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February 24, 2011

Backyard Brawl games at the Pete, have been some of the most stressful, taut, exciting games for Pitt in the last few years. Ramon’s game-winning 3 and the 3OT game are some of the best wins at the Pete. Pitt is 6-1 versus the Hoopies in the Pete. Huggins-based Hoopies are winless at the Pete.

Beyond the hatred and never wanting to lose games at home, this is a big game. This game is something of a must-win for Pitt if the team wishes to win the Big East regular season outright and lock down a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament.

“We know what’s at stake,” senior forward Gilbert Brown said. “We want to win the Big East regular championship. We know we have to do it in these last four games.”

To that end, Pitt needs to go 3-1 in the final four games of the season. Not trying to look ahead much, but beating Louisville on Sunday at the Chicken Center is going to be a toss-up at best. Not losing any more home games this year is vital.

The thing is, WVU is almost in a must-win situation in their final four games. At least if they want a good seed in the NCAA Tournament and the Big East Tournament. Remember this factoid, Huggins coached teams have never finished worse than 5th in a conference regular season. This year the Hoopies sit at 8-6. Finishing 11-7 gives them a good shot at finishing at worst, tied for 5th in the conference. A 3-1 finish for them would be about what they need.

The players know what this game means. They also know that WVU will be looking for payback for Pitt beating them down in Morgantown.

“I think everybody remembers the remarks Huggins made about his players,” Pitt senior Gilbert Brown said. “I know they are fired up and they want to come out and prove something.”

No. 4 Pitt (24-3, 12-2 Big East), which is coming off a last-second, 60-59 loss at St. John’s, hosts West Virginia (17-9, 8-6) at 9 p.m. today in a nationally televised game between archrivals with much more than bragging rights at stake.

Pitt is trying to take another step toward the Big East regular-season title — the Panthers lead by 1 1/2 games with four to play — and West Virginia is looking to squelch NCAA Tournament bubble talk one season after reaching the Final Four for the first time in 51 years.

In the Feb. 7 loss to Pitt, West Virginia allowed 18 offensive rebounds and 42 points in the paint and shot 4 for 17 from 3-point range. Afterward, Huggins said his team was outmanned — “I can’t trade them. I could waive them, I guess, but I couldn’t get anybody for them” — and there was nothing he could do.

“I have always tried to be really honest with our guys about everything: about where we are, where we stood, what we need to do,” Huggins said Wednesday. “I think there were times when people said, ‘Are you putting pressure on them?’ I’m not putting pressure on them. I’m telling the truth. I know when I was a player, I wanted to know the truth. (The seniors) have been around long enough to know that I am honest with them.”

Bluntly honest.

In the last meeting, Pitt killed WVU inside, that seems to be a focal point for the Hoopies in this game, but…

“What they got against us the last time, 42 points in the paint, you just can’t do that,” said West Virginia forward Cam Thoroughman. “That’s a ridiculous number. I know they have other ways to score, but you can’t make it that easy for them.”

In truth, though, it might be harder to stop Pitt from scoring inside tonight than it was the first time the teams played. And that’s because of Gibbs.

No, the 6-foot-2 junior guard isn’t likely to get a lot of points inside, but he leads the Big East not only in 3-pointers made per game (3.33) but also in 3-point shooting percentage (47.3). After missing three games with that knee injury, he returned to score a career-high 26 points Saturday in a loss at St. John’s and made six of his nine 3-point attempts.

West Virginia didn’t have to worry as much about guarding the perimeter the first time the teams played and still gave up huge points inside. Gibbs’ presence just compounds matters.

“It enhances their 3-point shooting, so we probably have to extend our defense,” said WVU guard Joe Mazzulla. “It does make it tougher.”

On the flip side, WVU’s offense outside of Kilicli was hideous in the last meeting. It has been much more efficient in the last couple of games — including a win over ND. Their perimeter and wing players — Mazzulla, Bryant and Jones — had a great game. Truck Bryant, in particular, apparently had some undisclosed (and still unexplained) family issues that were weighing on him. Seemingly resolved now.

While WVU and Huggins like to claim road wins, they don’t have many to point to against the better teams in the Big East.

WVU’s 17-17 road record includes a 3-16 mark against the top half of the conference the past three-plus seasons.

The Mountaineers are tied for No. 6 in the Big East in conference wins from 2008-10 (34) and the past three-plus seasons (42). Yet they’re 0-3 at Louisville and Pitt, 0-2 at Syracuse, UConn, Marquette and Notre Dame, 1-2 at Villanova and 2-0 at Georgetown.

Basically, on the road they beat the teams the should and lose to the teams they should. Here’s hoping they keep to the pattern.

Liveblog tonight at 9pm. The game is on ESPN. John Saunders and Fran Fraschilla with the call.





“The game is on ESPN. John Saunders and Fran Fraschilla with the call.”

What? We won’t be blessed with a female play-by-play announcer or a female analyst? Hmmm. I just may watch this game with the sound on.

Comment by BigGuy 02.24.11 @ 12:40 pm

Let’s hope that we show up at the foul line tonight with a free throw percentage better than 56% or some other ugly number. I can’t figure out how guys who have roundball skills can be so inept in the most basic shot in the game. Did our Pitt players never play “Horse” back in the day growin up?? I have all the faith in the world, other than the above mentioned item, that Jamie will have the boys ready to Hamstring the Hoopies.

Comment by Dr. Tom 02.24.11 @ 12:40 pm

Dr. Tom, in support of your comment:

Marshon Brooks scored 52 points last night for Providence against ND. He was 6 out of ten from behind the arc. He made just 6 out of 10 free throws. Providence lost by one point to ND.

Comment by BigGuy 02.24.11 @ 1:38 pm

Everyone says Gil needs to step up on the offensive end if Pitt is to make a run to the Final Four, including Gil himself. Would like to see him start that tonight. He doesn’t need to try to carry the team. He just needs to be a little more assertive when he goes to the dribble and posterize a few people. That will open up his perimeter chances too.

Comment by TampaT 02.24.11 @ 2:18 pm

“There is little correlation between free-throw percentages and winning percentages.”
link to thequad.blogs.nytimes.com

Comment by andrew 02.24.11 @ 2:28 pm

following on from a couple of threads ago……

Wow, the conspiracy theories about the injustices to Pitt started out at just a garden variety of nuts and then just got crazier and crazier until we reached a really dazzling level of insanity…….

1. First of all, Blair is doing well for the Spurs because he’s playing on a well-coached team and is playing a circumscribed role alongside three of the Top 15 basketball players in the world. If he played for a lousy team and was asked to do much more, he’d be having an uninspired start to his career. It’s just like real estate folks……location, location, location.

2. It’s been said before, but if I were an NBA GM, I wouldn’t risk much on those knees. Just watching him play makes me wince sometimes wondering how many 80+ campaigns they’re good for.

3. On matching up with NC……..I think Dixon could have slowed Lawson a bit, but Lawson would have put him in foul trouble by early 2nd half. But that’s not the problem — the problem is Fields trying to keep Ellington from filling it up.

4. The fact that Blair is a more capable pro has nothing to do with how he and Hansborough would have fared against each other in a college game. Different sport entirely. NCAA refs, fairly or unfairly, would have put Hansborough on the line for the entire game and Blair would have played about 20 mins.

But I absolutely agree that Pitt is getting screwed because of the Homestead riots. That seems obvious.

Comment by hugh green 02.24.11 @ 2:35 pm

Get up early tonight and I can see the hoopies folding. Wanny and Gil, please, pretty please… attack the MFing rim!!

Comment by Carmen 02.24.11 @ 3:17 pm

i remember how my JV coach in high school would get sooo exasperated by missed free throws. “It’s the easiest shot in the game. NO ONE IS GUARDING YOU!!”

Comment by wilk 02.24.11 @ 3:22 pm

Gil is huge, tonight and down the road. His D in the 2008 BET run was outstanding, sustained and high level. We need that now and we need him to attack the rim and play with chemistry on offense.

This is a BIG game. They will go to Deniz early & often and we do not need McGhee riding the bench with 2 fouls and 8 minutes left in the first half, and if so Richardson has to be solid tonight. We’re going to beat them in the basics; board, shoot well, play alert and with energy. We need to deodorize from that pile of stink that the refs left on the court Saturday. 5 hours to tip.

Comment by Old School Panther 02.24.11 @ 4:00 pm

“But I absolutely agree that Pitt is getting screwed because of the Homestead riots. That seems obvious.”

hugh green, you do not give yourself enough credit. It is not all that obvious. It takes an astute, scholarly individual to deduce that fact

Comment by BigGuy 02.24.11 @ 4:04 pm

“attack the MFing rim!!”

I read that at work, and audibly chortled afterwards!

I completely agree with it–that line should be the Panthers’ battle cry from here on out!

Comment by Lou 02.24.11 @ 4:19 pm

I have never been more worried about a single game other than the Villanova Elite 8 game.
Pitt has to step out of it’s late season funk. If not, the Hoopies will pin a very painful win on us. Think this one will come down to the final shot. Hopefully not a Ft by Robinson.

Hail to Pitt…Go get em!@

Comment by Dan 72 02.24.11 @ 6:09 pm

Apologies for throwing in a football comment on a basketball thread,but check out the story at link to sports.espn.go.com
to see what we have coming into the Big East.

Comment by Jimbo63 02.24.11 @ 6:34 pm

Dan, try not to worry too much. Pitt will win by double digits. This is probably the easiest win of the four remaining (SFlorida is a weaker team, but that game’s on the road).

Comment by Hollow Panther 02.24.11 @ 6:58 pm

BigGuy, FWIW, I will take Doris Burke anyday over Dickie v … anyday … and also a few others

Comment by wbb 02.24.11 @ 7:17 pm

Thanks for providing such information. jhfibfd

Comment by Rich Derenberger 02.24.11 @ 10:30 pm

Good post! jhfibfd

Comment by Azzie Pogue 02.24.11 @ 11:05 pm

“I will take Doris Burke anyday over Dickie v ”

OK, wbb. You got me. I do find Doris Burke to very knowledgeable, and I do not find her to be obnoxious.

Comment by BigGuy 02.24.11 @ 11:28 pm

Fran Fraschilla is a terrible announcer. I’ll take Doris over him any day.

Comment by tedtrek 02.25.11 @ 9:49 am

Dukie V has become the worst …

See Dan, you worried for nothing!

Comment by Hollow Panther 02.25.11 @ 11:00 am

[…] going into this past week and even heading into the game, I was expecting that Pitt was at best a toss-up to win this game in Louisville. And the way the game went in the first half, it sure looked that […]


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