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March 16, 2009

One game at a time. One game at a time. Let’s not worry about Elite 8 or failure stuff yet (we’ve kind of talket that to death all season anyways).

Um, if you want to see the ETSU-Pitt match-up, there’s a good chance you can get tickets — cheap.

Do the UD fans who bought tickets for tourney games at the Arena use their tickets Friday afternoon to watch the Pittsburgh Panthers, a No. 1 seed, or do they find a TV and watch the Flyers play West Virginia in Minneapolis?

Both games start at about 3 p.m.

“I am angry,” said Steve Waddell, a Bellbrook resident who called the NCAA to complain about the scheduling conflict. “I can’t believe that is not part of the standard operating procedures. I think it had to be a terrible oversight or mistake on their part.”

UD Arena hosts four games Friday, two in the afternoon and two at night. Each session requires a ticket with a face value of $66.

Here’s your standard article regarding a #16 seed. They just want to play. They won’t be intimidated.

There was little sign that ETSU was four days away from facing the Pittsburgh Panthers and one of biggest first-round challenges in the NCAA Tournament. Little sign that the Bucs were intimidated or scared straight. And little sign that East Tennessee State (23-10) prepared to treat its East Region contest against the Panthers (28-4) as anything other than what it is: a game. And that’s just the way Bucs coach Murry Bartow wants it.

“All I can do for our team is get our team ready to play,” Bartow said. “We can’t get overly concerned with who we’re playing. Obviously, we’re playing one of the best teams in the country, and it’s a hard matchup because of [their] strength and size. But all we can do is keep keeping on; keep doing what we’ve been doing.”

Hopefully the players mean what they say about being a #1 seed and not taking anything for granted.

“I definitely don’t want to say that having a No. 1 seed is going to make anything easier,” senior Sam Young said, “because I almost don’t believe it because we’ve been upset so many times.”

Other No. 1 seeds went to Louisville — which also is playing in Dayton — North Carolina and Connecticut. The Big East is the first conference to have three No. 1 seeds.

“(Being a No. 1 seed) is a great thing,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “But it doesn’t mean anything at this point. There are 65 teams and every one of them thinks they can win it.”

Okay, just one little look ahead. Tennessee is not happy with its draw.

“We’re not looking ahead, I can guarantee you that,’’ said Pearl who has guided the Vols to the NCAA tournament in all four years of his UT tenure. “Oklahoma State has about the 19th RPI; they’re probably the toughest No. 8 seed in the tourney.’’

The Cowboys went on a season-ending run that included wins over Big 12 powerhouses Texas (68-59) and Oklahoma (71-70) before they fell to eventual conference tourney champion Missouri (67-59) on Saturday.

“Oklahoma State won eight of its last 10 and they shoot 38 percent from three,’’ Pearl said. “They’re very guard oriented and very athletic.’’

The Cowboys run a four-guard offense — just like the Mississippi State team that defeated the Vols 64-61 in the St. Pete Times Forum on Sunday afternoon to earn the SEC’s automatic bid.

I love that everyone — player or coach– by the way, feels they have the toughest path in the NCAA Tournament. It is almost standard.

“I think we have the toughest bracket,” Jermaine Dixon said. “But it’s really not a problem for us. Pittsburgh is always in a tough bracket, so we kind of expected it.”

Pitt has not advanced to a Final Four since 1941 and has not reached the Elite Eight since ’74.

The Panthers, who are making their eighth consecutive appearance in the tournament, have experienced some bitter disappointments in the past few years, including an early exit at the hands of Michigan State in the second round last season when many predicted a deep tournament run.

The expectations are even higher this season. The Panthers are being picked as one of the favorites to win the national championship.

“We got the No. 1 seed,” sophomore center DeJuan Blair said. “It’s not over. We have a long way to go.

“This is a long march. We’re going to have fun.”

Yes. Winning is fun. To quote Ebby “Nuke” LaLoosh, “I love winning. You know what I mean? It- it’s like better than losing!”





Personally, I don’t buy into that Pitt was seeded higher than UNC. Pitt easily has the hardest 2ns round game than any of the 1 seeds, plus Duke and Nova are every bit as good or better than Oklahoma and ‘Cuse. They are ranked higher with better RPIs.

FWIW, my prediction is that if Pitt dooesn’t lose to Okla St in 2nd round, they will make the Final 4 after a close win over Duke or ‘Nova.

Comment by w bill 03.16.09 @ 11:24 pm

When you say each team thinks its path to the finals is the hardest, well — winning your regional is going to be hell no matter what your seed you draw and no matter what region you’re in.

When it comes down to it, all of them are equally hard to win. Does Pitt have the easiest road to the Final Four? Analysts seem to think so but I’m not sold on it. Really, after the first round, I think any team that we have the possibility of playing *could* beat Pitt.

Pitt is the best team overall in the country, but it’s not without its weaknesses. We’ve heard a million times that all Pitt needs to do is keep Blair out of foul trouble to win. The same people seem to think that a Blair foul trouble is a for-sure loss.

I don’t see either scenario to be inherently true. Sure, the numbers are very telling — but that doesn’t stop the fact that the rest of the team screwed the pooch in those losses.

In our four losses, our FG% as a team averaged 41%, the lowest being a 34% against Louisville. Blair’s fault?

One can argue that his knack for offensive rebounds would lead to more high percentage shots. But lets face it, Pitt wins as a team and loses as a team.

They could possibly not even reach the Sweet Sixteen. And just as possible, they could win the national title.

The beauty of March Madness is that of the Nation’s 46 best teams (and the 18 or whatever single bid conference teams), only one will go into next season with a winning streak intact.

You’re right, though, Chas, when you say that the best we can do is focus on one game at a time. No underestimating the Bradleys or the Mich. States or the Pacifics of the world (the last of which is responsible for the fist-sized hole in my old bedroom).

All that aside, I have Pitt winning the National Championship. Will they? Probably not. Am I a homer? Absolutely.

Let the Madness begin.
Hail to Pitt!

Comment by Matt 03.17.09 @ 2:41 am

Come on now, Pitt deserved to lose to Pacific. That was a pretty unlikeable and lazy Pitt team.

Pitt just needs someone to get a hot hand and carry them. That hasn’t happened in the past – actually, what has happened in the past is everyone crapping the bed simultaneously.

Comment by Joey D 03.17.09 @ 7:46 am

You know, after reading these posts, I’ve come to a conclusion. If you lose at some point, people will say, “they had a tough path to the championship.” If you win your games, people will say, “they had an easy path.”

Bottom line, Pitt just needs to go out and play like we know they can.

Comment by Colt Convert 03.17.09 @ 7:56 am

Congrats to the Pitt Womens team on their #4 seed.

Comment by Yeti 03.17.09 @ 7:58 am

I have two extra tickets for the Pitt dayton games on Friday and Sunday. I purchased on stub hub and will sell at my cost $225/tkt/gm sec 110 Row I. E-mail me at tmgpanther@yahoo.com for details if interested.

Comment by Tiger Paul 03.17.09 @ 8:50 am

Pacific was, sadly, better than Pitt that year. Also, the Pitt women’s team’s #4 seed is nice, but see the Levance injury thread for a discussion between JS and I on how screwed we got in terms of where we’re being sent. Literally, the furthest possible sub-region.

Comment by maz. 03.17.09 @ 10:19 am

Comments preceding this are quite relevant. In the “Big Dance” anything can happen to anyone at any time. For us to WIN It All Blair will have to be smart and Wannemaker,Brown,Gibbs, and yes, Robinson will have to step up. Of course I’m expecting Fields, Biggs and Dixon to do their usual best. It won’t be easy,but we have a rare opportunity. Go Pitt.

Comment by rev. george mehaffey 03.17.09 @ 11:13 am

Any news on fields ?… that injury is nerve racking.. now that its getting attention as well… Seth Davis mentioned it…katz… etc…

Comment by Snala the Panther 03.17.09 @ 11:25 am

In years past we struggled because we didn’t have any real stars. We had a team that played and won as a team. We had a situation where 5 guys averaged 10+ points a game, but none ever really broke 20. (Page, Brown, Knight era) Since we didn’t have a 20+ scorer on those teams, if one or two of our players crapped the bed, we didn’t have someone to step up and give us 30 and carry us.

This season is different. Sam Young and DeJuan Blair can get 25 or 30 points in a game. Levance Fields can hit the big shot when necessary, but has the weapons to distribute the ball and not have to carry the scoring the way Carl Krauser had to.

It is nice to have weapons. It is nice to have some real talent that can do some damage. If our Big 3 show up in their respective roles (passing, scoring, offensive rebounding) then this is a tough team to beat. But any of the three are capable of carrying the team in the absence of one or two of the others.

This is Pitt’s best chance and lets hope they make good on it. I wouldn’t mind taking a vacation to Detroit.

Comment by The Prowler 03.17.09 @ 11:57 am

Off topic – since there is only so much talking we can do about the ETSU game between now and Friday – here is a good arcticle on Pitt FB this spring. There are a lots of interesting discussion points resulting from this article: link to pittsburghlive.com

Comment by HbgFrank 03.17.09 @ 11:59 am

The question though is whether Pitt’s big stars will actually show up. It hasn’t happened in the past with the big name players. Krauser never took his team on his back in the Tourney. Aaron Gray wilted under pressure and got owned by some guy probably flipping burgers at a Denny’s in Kentucky. Yeah, Blair has to stay out of foul trouble and be a force, but you need Sam Young to have those games where he is just hitting everything because other players will go cold.

I personally look for Jermaine Dixon to be a key. His defense is a given but if he can also hit a couple threes and drive to the hoop, that could make all the difference. Making plays like that is key in the tournament.

Oh, and maybe Wannamaker will get hot and play like he did in the Villanova game where he couldn’t miss – and not like he has in other games where he misses layups, throws alley-oops 40 feet over the backboard and collects fouls faster than anyone in human history not named Gary McGhee.

Comment by Joey D 03.17.09 @ 12:21 pm

Joey, my point was that in the past we didn’t have a player who could take the team on his back. Other than Krauser, we haven’t had 1 single player that the game has run through. And with Krauser, he played above himself because he had to.

We have three legit stars on this team. You are right that they need to show up and play. But it is just nice to be in a position to have the kind of stars needed to get to the final four.

A stat shown on EPSN the other day was that 20 of the last 21 national champs have had 2 NBA players on their roster. In the last 8 years including this season, this is the first year we could legitimately say that Pitt has 2 NBA players.

Comment by The Prowler 03.17.09 @ 1:46 pm

Geez, a lot of hate towards Wannamaker, who is undoubtedly the most improved player and I would surpassed Gilbert as the top reserve on this team. Prowler your post made sense the first time. This team has offensive threats that no past team has. Trying to compare Gray and Krauser to Young and Blair is ridiculous. Neither are on the talent level of the 2 current team members.

Comment by Ontario Lett's Go Pitt 03.17.09 @ 2:06 pm

By my count this is the fourth year in a row you could say Pitt has 2 NBA players. 2005-2006 Aaron Gray and Sam Young, 2006-2007 Aaron Gray and Sam Young, 2007-2008 Sam Young and DeJuan Blair, 2008-2009 Sam Young and DeJuan Blair. Absolute craziness to suggest this is the first year, unless you’re somehow counting Nasir Robinson, Ashton Gibbs, or Jermaine Dixon instead of Sam.

Comment by maz. 03.17.09 @ 2:42 pm

do you really thing Gray is on the level of Blair? The reason Gray had so many rebounds was he got his own misses after 3 layup attempts. Sam is a by far better player and much better prospect than he was in any year you mentoined. So no…not craziness. These are 2 far better NBA prospects than have been together in any past year. calling Young and Gray NBA prospects in 05-06 is craziness.

Comment by Ontario Lett's Go Pitt 03.17.09 @ 3:12 pm

do you really thing Gray is on the level of Blair? The reason Gray had so many rebounds was he got his own misses after 3 layup attempts. Sam is a by far better player and much better prospect than he was in any year you mentioned. So no…not craziness. Both players would get drafted in the first round is the point. These are 2 far better NBA prospects than have been together in any past year. calling Young and Gray NBA prospects in 05-06 is craziness.

Comment by Ontario Lett's Go Pitt 03.17.09 @ 3:13 pm

Keeping my mind off hoops until thurs/fri, so I read the spring football article.

I think the defense will be fine. Gunn or Lindsey will fill the slot in the middle and everywhere else looks pretty strong.

But the offensive outlook is really horrible. Mostly the same cast of characters as last year, except they’ve lost an NFL quality RB. Scary QB situation, unproven RBs, unexceptional WRs and a line that doesn’t scare anybody. Hard to feel optimistic; they better play some low-scoring games.

Comment by hugh green 03.17.09 @ 3:25 pm

Wow. Ontario, are you having a conversation with yourself? No one called Gray an NBA prospect. Fact is, he IS an NBA player. The Prowler’s statement was that this would be the first time we’ve had two NBA players, and that statement is incorrect. That means for Pitt, Mark Blount. Toree Morris (played a handful of games with the Toronto Raptors). The statement was not “Guys playing like NBA prospects” or “Guys about to go to the NBA.” Hence, for instance, why I’m certain they counted Florida as having lots of NBA guys both years, even though NONE of them went pro after their first year. Hakim Warrick counted as an NBA player for the Cuse, etc. etc. The point is that if Sam Young plays one minute in the NBA, then the 2005-2006 team will have included two NBA players on one Pitt team. No one said anything about first-round, starter, whatever. Gray definitely played like an NBA player in 2005-2006, and would’ve gone pro had he not come up so miserably short against Patrick O’Bryant of Bradley. The argument for Young could certainly be made that, while he wasn’t an NBA guy in 2005-2006, he was drastically misused by the coaching staff, put behind Levon Kendall who was vastly inferior, and regressed. There’s a certain amount of revisionism inherent in The Prowler’s statement too, because guys make the league off of tournament performances/being on top teams. Success begets success. If Pitt wins it all and Fields outplays Lawson and Tyreke Evans on the way, I guarantee you he gets at least a cup of coffee in the league. Every player on the team that does well in the tournament gets a bump because scouts are watching AND because you’re playing against guys scouts know.

Comment by maz. 03.17.09 @ 3:50 pm

Hopefully, someday Brad will get enough respect that people will actually spell his last name correctly.

Comment by dunker 03.17.09 @ 6:36 pm

Maz,
The statistic being sighted was that you’ve got to have two NBA-caliber guys, playing like NBA-caliber guys on the floor at the same time. If you’re interpreting it or reading it differently the statistic is meaningless. We didn’t have 2 NBA players on those teams though. Sam Young wasn’t the player in his freshman and sophomore campaigns (even if he was mis-used)that he became in his junior and senior seasons (the 2 season’s without Gray). In fact, he barely played…tough for a guy to have an impact when he’s on the bench. This is the first year we’ve had to legitimate NBA-caliber guys on the floor at the same time since Blair is a more dominant and complete player this year.

As for Wannamaker, he has been an incredibly pleasant surprise. I’m not sure why everyone is giving him a tough time on here. In some pretty big games he has played with a ton of confidence and provided us with the spark we need.

Comment by TJ 03.17.09 @ 6:49 pm

ITS WANAMAKER!!!! BRAD WANAMAKER!!! NOT WANNAMAKER! Also I think he’s been gaining confidence all year–certainly had his ups and downs but he’s been leagues better than his freshman year, and is making the normal (read: Not DeJuan Blair) trek upwards from freshman to senior. By next year we’ll be wondering why we ever thought poorly of Brad.

Comment by merlin 03.17.09 @ 7:15 pm

Pitt will be out in round 3, can’t focus for more than 2 games at a stretch. I was at both WVU reg season games and they owned them both times. I was at UCONN game, left there thinking “how could anyone beat this team” ha

Comment by Kurt 03.17.09 @ 7:54 pm

Kurt, wanna bet?

Comment by steve 03.17.09 @ 8:25 pm

NOTE: profile of Jamie Dixon on HBO RealSports tonight at 10 … with of course many replays

Comment by w bill 03.17.09 @ 8:26 pm

more off-topic football from PSI KGKA blog:

Former Pitt running back LeSean McCoy put on a show today during Pitt’s Pro Day at the UPMC Sports Complex. McCoy along with his other teammates were working out for all 32 NFL teams in hopes of improving their draft status. My sources tell me that McCoy certainly did that and could’ve cemented himself as a 1st round pick. McCoy dazzled everyone by running a 4.4 in the 40. That 40 time combined with his body of work while at Pitt has to make him a 1st round selection. Prior to today, most NFL mock drafts have McCoy being drafted at the end of the 1st round. The team linked most to McCoy is Arizona. We’ll have more on McCoy tonight on KDKA-TV Sports at 6 pm

Comment by w bill 03.17.09 @ 8:34 pm

Maz,

TJ got the point of the stat cited. Of course we had Sam Young back with Aaron Gray; but Sam Young wasn’t an NBA prospect then. It wasn’t even clear he would ever be a starter for Pitt at that point. And Gray is an NBA player, but mainly because he is 7′ tall.

The fact is, even last year most of us as Pitt fans weren’t sold that Young would make it in the NBA if he left last year. Blair definitely wouldn’t have.

This is the first year they have 2 NBA caliber (and barring injury, highly rated NBA prospect) type players who actually play and actually look ready to head to the NBA. Comparing Gray and a freshman, bench riding Sam Young to Young and Blair this year doesn’t even make sense.

Comment by The Prowler 03.17.09 @ 9:45 pm

I also agree that Wanamaker has been a huge surprise and I am happy for it. I felt last year that he was probably the most talented player on the roster in terms of pure athleticism. But he really needed confidence and maturity. He has come so far this year. By his senior year, he will be all Big East.

Comment by The Prowler 03.17.09 @ 9:48 pm

Ya, agree with Prowler. Wanamaker totally lacked confidence last season. It is great to see that the coaching staff was aware of his potential and had faith in him. I know every time I saw him enter a game last year I thought to myself, “there is no way this kid is a Division I basketball player”…I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Comment by TJ 03.18.09 @ 8:45 am

I fully understand that what you are saying may be why you posted the statistic. It just isn’t what the statistic says. You may think that’s what it means, but to say “20 of the past 21 national champions have had at least 2 NBA players” does not say anything about how good those players played during their time on their college teams. Juan Dixon was a superstar in college and won a title. He’s not really even an average pro. Aaron Gray was all-league both of those years that I referred to. He’s struggling to get minutes (because he got screwed by the stupid trade for Salmons/Miller, and Noah gets 3252069 chances because he has such a higher profile). Travis Diener is a back-of-the-rotation guy for an awful Indiana team. Yet when you calculate the number of NBA players Marquette had the year they went to the Final Four, he counts the same as Dwyane Wade. Steve Novak? He counts the same too. (He’s up and down, but 4th in the league in 3s off the bench for the Clippers.) Whatever you may WANT the stat to say, all it says is that the teams had at least two NBA players. It DOES NOT SAY how those players were playing. If Gary McGhee were to ultimately make the league, Pitt’s stat for this year would be whatever it already is + 1. And for last year, too. Pitt’s roster for this year would have GM on it, and he would have gone on to make the league. Therefore, he meets the sole criterion for making the list: being an NBA player. No wonder people in this country are so easy to manipulate. You can tell yourself the stat says anything you want. But the fact is, Pitt falls into the “2 or more NBA players” category in the past four straight years if Young and Blair both make it.

Comment by maz. 03.18.09 @ 10:04 am

Your missing the point…people think this is Pitts best shot because those two are highly rated NBA prospects at the time the tournament is starting. People understand the stat, its just that people believe in Pitt this year because those guys are at a much higher level than any in years past.

Comment by Ontario Lett's Go Pitt 03.18.09 @ 10:14 am

No, YOU’RE missing the point. (And for the love of God, how hard is your/you’re?) You can be excited about players for any reason you want. The stat HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR EXCITEMENT. To take the stat, and then say “Since these particular players are highly rated THIS YEAR means we’re in good shape” is like me saying “Every year for the past ten, the tournament champ has been the team who scored the most points in the championship game. I’m really excited, because Pitt can score points, unlike other years.” Let me lay it out for you…

Claim: Pitt is better off in this NCAA Tournament this year because they have two NBA prospects that people think will get drafted based on their play this year.

Warrant: A lot of the past NCAA Tournament champions have had at least two NBA players on their team.

Conclusion: Pitt could win the NCAA Tournament, since they fit that model of having at least two NBA players.

Response from maz: Pitt fit that model every one of the last four years.

Response from you guys: Yeah, but you’re missing the point, these guys are more NBA-y than those other guys.

Response from maz: That may be, but it has nothing to do with the stat.

Comment by maz. 03.18.09 @ 10:51 am

Maz, I didn’t know we were nit-picking spelling and grammar on here. Chill out.

Maz, I’m really not sure what you’re arguing. It’s completely ridiculous to count Aaron Gray/Sam Young as an NBA combo. I’m not even sure its a “statistic” we’re talking about here, which is why I think you’re missing what its all about. I think Coach Calhoun said something along the lines of needing at least 2 guys who could have a cup of coffee in the NBA to win the title. Not sure why you’re bringing up Marquette since they did not win the championship. Of course there are many teams out there who have two-NBA guys at a time on the team at the same time.
That being said, I completely disagree with your conclusion that Pitt fit the model everyone of the last four years. It’s not about being “NBA-y”. You’ve got to have a couple of NBA-ready guys. So if Sam Young was the player he has been the last two years when we had Aaron Gray, then yes, Pitt would have fit the model. But they don’t.

I think this is a ridiculous argument.

Comment by TJ 03.18.09 @ 11:33 am

Oh lord, another person making things up. This has nothing to do with Coach Calhoun or anyone else. At least read the thread before you post.

“A stat shown on EPSN the other day was that 20 of the last 21 national champs have had 2 NBA players on their roster. In the last 8 years including this season, this is the first year we could legitimately say that Pitt has 2 NBA players.

Comment by The Prowler 03.17.09 @ 1:46 pm ”

The stat is about players ON THEIR ROSTER. My point, from way up there, remains: this stat is not really all that special. My point to back that up is that Pitt has had at least 2 NBA players on their roster in all of those years. You can talk about how well those players are playing at the time all you want, but that ISN’T THE STAT. That’s the point. Don’t use the stat to convince yourself that since Blair and Young are really good THIS YEAR, we’ll win. We may win, and it will probably be for that reason, but there is no link between that and the stat. Period.

Comment by maz. 03.18.09 @ 12:34 pm

Wow.

Comment by TJ 03.18.09 @ 1:19 pm

Since you want to nit-pick my quote, part of my quote was that this is the first season you could “legitimately say that Pitt has 2 NBA players.”

I don’t think you could have legitimately said that 4 years ago. Maybe you can right now about 4 years ago. But you couldn’t have then. And that was my point. I didn’t guarantee us anything because “we have 2 NBA players on our roster.” I was saying that we have reason to be excited about this team; our program has come so far in the last 8 years that we have had really great teams, but nothing that compared with the NBA potential we enter this tourney with.

And of course I quoted the stat off the top of my head after hearing on tv, so the original stat may or may not have been “on their roster” vs. “people who actually impact the game being played”. All of that is irrelevant since the point was, “Hey, we as Pitt fans have a good reason to actually hope for a good tourney this year because we really have a talented team.” As Pitt fans, I am not sure why you are wanting to argue about that point.

Comment by The Prowler 03.18.09 @ 3:37 pm

I agree with the point you state at the end of your post, Prowler.

Comment by maz. 03.18.09 @ 9:47 pm

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