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April 8, 2010

Hey, you knew it was coming. Really silly top-25 predictions for next year. Even before the dust settles on early entries to the NBA draft and a few more key recruits decide.

Pitt seems to be a consensus top-10 pick in the way too early stuff.

Luke Winn at SI.com:

7. PITTSBURGH: The Panthers were Big East contenders a year ahead of schedule, tying for second in the league. Junior guard Ashton Gibbs is one of the nation’s most underrated scorers — he shot 44.4 percent on threes during Big East play in ‘09-10 — and on the verge of becoming a national name.

Marc Millar from Beyond the Arc:

5. Pitt
Panthers finished 25-9 and were a Big East surprise. By returning four starters and three top bench players, they’re good enough to win league.

From FoxSports.com’s Jeff Goodman:

8. PITTSBURGH
Record: 25-9 (second round of the NCAA tournament)
Lose: Jermaine Dixon Possible Early Entry Departures: None
Key Returnees: Ashton Gibbs, Brad Wanamaker, Gilbert Brown, Gary McGhee, Nasir Robinson, Travon Woodall, Dante Taylor
Newcomers: J.J. Moore, Cameron Wright, Isaiah Epps

The Panthers weren’t expected to do much this past season after losing four starters, but Jamie Dixon performed some magic to the tune of 25 wins. Pittsburgh’s lone loss is that of Jermaine Dixon, but guards Gibbs and Wanamaker have another year under their belt and McGhee made dramatic improvement in the past year. The key could be the progress of Taylor up front.

Gary Parrish at CBSSports.com puts Pitt at #6.

Over at SBN:

8) Pitt: Jamie Dixon has proven himself to be among the elite coaches in the country, and he should have one of his better teams in 2010/2011. The Panthers exceeded most expectations with their performance this season, and they return their top three scorers. Ashton Gibbs should be one of the elite guys in the Big East next season, and look for Isaiah Epps to step in and make an immediate impact next year.

Mike DeCourcy also chimes in from the Sporting News:

9. Pitt
The Panthers need to become more versatile on offense, but don’t be surprised if talented big man Dante Taylor makes a significant leap as a sophomore.

And finally from Andy Katz at ESPN.com:

5. Pitt: The Panthers were the surprise of the Big East last season by landing a 2-seed in the Big East tournament and a 3-seed in the NCAA tournament in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year. No one should be shocked by Pitt returning this season as the Big East favorite. The whole team returns. Ashton Gibbs is the leader of this group and makes money shots for the Panthers.

So, at this point the lowest ranking is 9th. Highest 5th.

Expect Pitt to have a tough and backloaded Big East schedule for next year.





expectations are a bitch

Comment by dan 04.08.10 @ 10:25 am

I dunno, I think those expectations are outlandish, but that’s just me.

The real news is Walt Harris to Cal U.

Hilarious stuff.

Comment by Perry 04.08.10 @ 11:20 am

We all debate on here a lot about getting the high profile high school kids but look how many schools are losing a lot of first and second year players. Half of Kentuckys team declared for the draft – although they do still have a few weeks to change their mind. I think Jamies formula of taking on diamond in the rough kids and coaching them up has added a ton of stability to the Panthers. Look at some of the teams that didnt even make the field of 64 this year: NC (defending champ), Uconn (Final Four), UCLA, etc… I dont know if Pitt is worthy of top 10 but I expect them to have another successful year and perhaps make some noise in the tourney if healthy.

Comment by Coach Ditka 04.08.10 @ 11:37 am

Outlandish? Pitt returns 4 of 5 starters and the top-3 reserves from a team that went 25-9, finished second in the big east, and lost a thriller in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Few teams are returning this much from what was a young team. Pitt deserves to be in the top-10 preseason without question.

Comment by Omar 04.08.10 @ 1:31 pm

yeah all that stability won’t mean anything till Dixon gets some final 4’s and an NC.

Which I’m hoping comes soon !

Comment by Snala the Panther 04.08.10 @ 1:32 pm

I think they will definitely be a preseason top 10 team because the people who pick look at the amount of players you have coming back more than anything. They will win a lot of games I’m sure but I don’t see them going very far in the tournament once again.

Comment by Mark 04.08.10 @ 1:41 pm

I am not that all surprised by the rankings .. losing only one player froma 25 win team. As has been suggested on this site previously, I see Taylor as the wild card .. if he can improve and provide an inside scoring presence, something sorely missing this year, it will open the game up for everyone else.

Comment by wbb 04.08.10 @ 2:41 pm

I do not like the idea of rent a player,i.e.,one year and declare for the NBA. I think it is about time the University Presidents (and Chancellors) step up and discourage this practice. Most of these players belong in an NBA minor league not in college to begin with.How about if a player leaves after one year the team has to cvarry the scholarship for 2 more years and if he leaves after 2 years it must be carried for 1 more year. This would cut down on coaches “buying” a Final Four appearance or an NC.If they lose available scholarships then the Calipari’s of the coaching circuit might not look so good.

Comment by JIM 04.08.10 @ 4:50 pm

Not surprised at all by the high pre-preseason ranking. Expect them to be mid-Top 10 when the real preseason rankings come out.

Agree with wbb that Taylor’s development will be a key to just how good the team can be. I also think that Woodall and Epps will play critical roles in how far the team goes in the BE and The Dance. If it all falls in place offensively, look out, because we already know this team can play defense.

Comment by TampaT 04.09.10 @ 11:41 am

Can’t wait for next year

Comment by Tony Cancilla 04.09.10 @ 12:05 pm

Re: the comment about Taylor drastically improving between freshmen and sophomore years — is that common, for a McDonald’s All-American to have a so-so freshmen year, and then suddenly break out in the second year? I sure hope it’s true, given all I’ve heard about his star-power. Does anyone know, or have anything to back the claim with some insight unknown to the more casual observer?

Comment by Lou 04.09.10 @ 10:38 pm

Lou,

I think it’s more about players in the Pitt system making big year-to-year leaps – Young, Blair, Gibbs, McGhee, etc. – than McDonalds AAs making Fr. to So. leaps. Other than DeCourcy from TSN, no one here guaranteed improvement. We’re saying that how much he improves determines how much the chances for Pitt improve.

Comment by TampaT 04.10.10 @ 9:15 am

[…] The NCAA Tournament has been over for a couple weeks. As noted, within days of that, college basketball writers start to make their ridiculously early and way too soon predictions for next fall’s pre-season top-25 …. […]


Why any fans need to comment on Walt Harris except to remember the contributions he made to Pitt is beyond me. While we are strolling down memory lane, Jeff Long, the AD who decided to remove Harris to give us Wannstedt, was a huge turd as an AD. Nordenberg has done many good things at Pitt but hiring Jeff Long was his big brain seizure. I wish Walt the best and so should the rest of the Pitt community.

Comment by TonyinHouston 04.16.10 @ 5:28 pm

While I look forward to next year’s edition of Pitt Basketball, we should all realize that the rankings, especially before the new season even starts are complete BS. I’m not even sure that all of the various “superstar recruit” rankings mean a thing either. What matters is a coach who year after year, season after season and kid after kid gets his teams ready to compete and win almost 80% of his big time college basketball games. I love the talent, grit and work ethic of the Pitt players, but the real “star” of Panther Basketball is Coach Dixon.

Comment by Rich CAS1970 04.18.10 @ 2:30 pm

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