Damn. I feel so dirty for spending a couple hours rooting for WVU. And on top of that — Dick Vitale.
Here’s what the Cardinals winning the BE and being the #1 seed means:
Pitt is the #2 seed. They will play Thursday night at 7 pm (PDF).
In that game, they will face either the # 7, 10 or 15 seed. Or WVU, ND or Rutgers. Yes, that’s right. Pitt could be looking at a 3d meeting with the Hoopies for their first game of the BET. Rutgers and ND play on Tuesday. The winner faces WVU on Wednesday.
Oh, and it also means that if Pitt wins, the semifinal game will likely mean a 3d meeting with the #3 seed — UConn. So for Pitt to make it back to the BET Championship game, Pitt will likely have to beat WVU and UConn 3 times in one season.
Ugh.
I really see little point of having an opening round with the bottom feeders. Especially if the games aren’t even being televised. The best you can do, is watch free internet feeds at the BE site.
We have instant national punditry to note from Pitt topping UConn.
Andy Katz likes what he sees of this team.
Let’s skip ahead, though, to beyond New York. The Panthers are good to go with Fields into the NCAA tournament as possibly the No. 1 overall seed. And clearly this team is better prepared to handle the expectations.
Young, who finished with 31 points, was unstoppable, finishing Fields’ assists, running the floor, hitting face-up shots and working the offensive backboard.
Young is hardly a role player. He’s a star. Sophomore forward DeJuan Blair called Young “Superman.” He also had nicknames for himself (Robin), Fields (Batman) and senior Tyrell Biggs (the Joker). But this squad is hardly comical. Add wing Jermaine Dixon and solid bench players Gilbert Brown, Brad Wanamaker and Ashton Gibbs (a total of 15 points off the pine) and the Panthers are more experienced, have multiple scoring options, can defend, rebound and own enough depth to win the national title.
Gary Parrish at CBS sees no way Pitt doesn’t get a #1 seed.
But Pittsburgh’s 70-60 victory over Connecticut should be enough to secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament regardless of what happens going forward because it:
- pushed the Panthers’ record to 28-3 overall, 15-3 in the Big East.
- ensured the Panthers will finish no worse than second in the Big East.
- made the Panthers 7-2 against the top 25 of the CBSSports.com RPI.
- made the Panthers 9-2 against the top 50 of the CBSSports.com RPI.
- made the Panthers 15-3 against the top 100 of the CBSSports.com RPI.
- gave the Panthers two wins over another possible No. 1 seed (Connecticut).
- strengthened the Panthers’ hold on the top-rated RPI.
That last point is key because the school entering Selection Sunday with the top-rated RPI has been awarded a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament 10 of the past 13 seasons. The only times it didn’t happen were in 2000 when Cincinnati got a No. 2 seed despite being No. 1 in the RPI, in 2005 when Kansas got a No. 3 seed despite being No. 1 in the RPI, and last season when Tennessee got a No. 2 seed despite being No. 1 in the RPI. And when you consider that Cincinnati didn’t get a No. 1 seed in 2000 only because Kenyon Martin broke his leg in the C-USA tournament, the reality is that a No. 1 RPI has translated into a No. 1 seed 11 of the past 13 seasons.
In other words, book it.
Okay. So the pessimist says, unless Fields suffers a big setback.
Jeff Goodman at FoxSports.com hearts Levance Fields.
Last time it was DeJuan Blair who got all the accolades for his dominance against UConn’s tower of terror, Hasheem Thabeet. This time it’s Blair’s teammate, Sam Young, who had a 31-point, 10-rebound performance in a second victory against the top-ranked Huskies.
But the truth is this is just an average, run-of-the-mill Pittsburgh team without Levance Fields.
Fields doesn’t look the part. In fact, Young said it best when describing where he’d be chosen down at the local playground.
“Last,” Young said. “But you’d be regretting that decision all day because he’ll kill you.”
Tim Layden at SI.com has no doubt that Pitt is a No. 1 seed.
The numbers speak for themselves — 28-3 overall and 15-3 in the best conference in the country — but in beating UConn, 70-60, Pitt showed why it is even better than its stats. The Panthers are a terrific blend of steady point guard play (Levance Fields, more on him in point No. 2), perimeter scoring (the waayyyyyyyyy underrated Sam Young, who had 31 points) and reliable inside power (led by DeJuan Blair). The combination makes Pitt almost slump-proof and it’s hard to imagine the Panthers falling anytime before Detroit and the Final Four.
I try not to.
In quick summaries, SI.com’s blog notes this.
Prepare to be enlightened. Sam Young‘s giving a lesson in How To Go Out In Style 101. First order of business, drop 31 on the No. 1 team, Connecticut. While you’re at it, go ahead and grab 10 boards. Then, knock in a layup to halt a 12-0 run by the Huskies, and quickly follow with an alley-oop to teammate Levance Fields for a slam – one that will bring the house down. Next, to make sure Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun knows that no matter how much money his team brings in and no matter who he has defending you, they won’t be able to stop you. And finally, complete a season-sweep of the Huskies, with a 70-60 beating. Once you master those topics, you, too, can be like Young in his final home game as a Pittsburgh Panther.
Why didn’t the seniors come off before the game ended? Well…
Jamie Dixon stamped his right foot and turned angrily to the bench. This was not what he planned. He’d drawn up the ideal play: The Pitt Panthers would walk the ball up the floor, he’d call a 30-second timeout and seniors Levance Fields, Sam Young and Tyrell Biggs would stroll off the court to a deafening ovation from the Petersen Center audience.
“It seems to be the right thing to do at the time,” Dixon said, “and it didn’t end up as I wanted it.”
The Panthers turned over the ball twice in the last minute, so they missed their moment. And they missed a few too many 3-point shots. And, because of that puzzling loss to Providence late last month they missed the opportunity for this victory over the Connecticut Huskies to be a Big East title-clincher.
Honestly, though, they didn’t leave a whole lot left undone.
For the second time this season, they handled the No. 1 team in the country, UConn, by a 70-60 score. “Handled” is the perfect word for it. The Panthers didn’t blow out the Huskies, but they didn’t slip past them, either. There was no question which team was superior the two times they met.
“Do I think we can beat Pitt?” UConn coach Jim Calhoun asked himself. “Yeah. But we’ve played twice and we’re 0-2. So I don’t have any graphic evidence of that.”
I have to admit. I love that quote from Calhoun.
Night all.
Thank you Levance, Sam, and Tyrell for a great regular season. On to Gotham and then Motown!
I’d love to have Pitt play Louisville in the BE Championship game, on a neutral court. To do so, assuming the chalk holds, would mean that Pitt would have to beat both WVU and UConn for a third time, as Chas pointed out.
While I’d love to have a chance to prove they can beat Louisville, I don’t care if Pitt wins at any cost. I want them rested and ready for the NCAA Tourney!
Calhoun’s quote regarding graphic evidence was even funnier when you see it (not just read it). His post-game comments were as gracious as I’ve heard from him after a loss (he can be very gracious after a win, but not so much after a loss).
Lastly, not that it means anything, but Seth Davis on CBS just kind of picked Pitt to win the NCAA Tourney (when asked if a seed lower than a #3 could win this year, his reply was that Pitt would be higher than a #3, and he didn’t see anybody beating Pitt).
We’re debating this on our own site and while I think the 3 BE teams would deserve #1s, it would really surprise me if the committee did that.
Among my favorites in the article, Thabeet sayind that Pitt DOESN’T have him figured out despite scoring zero in the second half because “They just double teamed me.” Yeah, um, that would be the figured out part, genius. Obviously we don’t have you figured out, you put up 9 ppg and 8 rpg against us. You’re CLEARLY ready for the NBA. Of course, Price makes the great point that last year they beat WVU twice, only to lose to WVU in the BET. I guess he’s saying that there’s a parallel there…I would agree, UConn is about as good as WVU was last year.
@ LouisvilleFan:
I have the same problem you guys have. If Pitt loses to UConn on Friday night (which seems improbable after my hubris-laden rant above, but obviously is eminently possible) many scenarios are in play. I’ll run them down for you:
Pitt loses in either quarters to anyone or semis to UConn and then…
–UConn wins BET.
Seeds are Pitt 1, UConn 1, Louisville 2.
–Louisville wins BET
This is a tough scenario. UNC is locked in to a 1, or else Duke beats them twice in the next week and takes their 1 seed. Either way, there are only three left. Memphis locks one up if they win out. That is the most likely scenario. I think Michigan State and Oklahoma have only TINY shots at 1s, so let us disregard those. That means two of these three teams get ones. I think Pitt keeps theirs unless UConn manhandles them, though they fall to 2-2 in the mini conference. Louisville would be red-hot, but UConn would be sitting pretty as well. I think the deciding factor then might be Western Kentucky. If they win the Sun Belt, suddenly that isn’t a stupid loss. And the Ville gets the other one. If not, its Conn.
The best hope for Louisville getting a 1, in my opinion, is Pitt beating UConn and Louisville beating Pitt again. Pitt is then locked in at 30-4, and Louisville is red hot, and has two wins over Pitt. In that case, I think Louisville and Pitt get 1s and Conn falls to a 2.
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I have been arguing that Louisville *should* be considered a strong contender for a #1 seeding. In fact, if they make it to the BE Final, (regardless of what happens out of conference), I think the BE could place three #1’s into the NCAA’s.
Many have pointed to the Cards’ three ugly losses, but that was a long time ago. If there’s an unwritten rule that says you can’t lose three times early in the season and make #1, so be it. But if you want three of the best teams right now, pick Pitt, UConn, and Louisville.
The ACC is locked in to a 1 seed.
Memphis has to get one if they win their conference tournament.
If Oklahoma wins their conference tournament, they’d also be a contender…especially over a Conn team that could lose three of its last six if it were to lose to again.
Louisville has to win the BET to get a 1 seed. It might have to do it over Pitt. If Louisville beats Conn, I can see the argument for them getting one…but its hard to see the argument for Conn getting one over those other teams above.
Do you really think Memphis gets a #1? Their schedule is extremely weak, and while they haven’t dropped a game since December, they have losses against both Georgetown and Syracuse.
I’m just not convinced that competition against Conf USA is worthy of a #1 seeding.
Remember, they won at Gonzaga in early Feb. That’s a solid win. And going through a conference slate unbeaten is more than just good, its outstanding. They haven’t lost since Dec. 20, and their three losses are Xavier, @ Georgetown, and Syracuse. Those are good losses. For example, Pitt’s three are Louisville, Villanova, Providence. Certainly you could argue that Providence is the worst loss among those. UNC has lost to Maryland, Wake, and Boston College. Two of those three are HORRID. Boston College followed up beating UNC by losing at home to HARVARD. One bad loss (like Georgetown, which on the road in Dec was not a bad loss) is not going to ruin your chances. They’ve won 22 in a row! Yes, they ABSOLUTELY have a shot at a 1 seed.
