for any Pitt opponent is two-fold: force the Panthers to shoot threes and keep Blair (and his teammates) off the offensive glass. The dilemma posed by Pitt, of course, is that the best way to accomplish the former objective, a zone, inhibits accomplishing the second goal.

Or does it? Consider Syracuse last year. The Orangemen have long been synonymous with the term “zone defense.” Yet somehow way back in 2008 Jim Boeheim’s team managed to combine zone D with excellent defensive rebounding. Future Pitt opponents, take heart! True, it didn’t work out so well for Georgetown but maybe you can have your zone and your boards too. The ‘Cuse did it last year with strength in numbers: Donte Greene, Arinze Onuaku and Paul Harris, in particular. Other Big East teams might try to do the same, given the Panthers’ iffy perimeter shooting. So far this season Pitt has made exactly one in every three of its attempts from beyond the arc.

…

Is Pitt the best team in the country? A better question might be: who are the best teams? Carolina may have lost at home to Boston College but the Tar Heels will rise again. (After all, last year the Final Four-bound Heels lost at home to a team, Maryland, that didn’t even make the NCAA tournament.) As for Pitt, well, clearly they’ve already risen. Until further notice the best teams in the country include, at a minimum, UNC and the Panthers, warts and all.

And right now, that is all you want to be. Considered one of the best teams. No one wins anything now.