I realize after a performance like that, it is hard to be optimistic. I am not even pretending to be optimistic. All I can say, is that we won. Just like Memphis survived yesterday. Like No. 1 UConn did against No. 16 Albany in 2006. At least Pitt never trailed in the second half.

It also means that there is little chance that Pitt thinks it can cruise.  There’s also this. I think back to the way Pitt blew out teams with ease the last two years then struggling and not doing as well in the second round — losing twice and needing OT to win. That’s the best I can do.

Levance Fields said this yesterday when meeting the media.

“Our goal is to survive and advance,” Fields said

In that respect Pitt did what they needed.

18, 19, 20 turnovers. Whenever the final stats come out it won’t be pretty. Lousy passing and players not coming to the ball. Not showing the energy expected or needed. It came down to Pitt’s superior talent being enough and ETSU really being a poor shooting team.

I guess, for us. Vent now. Get it out of the system. Go with the self-pity. Run with the venom and negativity. There’s a 24-hour period for this. Then just let it go.

Okay, here’s a link to another place that is streaming the game.

I have to help work the liveblog of all NCAA action over at FanHouse. Feel free to stop on by.

Lots of links to put out for Pitt.

Pitt has accomplished more than credited this decade.

A puff piece on how far Coach Dixon has come, and he’s now more intense.

Fear of being the first #1 seed to fall to a #16 seed is always present.

ETSU comes with dreams of being the first.

ETSU will try to press. Somehow I don’t think it will be the same as Louisville’s or Villanova. Or even Seton Hall’s.

Human interest story on ETSU’s Kevin Tiggs.

Is Dayton a hot ticket with both #1 seeded Pitt and Louisville? Or because Ohio State is playing there? Or is it less so, because Dayton is playing in Minneapolis today?

How do you do a story that talks about stats and psychology for Pitt in the NCAA Tournament without that many numbers?

Is Pitt already too tight for the NCAA Tournament or merely all business.

Pittsburgh had its news media availability midmorning Thursday, and the Panthers presented a serious and stoic public face.

Guard Levance Fields closed his eyes for a minute or two at the podium, as if meditating, while taking questions. Forward Sam Young did not crack a smile. And in the locker room, the rest of the Panthers were mostly quiet, watching other tournament games on television. All business, on the Pitt end.

“Our goal is to survive and advance,” Fields said.

Louisville, meanwhile, met the news media on Thursday afternoon. The Cardinals were all smiles, loose and full of laughter. In the locker room, guard Edgar Sosa took over for a local television station, posing questions to his teammates while others howled in the background. The Sosa Show, he called it. Funny business, for the Cardinals.

I guess it depends on whether Pitt succeeds.

A puff piece on Levance Fields. And another piece that happens to bring up that the court is the same place where he broke his foot. Also mentions again how serious Pitt is about the whole thing.

They hope to change that this year, in large part by not overlooking their early opponents. In fact, when a reporter here asked if they would be watching Louisville, another No. 1 seed from the Big East Conference who is playing the first two rounds here, forward Sam Young cut off the question before it was finished with a hearty “No.”

“We’re way too mature to make that foolish mistake again,” he said, noting that Pittsburgh did that last year and in this month’s Big East tournament. “A lot of times when you get a high seed, you look too far ahead.”

Finally, senior Tyrell Biggs gets a little love in USA Today.

For lots of good stuff, make sure you pop over to the Cat Basket. They are actually paying attention to the football team and have some breakdowns by unit.

Sunseri is in a really bad position for a young quarterback in that he is perceived as a solution to our QB problems because he isn’t Bostick or Stull.

Sadly true.

A couple stories on Adam Gunn and his 6th year.

Kevin Gorman has a notebook dump of Pitt’s first practice — no pads, so Wannstedt is complaining. Of note, as expected Greg Cross is playing WR (sigh).

New OC Frank Cignetti is more animated than Matt Cavanaugh.

Nate Byham is on the preliminary watch list for the 2009 Rotary Lombardi Award.

Eligibility for the Rotary Lombardi Award is limited to down linemen, end-to-end, either on offense or defense, who set up no farther than 10 yards to the left or right of the ball. Linebackers who set up no farther than five yards deep from the line of scrimmage are also eligible.

The candidates earned a place on the preliminary watch list by earning All-American honors or by being named to their respective all-conference first team as selected by the conference’s head coaches. The Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List will be updated prior to the start of the 2009 season in order to identify those players who have been selected as preseason honors candidates.

Forty-seven players were named to the Rotary Lombardi list. Byham was one of only two tight ends selected, reinforcing his status as one of the country’s best at his position.

Byham is presently sitting out spring practice as he recovers from offseason surgery.

Shh. Make sure Pitt players don’t read this. They don’t need to feel too cocky.

How can ETSU score on Pittsburgh if it can’t even score on itself?

I just sat through the ETSU practice, where the Bucs ran up and down the court in a series of 4-on-3, 3-on-2, and even 2-on-1 scoring opportunities. And the Bucs couldn’t score. Almost ever.

Don’t get the wrong idea. ETSU doesn’t appear to have a great defense. The Bucs simply couldn’t make a shot. Mike Smith, their No. 2 scorer at 15.5 ppg, was particularly atrocious. Granted, this was practice. And maybe the Bucs are nervous. But the arena is empty and the television cameras are turned off and the players on defense are teammates, not killers from Pittsburgh.

If ETSU is nervous now … ETSU is in big trouble on Friday.

Basketball Prospectus has their log5 probability chart as to who comes out of the East. Take it for whatever it’s worth. In the same breath, they do capsules of each team.

Hopefully Pitt coaches and players are taking it one game at a time. Everyone else is already looking longer at Pitt as a storyline.

Pittsburgh: DeJuan Blair raises them from an OK defensive team to a good one, so any time he goes to the bench with foul trouble, bad things can happen. That’s the biggest reason to worry about their chances, because they need Blair to avoid foul trouble for six straight games to win the title. Their ridiculously efficient offense is also keyed by Blair, who recovers nearly one in four of their missed shots. All the Sam Young in the world won’t save them in the game Blair plays 19 minutes.

They also hit on Oklahoma State and give them a “punchers chance” against Pitt should they meet.

Not that Pitt is likely to play zone to protect Blair.

4. Can Pitt finally get past the Sweet 16?

During this decade, Pittsburgh has elbowed its way to the top of the college basketball hierarchy, only to tumble down the mountain — often earlier than expected — in the tournament. Since 2002, the Panthers have been seeded third, second, third, ninth, fifth, third and fourth, yet they have never advanced past the Sweet 16. Five times they’ve been eliminated by a lower-seeded team, most notably in 2006 when 13th-seed Bradley beat No. 4 Pitt in the second round.

This year should be different. The Panthers received a No. 1 seed for the first time, giving them the most favorable draw they’ve ever had. More significant, the Panthers rank second nationally in rebound differential and 10th in field-goal percentage. Don’t expect a Pitt stop anywhere short of the Elite Eight.

It’s the same theme here and  here.

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon doesn’t shy away from the obvious: For the Panthers to be taken seriously as one of the premier programs nationally, getting to a Final Four usually helps promote the premise.

Assuming Dixon stays at Pitt, and there’s no reason why he won’t, the Panthers will have other opportunities to advance. But during Dixon’s career he has never had the pieces in place the way he does this March.

…

Pitt won’t be considered a lesser program if it bows out early, but this is Pitt’s best shot to alter its image to the mainstream fan. A major difference this season is the Panthers are a No. 1 seed. That provides them the better opportunity to at least get to the Sweet 16. Beating Oklahoma State or Tennessee won’t be a walk since both are capable of running past the Panthers. But Pitt should be favored to get at least through the second round, where it could have a rematch with Florida State, a team the Panthers already beat earlier this season. The Panthers haven’t been to the Elite Eight since 1974.

No pressure or anything.

If you feel like talking or commenting on the NCAA Tournament games, go right ahead.

There’s also the Real Sports story on Coach Dixon. I haven’t seen it because, well, I don’t have HBO. It was movie channels or a sportspack. Obviously, I went with sports. Hopefully it will be posted to that site in due time.

Gary McGhee gets a lot of abuse from the fans for not developing as much as hoped/expected in his sophomore year. Some actively rooting for him to transfer. Still, even McGhee gets love back home. He says all the right things (and yes, I know the story writer took some liberties with, well, reality).

“I’m having a great time,” McGhee said on a borrowed cell phone as he passed through security. “We have a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. It’s a great experience.”

The 6-foot-10, 250-pound sophomore and Highland grad is averaging 1.3 points and 1.7 rebounds in seven minutes per game. He’s valuable for his defense, rebounding and ability to spell All-American DeJuan Blair off the bench.

McGhee said practicing against Blair each day has helped improve his game.

“He makes me better every day,” McGhee said.

Steady improvement has been the hallmark of McGhee’s career. He grew from a somewhat pudgy 6-foot-7, 255-pound freshman at Highland into the man mountain he is today.

He averaged 20.6 points, 11.6 rebounds and 4.2 blocks during his senior season with the Scots. That was enough to earn him 2007 Herald Bulletin Player of the Year honors.

His playing time has been sparse thus far at Pitt, but he could see time Friday.

“I hope I get out there,” he said. “I’m just going to work as hard as I can and help out my teammates.”

He’s got the cliches, down pat.

Levance Fields gets a full backstory piece from SI.com. It’s a little surprising. We get the full bits on Sam Young and DeJuan Blair, but Fields has never gotten the full puff piece for anything other than his game.

The neighborhood still tugged at Fields, though. One night, Xaverian president Sal Ferrera drove Fields home, but when he reached the student’s block, Fields would not get out. Drug dealers were standing on the corner. They wanted the hoops star to sell for them. “He had options,” said Ferrara, who arranged for Fields to live with a teammate’s family for two weeks. “He made the right choice.”

On the court, Fields also struggled. When Alesi sat his star player for three games, the coach said publicly Fields had caught the flu after a middling stretch, but, in reality, it was a cover. “He was suffering from the disease of ‘me’,” Alesi said.

Adds Fields: “I was being kind of a cancer to my teammates.”

The message clearly resonated with Fields. The Clippers, who were 12-11 before Fields sat, won all three games without him and parlayed Alesi’s gamble into city and state titles with Fields directing the team. “Great players have his selfishness,” Alesi said. “He had to gain composure.”

There were things Fields needed to learn when he went to Pitt. At the Panthers’ first weight-lifting session, Biggs, Fields’ roommate, noticed the stocky guard struggling through bench presses. Asking if he was OK, Fields reassured him, but then disappeared. Searching for him, Biggs saw vomit on a backroom door and then happened upon Fields throwing up into a bathroom toilet. “He’s hit the iron hard ever since,” said Biggs, a chiseled forward.

Fields was also back practicing with the team before they left for Dayton.

“I practiced today the whole time and I’m feeling pretty good right now,” Fields said right before he boarded the Panthers bus to go to the airport.

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said the development is excellent news for the Panthers because they’ll need a healthy Fields to make a run to the Final Four and perhaps win the national championship.

“He’s a tough player,” Dixon said. “He was out there today and looked pretty good, it is a very good sign because he seemed to be moving well and he didn’t seem be bothered much at all. We’ve had almost a week to rest it but I think the key now will be later today how it feels and how he feels once we get on the plane and later at the hotel. But it is a good sign if he’s saying he feels good now.”

The full week off may not have been intentional, but we we will go with the presumption that it will work out better with the big dance.

Their trip cut short in New York, where they routinely rule the Big East Tournament, the Panthers refreshed and rejuvenated for the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

“It (helps) more mentally than physically,” Panthers guard Jermaine Dixon said. “I mean, when we were in AAU, we’d play five or six games a day. So, it’s not that we’re tired physically.”

The mental exhaustion of a 31-game season — where 18 of those games came in the grinder of a Big East Conference that produced five of the top 12 seeds in the NCAA tournament — cannot be overrated. But for only the second time in seven seasons, the Panthers didn’t have a quicker turnaround to the NCAAs after reaching the finals of the Big East Tournament.

And of course, the usual: Blair needs to stay out of foul trouble (really? again?).

Blair has been cleaning up with being named an All-American by just about every media outlet.

Blair was named a first-team All-American yesterday by the United States Basketball Writers Association. He was joined on the first-team All-American team by Stephen Curry of Davidson, Blake Griffin of Oklahoma, Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina and James Harden of Arizona State.

It marked the first time since 1974 that a Pitt player was named a first-team All-American by the USBWA. Former Pitt great Billy Knight earned the honor that season.

He was also named 1st team All-American by Sports Illustrated, as well. Sam Young was put on the 2nd team. Levance Fields placed on 3d team — which I’m really happy to finally see something for Fields.

The regional covers for the NCAA Tournament are out. This is the one we care about:

Courtesy of Sports Illustrated

I’ll be getting the Big 11 version out here. Looks like I’ll have to ask my dad to save this one for me.

Way to go T.J. Porter. Usually it is just Wannstache jokes that gets Pitt the mentions on EDSBS.

Now this.

Pitt wide receiver T.J. Porter has been suspended from the team at
least through spring football as a result of an arrest on Feb. 22 for
driving while intoxicated and driving with a suspended license. He had
been scheduled for a March 3 preliminary hearing, but that has been
postponed until April 1.

It is the second offense for Porter, who was arrested on May 5, 2008
for DUI, purchasing alcohol as a minor, careless driving and failing to
obey traffic control devices. His license was suspended and he was put
into the court-supervised rehabilitaton program Oct. 24.

It will take a bigger effort than this to win the Fulmer Cup. Get to work, guys.

Pitt will be playing in the CBE Classic next year.

The field includes Texas, Wichita State and Iowa. Each team will play a couple games at home, and the four regional hosts (i.e., name teams) are guaranteed to advance to Kansas City. There they will play two more games.

Tickets for the games in KC went on sale today.

The actual match-ups in KC will not be announced for a while.

Excellent for Pitt. A solid looking exempt tournament that gets ESPN coverage. The way it looks is they will try to set it up so Pitt and Texas would meet in the Championship game.

Okay, late I know.

Here is the Pitt Blather Tournament group. I’m using ESPN.com Tournament set-up.

The Group Name: Pitt Blather

This is a private group, so to join you need the Group Password: FieldsGroin

The ETSU Buccaneers, that is.

The Bucs are coached by a guy with coaching bloodlines.

Gene Bartow, the former coach at Memphis, UCLA and UAB, is Murry Bartow’s father. Gene Bartow led Memphis to the national championship game in 1973, took UCLA to the Final Four in 1976 and later led UAB to seven consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.

“My dad has been my biggest influence as a coach,” Bartow said. “I played for him at UAB, was an assistant under him and then he was my boss when I was the head coach there. He was a great coach. He just had a great feel for the game. He was a tremendous player’s coach. I was able to watch him and learn from him.”

His apprenticeship under Knight was a big influence as well. In his only two seasons at Indiana, he got to experience a bitter disappointment in the tournament the first year and a national championship the next.

In 1986, No. 3 seed Indiana was upset by No. 14 seed Cleveland State. One year later, the Hoosiers cut down the nets after Keith Smart made a baseline jumper as the clock wound down to beat Syracuse, 74-73.

His father Gene, also started the UAB basketball program — and set his son up as the next coach. The younger Bartow lasted six season. He was fired after a sub-.500 season.

A touching profile on Courtney Pigram, ETSU’s shooting guard who had interest from top programs but injuries and grades kept him from going to a top school.

Here’s a video preview of the team.

Yes, there are still more than a few articles out there bringing up Pitt’s past disappointments and saying that this will be more of the same. The fact is, the number and breadth of punditry putting Pitt in the Final Four and even in the Championship game (and dare we say cutting down the final net) are much higher. So much so, that it really is difficult to gather all the links.

It will take some effort and a bit of denial to build up the requisite outrage and righteous indignation at being disrespected at this point. And plenty already have issued their dire warnings of the disappointment if it does not happen.

Nice feature length piece on Pitt and DeJuan Blair from Dick Weiss.

Meanwhile Sam Young took it upon himself to talk with Blair.

“The main thing,” Young said, “and I’ve talked to DeJuan about it, is making sure that he stays on the floor.

“He agreed with me 100 percent.”

Young — and the rest of college basketball — realizes the importance of Blair, the 6-foot-7 All-America center, staying out of foul trouble as No. 1 seed Pitt (28-4) prepares for a hopeful deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

…

Young’s message was clear: Don’t take any unnecessary chances. You are too valuable.

“If we can keep everybody on the floor, I don’t think we will have a problem offensively,” Young said. “I told (Blair) I feel like he can score with the best of them. If someone scores on you, you can come right back and score on them. And if you don’t score, you are going to get the rebound.

“But we need you in the game, point blank. He definitely agreed with me and he’s going to make sure he stays in the game.”

It can’t hurt.

Sorry for deadzone day. I had some major offline issues, including settling matters from a house fire from nearly three-years ago.

I have been dreading this point. When Spring Football would rear it’s head. I have to be honest. I’m just do not think I’m going to have the time for doing much other than link fests. Between all Pitt basketball and FanHouse responsibilities for the NCAA Tournament, it’s either family or football. Considering the wife makes more money than me, I need to stick with family.

Spring practice starts on Thursday. Wonder what the main subjects could be?

Dave Wannstedt has a substantial “to-do” list when Pitt starts spring football practice Thursday.

For openers, the Panthers need to find a replacement for middle linebacker Scott McKillop, the Big East defensive player of the year. And they’re looking for someone to carry the load at running back because LeSean McCoy is NFL bound and LaRod Stephens-Howling is gone.

Then there’s the matter of picking a starter from a three-way competition at quarterback under new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr., who replaces Matt Cavanaugh, now coaching quarterbacks for the New York Jets.

I’m not sure how much of a debate at QB. It’s really about the running back depth chart and MLB.

Fifth-year senior Steve Dell, a 6-foot-1, 225-pounder whose career has been hampered by knee problems, is the only returning player with experience at middle linebacker and will take the majority of first-team repetitions.

What gives Wannstedt confidence that Pitt can fill in for McKillop is the return of Adam Gunn, who was granted a sixth season by the NCAA, from a season-ending neck injury and fifth-year senior Shane Murray from a torn ACL. Although both players will be restricted from full-contact scrimmages this spring, they will move inside to add depth and experience.

“I’m kind of excited,” Wannstedt said, “to see how all of these guys compete.”

The same goes for tailback, where Pitt lost both its starter, McCoy, and top backup, LaRod Stephens-Howling. Redshirt sophomore Shariff Harris (6-1, 225) should open camp as the starter, but is expected to be pushed by redshirt freshman Chris Burns and January enrollee Dion Lewis, who complement his power game with their speed and cutback styles.

“I hope we have one guy who comes in and dominates,” Wannstedt said, “but I know we have two or three guys who can play.”

Pitt also has to replace its starter at fullback after the graduation of Conredge Collins, and redshirt sophomore Henry Hynoski is the frontrunner for that position with competition coming from converted tailback Kevin Collier. The Panthers will add incoming freshmen Kevin Adams, Jason Douglas, Raymond Graham and Jason Hendricks to the mix in the fall.

There will be more tomorrow, to be sure, but Pitt had its pro day today.

LeSean McCoy did fine, but nothing to make himself standout from the crowd of running backs.

LaRod Stephens-Howling showed good conditioning and had solid speed, but tweaked his hamstring. That limited his agility drills. He probably won’t get drafted, but he has great chances of catching on for special teams in returns.

In a pot porrui of the rest: Derek Kinder ran fine, Rashaad Duncan is actually going to graduate on time even as he trains and prepares, C.J. Davis is going to get drafted as a  Center, Scott McKillop expects to be a second-day draftee

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!”