This should be a gravy game, right? We’ve broken through to the Final 8 and that’s a step forward. But obviously, this team is built, like no other team before, and probably no soon to be team, to win it all. So it’s a weird feeling right now. Glad to be here. It doesn’t matter- eh, but it does. V’nova game was the only game I did not see all season (forgot to set the DVR), so I’m interested in match-up analysis. Yes, I know they’ve got good guards. I don’t buy anything that says we aren’t a defensive team. I think we are when we want to be. There are so many extended flashes- periods- of brilliance. Can we see that consistently from tip-off tonight? For some reason, I’ve become homesick for the classic Pitt teams. That sort of defensive stopping comfort level. I’m happy with a game in the 50s-60s….Most of all I”m happy my softball team won our pre-season game 10-3 and I put away a few Ommegang Rare Vos afterward to get myself in an ornary-blogging mood. Just joking. Did I mention one of my teammates played baseball at Pitt?…Ok. Time to make the beverage run to my local. Hmm, what should I get to see me through?…..

One team always has to be on the other end of the dream shot.

Grats to Nova and their unreal FT percentage.

I still consider the season a success.

Great year guys…

Sad to see it end. I will miss Fields, Young, Biggs.

I hope Blair feels he needs to polish his skills up for one more year.

Thanks again and Hail to Pitt!

I’m still in shock.

I seriously wanted to literally cry but I couldn’t muster up tears.

You can point to the free throw percentage, but really poor free throw shooting is what we expect and it’s what we usually get. What makes it look bad is the fact that Villanova shot free throws so well.

We’re built to be able to handle a bad night from the line. We could’ve survived it tonight.

I don’t mean to be the finger pointer, but Dixon really did… I dunno, I’ll stop there.

Man, I don’t want to eat, I don’t want to watch TV, I don’t want a beer, I don’t want to play a video game, I don’t want to talk to my girlfriend, and there’s no way I can fall asleep right now.

I’m just totally crushed.

This season was definitely a success–we got to experience being the #1 team in the country, being a #1 seed in the tournament, breaking the Sweet 16 bubble, and getting more national attention than ever before. This group of seniors leaves Pitt the winningest group in program history (though the current sophomores might change that) and brought countless memories to all Pitt fans. Next year might be a little rough but if Blair stays for another year (or two) then this program will not fall off the national radar as long as Jamie is still the coach. This loss hurts though…too easy to look at that last play and question the defense but Villanova won that game. Sucks that I have to live on the Main Line and deal with all the Villanova bandwagon fans for the next week until they get smoked by UNC in the Final Four.

Sad night…we gave it all we had…bad matchup for us…free throws finally got us…someone once said, “you have to be very good to get this far and lose”….not much solace…thanks to Chas and all the bloggers…I am in my late 50’s. Just want to see my alma mater win one of thses…Here’s to Jamie and staff and truly courageous players, Fields, Biggs and Young.

A very flawed team that always peaks in Dec- Jan..almost pulls it off.

I have not felt like this since the Pitt Penn State debacle of 75 (7-6 State). We all know what happened the next year…let’s hope it repeats.

Biggs was AWOL tonight and the 2nd half of the year. I feel bad for Young, Fiels, and Young who had to carry it all tonight. Outside of Brown they got nothing from the rest (Wanamaker, Gibbs, Biggs,Dixon). Dixon and Wanamaker are walking turnovers. They turning point was the turnover Dixon had with Pitt up 4 and with 2 TO’s. Then to add insult to injury he fouled for a 3 point play.

Tough loss. Congrats to Nova and their fans. Coulda, shoulda, woulda… But that was one of the best basketball games I’ve seen in a long time. Perhaps the best. Of course, I would have preferred the alternate ending.
You have to feel for Fields, Biggs and Young. Left it all out there yet came up short.
What am I going to do now?

Anyone watching the post game interview with Coach Dixon, Blair, Fields, Young.

Man the pain in the guys faces…it was devastating.

I admired them for answering the ?’s but it was the last place they wanted to be at the time.

DaveD

Dave- I agree with most of what you said. Biggs didn’t do a damn thing!

Great game…someone had to lose…NOVA was 22-23 ft and pitt was 21-29…BROWN did all he could without fouling…As far as next yr goes…YOUNG(NBA), FIELDS(oversees), BLAIR(NBA), BIGGS(gone, yeah wasted ship if u ask me)…Gibbs @ PG with WOODALL backing him up, DIXON or WANNEMAKER @ SG, the latter has to improve all around. BROWN @ SF, he has to want the ball and believe in himself, TAYLOR @ PF/C as a true fresh, McGEE @ C only if BLAIR leaves… While the will be a decent team next year clearly this was there best chance and best team they have had in yrs…

Jimbo, I feel more like you than the guy above you. Although while you don’t want a beer, I want a lot of beer. And whiskey. And Hookers. A combination of those is the only way I fall asleep tonight.

Up 4 and then you blink and we are down 3. I don’t want to point fingers either, but it stinks that the role player lost it for the big boys.

I take nothing good from this right now, although I may in a few years. It is such an awful feeling to see Fields and Young go out this way.

If there is anything that will make me feel remotely better, I am predicting that Blair returns, Dante Taylor is Rookie of the Universe, and Bradley Wannamaker uses his head. See you in Indianapolis next year.

PITT FOOTBALL 09
THE REBIRTH

ouch ouch ouch.
the only thing i can think of is how many times did syracuse and uconn fans have to have their heart broken until they finally broke through?
this is kind of weird, normally we are on the receiving end of a big scoring night from someone now WE have the guy with 28 points but we lose to a team that shoots nearly perfect from the foul line.
Jermaine…my boy, what were you thinking up by 4 and a chance to put em away and you turn it over?
DONT let it carry over to next year!

Blair is great in college but I don’t think he’s ready for the NBA. He can call Billy Knight who was a GM for years to get an honest assessment. McGee had better improve a bunch because he provided nothing this year. Next year might be tough.

A brutal loss, that is pretty obvious. It is sad because it was such a tough group and they achieved so much, just got beat out by another tough team playing a great game. I hope that we see a Pitt team of this caliber again in the near future but the big three were special players and will be incredibly difficult to replace.

Congrats to ‘nova for sure.

But I’m not in the mood to look fondly on it as a great game Dave.

I’d rather be in a shitty game and win, than the best of all time and lose. The closeness, plus the last glimmer of hope after the Fields free throws, which then led to us being absolutely crushed by that last play, it just makes it hurt really bad.

I’ve cancelled all of my plans for tonight to sit at home and mope.

Wow, I haven’t felt sports-related agony like this for a long time.

On a comedic side-note, I did rip my T-shirt off Hulk Hogan style in a fit of anger right as the game ended.

I was in control the whole time until Dixon turned the ball over and fouled to give Villanova a three point play. That wasn’t the kind of play a championship team makes down the stretch with the game almost in hand. He played hard, and the Panthers still almost forced overtime. That final layup was ridiculous too. There has to be a way to defend better in that situation. He pretty much ran through everyone and scored like it was the end of a practice or something. This truly stinks. I hope North Carolina wins it all. I can’t stand any of the Big East teams.

Hard one to lose….good game, but feel for LeVance, Sam and Ty the most….good game, but hurting for DeJuan….good game, but feel for Jamie…good game but feel for all the players, who throughout th eseason practiced and played hard, while going to classes…Congrats to ‘Nova, who played well….

Good game, but I’m hurting right now!

Hail to PITT!
-al-

First off, it was a fantastic year, lots of firsts for the program. Unfortunate that they did not play one great game out of the 4 in the tournament. Was hoping tonight would be that game. Oh well, I think my son is more devastated than I am. Have to keep a stiff upper lip for his sake, but it’s a bummer. Tough to invest that much emotion all year and come sooooo close. But I guess I’ll survive, having lived through the ’72 and ’92 Pirates playoff disappointments/disasters, the ’93 Pens loss to the Islanders, the Steelers ’76 playoff loss to the Raiders, and of course, Barry F’in Goheen and Vanderbilt. Just add Villanova to the list of teams I will never ever root for, no matter what.

Yeah – bring on football season, and Dave Wannstedt. Had enough of this. Dixon can screw himself – this is the last one of these I am going to put up with. The Ben Howland wannabee. He has two and possible 3 NBA stars on his team, and cannot beat a team like this? With the game literally in hand? Pitt is a team that cannot press, and cannot beat a press. So he presses on the last play of the game, and gives up practically a layup? What can we all chip in to sweeten the Arizona deal?

And oh yes – we can count on Dave Wannstedt to snap us out of this.

F### shit piss.

Great Year Wish We Would Have Won It Football Is Up Next To Torcher Us….

Anyone who thinks Jamie Dixon hasn’t been anything but extraordinary for PITT clearly does not know PITT Basketball. He has consistently taken average recruits and turned them into nationally recognized players. While there may have been games where the guys didn’t play their hearts out, Dixon coached every game to the point of exhaustion. I’ll take the most winningest coach in his first six seasons any day.

I love this team, I love this University, and I love this phrase:

HAIL TO PITT!!!

Just wanted to come over and say congratulations on a great season. I was rooting for Pitt all the way. Love the way guys like Fields, Young and Blair play.

Heartache definitely after a loss like that.

They played one very good game this tournament–unfortunately, turnovers and missed opportunities cost them, especially (not to point fingers) by #3.

That said, if there was a team i don’t feel crushed to be beaten by, it’s ‘Nova–Wright’s classy, the kids are too. Of any Big East team in the Final Four, I’d pull for them strongest.

Scottie Reynolds = Sid Bream

Hail to PITT!
-al-

92 Pirates, Sid Bream!! That’s the last time I felt this bad.

I was just a kid and I heard my mom drop an F-bomb for the first time in my life. I’ve only heard her drop like 5 of them total.

I really don’t want to be that cursed program that just can’t get over the hump. It’s excruciating.

It did take Dean Smith like 20 years to win one in Chapel Hill. However, I dont know about you guys, but I don’t wanna wait 20+ effing years.

What makes it suck so bad is that this was the best Pitt team so far and our best chance to go all the way. I know we keep getting better and better recruits, but there are no guarantees.

Oh God, now we have football, and Wannstedt, and no Shady……

Alright, I promise that this is my last post here. I’m just really depressed and need a release because the girlfriend is not a Pitt fan.

Just got back from the game. Unreal. So crushed. Gonna see that replay many, many times during the 10HR drive home tom..

It was a great game and a great season. I am going to say what others have hinted at but won’t say. I don’t say to hurt anyone, but only because we all know it and no one wants to say it.

Jermaine Dixon made not one, but 2 plays to cost Pitt this game. The first was the turnover that people have mentioned. The other is the way he D’d up Scottie Reynolds on the inbound pass. Why is he on the front side of Reynolds giving him the entire length of the court unguarded? It didn’t matter if Nova inbounded, it mattered if they could get the ball down court. Keep your man in front of you!! If Dixon is on the back side of Reynolds, that game goes to overtime.

Anyway, I don’t want to come down on him. It was a great game and Dixon will be a huge part of the team next year. I am proud of him and this team. But man this sucks.

Back from a long walk…of disappointment..
We lost the boards, couldn’t handle the press, had 3 turnovers against the press (will we ever fix this?) fouled 3 pt shooters twice (6pts, got murdered at the ft line, made stupid plays – see Dixon, etc etc etc and still were in this game to the end.

Great guts and great coaching….I said a while back J Dixon was the key for Pitt and he had his worst night ever…..we’ve all had a few of those so let’s let it go.

Blair is a monster…hope he comes back. Hail to Pitt and all you fans out there!

I chose the wrong day to give up drinking!

I hate to say this, because I like Coach Dixon but he royally blew this game with two SIMPLE calls.
1. Why full court press and let the guy sprint all the way up the court for a layup.STUPID CALL. should have had one man play ball full court and pick up man to man at half court. Nova would have to have made a long 3pter to win. We were goin to overtime. UNBELEIVABy STUPID COACHING decision.
2. From the 5 minute mark Wannamaker could not play defense. He gave up 5 layups and fouls and didnt stop the guy driving down the middle on the fast break to win the game. Coach should have taken his ass out of the game and played dixon or gibbs. Im Pissed as hell. Hate to lose because of coaching mistakes.

First, let me say I dont want to over react and throw everyone under the bus. I believe Coach Dixon is a great guy and a good coach. He loves being at Pitt and that says alot to me. That being said, here are my complaints/finger pointing.

1. I have wrote on here after many games that Pitts style of handling pressure is terrible. I even wrote that the first rule in teaching 3rd graders in how to break pressure is DO NOT GO ACROSS HALF COURT AND PICK UP YOUR DRIBBLE! Now it would be easy to blame Jermaine Dixon for this tonight, but I have to go a little deeper. They do this all the time! Sometimes they get away with it , others they dont. This tells me these players are not getting coached.

2. With five seconds left on the clock, the #1 rule should be, dont let your player get behind you. Just like a Hail Mary in football. Keep in front of you and play defense. Now I can understand you want to keep the ball out of Reynolds hands, but not if he wants to catch it in his own corner and have to go 90 feet in 5 seconds. Jermaine Dixon got caught denying him the ball and was left flat footed when he took off down the sideline. I realize its hard instruct all five players what to do in such a short period of time and I realize the player could have just blown the assignment, BUT what really pisses me off is this. Pitt hasent pressured ANYONE all year long. We played 10 cupcakes in November that we could of practiced full court pressure , but didnt. Now with 5 seconds left and your season on the line, we decide to deny inbounds passses 95 feet away from the basket. We all of a sudden decide to throw full court pressure on. Im not sure that is the time to experiment. This blows my mind!!!

Some other observations: The only thing that makes me feel a little better is knowing that those Philly fans went through a little agony watching their player throw a bomb 90 feet to a guy that wasnt even open, when all they had to do was inbound it and the game would have been over.

Secondly, as nice a kid as Brad Wannemaker is , he would have a hard time breaking the lineup for Depaul, Seton Hall, South Florida. I realize we dont have too many other options (I would of liked to see more Gilbert Brown), but I hope Coach Dixon used this seasons recognition to potential get some future stars who can come in right away and play.

Levance will easily go down as the most clutch player in my mind in Pitt hoops history. Congrats to the kid. I have to say I absolutely loved Young’s effort diving for balls to keep plays alive and such. I have criticized him before, but he wanted it more than anyone tonight. A little not sure about why Dixon is fronting Reynolds on the last play, which put him trailing on the break. I thought we’d show token press then back off. Absolute heartbreaker.

Z Boy – could not agree more…and we have agreed all year…but if it was coaching, Pitt would have learned to shoot fouls. Recruiting and AAU “agents” teach these kids they do NOT have to listen to the coach or change their styles. See _ Pitt foul shooting< do you really think anyone would teach someone to shoot the way Fields does?
When it does go in, it’s a miracle.

Now is not the time …they are who they are…

1. Dixon looked bad all night
2. Blair was standing around more than playing.
3. I’ve never seen a Pitt team that can shoot free throws

With that being said, we were still in it until just about the end. It was a great year. Now I don’t have anymore excuses to delay the yard work.

See you all in Red 7C in August!

Hail to Pitt!

Coach Dixon blew it, Im still pissed. What a stupid call on the press. We win in OT if not for STUPIDITY> My six graders know better with 5 seconds left to back off and play from Half court. Id love to see Dixons answer to that question. Maybe he would admit that he cost PITT the game.OR at least a chance to win in OT. GEEZ im HOT Still and cant get over it yet.

The season was a terrible disappointment.

With the talent the team has, to be considered only one of the best eight teams in the nation is an underachievement.

As fans, we have the future. As players, they have to live with the failure forever.

Bottom line: you win on the court.

They didn’t.

Its a shame someone had to lose. Its a bigger shame that we lost the game with missed layups, missed foul shots and stupid turnovers. Z Boy made valid points. We beat ourselves. As well as ‘Nova played tonight, we should have beaten them. Why a big time basketball program can’t teach allegedly big time players to make foul shots is beyond me. This game could have been won at the foul line alone well before the final seconds ticked away and we let Reynolds put a stake through our hearts.

It was a great season, and hopefully another step toward building a first rate program. We’re going to truly miss our Seniors who played with heart and class throughout their tenure at Pitt. I thank the whole team for many great moments this year. Finishing Number 4 in the polls and at the least Number 8 in the Tournament ain’t so bad.

oh man…this is so painful.
If Blair stay next year we will be fine especially with Dante Taylor coming in. Point guard will be a major question mark and we need someone to step up at SF.
Jesus this just sucks. Losing levance and sam is like losing family members.

oh man…this is so painful.
If Blair stay next year we will be fine especially with Dante Taylor coming in. Point guard will be a major question mark and we need someone to step up at SF.
Jesus this just sucks. Losing levance and sam is like losing family members.
Regarding Dixon, the kid was great all year and just SUCKED in the tournament.

Blair was standing around…right…while he made 9-9 field goals and grabbed every rebound possible in the last 30 mins, and was the clear go-to guy in the last 10 mins.

I do agree, though, with the great year comment.

Buzz, you’re an idiot–if they don’t pressure they come down and score and knowing you, you bitch they didn’t pressure.

Give Reynolds credit for making a play–and criticize #3 for a few lax moments in the final 3 mins.

I’ve felt this bad after a Pitt loss before……….

But this one will last a long time. A long long time.

The pain never seems to go away…i can’t imagine what those kids are going thru right now…

Let’s not forget that Jermaine had the guts to get back in the game after he was nearly split in half. I don’t like seeing all this bashing. Did we make some mistakes tonight? Sure. Are we hurting because we lost? Of course. It wasn’t one guy’s fault, though. Just give Nova credit for capitalizing on those mistakes.

Ok. Now that Ive vented, I have to say I really feel bad for Sam and Levance. Both players really have gotten everything out of their abilities. Both have continued to improve each year and that is a tribute to coaching as well. I wish these two the best of luck and say thanks for your efforts. Now wouldnt it be nice to see someone come in as a freshman for Pitt and play that way. If Pitt wants to be year in and year out, a final four threat we’ve got to get some of those kids. We are going to lose a whole lot more than we are bringing in. I know our returning players can improve, but how much? I think Gilbert Brown can be a star. Tall , athletic, can play defense, and can get to the basket. If he can improve his shot and ballhandling some, I believe he can really make some noise. I hope he’s ready to work!

So.

Kicked a toy clear across the room at the end of the game. It belongs to my 10 month old son and my wife couldn’t reconcile my feelings. Wanted to be able to go shop for a final four tshirt for my son that had Pitt proudly displayed. Instead, (living in Philly burbs) I have to spend the next week hearing about how wonderful vnova is. F nova.

At the end of the day…Great year. Great coach. Great team. Thanks to Young for coming back for his senior year. I hope that Blair comes back, but doubt it.

One thing is clear (to me)…we will only be this good or better as long as we have Jamie Dixon.

Agree–I keep thinking of all these other coaches, especially in the Big East, who had to go through even more than Jaime before breaking through–Calhoun, Boeheim, even Jay Wright. I can happily and honestly say I’ll take being a #1-4 seed most every year and eventually breaking though like those other guys.

Shame on anyone saying anything negative about this Pitt team. This game was one of the best games I ever seen. Unfortunately Pitt came up on the wrong end of this game. Great year, Congrats to this Pitt team

Post-game presser. Brutal:

link to all-access.cbssports.com

No doubt this was a great season for a great team. It is foolish to act like the season is a failure because of this loss. While I said that 2 plays by Dixon cost us the game, and I realize that is harsh, I don’t have hard feelings for him or think he should be ganged up on either. His mistakes cost us at the end, but the rest of the team could have made plays, such as from the FT line. But Dixon is a solid player who I am very happy to have coming back next year.

The thing we have to remember is this: we got past the Sweet 16 barrier, and that was the biggest concern. And this team played a hell of a lot better tonight after getting past that barrier. But only one team wins it all. We would all be hurting if it was a loss in the next game or the next game after that too.

This hurts because the season is over. But this is a team to be very, very proud of- every single player on the team. It is a sign of the next step for this program. And even if next year we don’t think we have a Final Four team, we also know that our recruiting has stepped up and we will only see better things down the road.

It is hard to say goodbye to Fields and Young, though. The person who said it is like losing family is dead on. I love those guys and am going to miss seeing their sheer guts out there every night.

Thanks guys for a wonderful year.

It’s not fair to pick out a few mistakes that one player made towards the end of the game. Nova made plenty of mistakes and bad decisions too. In the end, when all the plays were added up we lost by 2…This was one of the best basketball games I’ve ever watched, and certainly the clasic game CBS was longing for out of this Elite 8. Hail to Pitt and it’s officially Football season!

Jason If you read my two post, I clearly stated that they should have had one man on the ball full court and picked up at half court the rest. Please refrain from calling names. That normally means cant win arguement attack the poster.