I know that I’ve been barely missed with Reed taking the spring football coverage to an area never seen on this site before.
It’s been one of those weeks. Kids sick all week, and then my sister and brother-in-law came for a visit over the weekend. My sister, by the way and with all the irony it entails, lives in Houston. No not at all painful to think about that. At least it was an excuse to avoid watching any game involving Butler.
I have been able to watch the NCAA Tournament this week, except for Butler games. The pain is somewhat numb at this point, but I may never be able to look at Matt Howard without muttering expletives.
Last week — after Pitt lost, but before the NCAA Tourney restarted — I answered some questions from Pittsburgh Sports Daily. You can take a look here.
On the other hand I cant help but feel that Pitt truly is cursed. How is it that Pitt always catches the hot hand or the hot team at the absolutley worst possible times? I know there have been many so let me just briefly recap our misery:
2002: Antonio Gates scoring 22 for Kent State to knock pitt out in the sweet sixteen round
2003: Dwayne Wade scoring 22 and throwing in a miracle layup with seconds to play.
2004: Tony Allen scoring 23 for Oklahoma State and some other scrub that got hot in the second half.
2005: who can forget the mighty Pacific team that downded us in the opening round
2006: Patrick Bryant scores a career high 28 for 13th seed Bradley to knock Pitt out – once again the hot team strikes. Bradley beat the 4th seed Kansas in the first round.
2007: lost to UCLA and Ben Howland, that was fun
2008: Drew Neitzel scores 21 including 5 three pointers for Michigan State to dump Pitt.
2009: Scottie Reynolds with the length of the court last second layup to prevent Pitt from reaching the Final Four
2010: Xaviers Jordan Crawford scores 27 and Pitt loses to the 6th seed.
2011: Yes the Mighty Butler Bulldogs strike again and defeat Pitt in an unbelievable ending that you couldn’t write. Mack shoots out of his mind beyond nba three point range and once again Pitt misses out on opportunity.
uggghhhhh that is about as disappointing as it gets. I truly believe Pitt is its own worst enemy. They seem to have this Chicago cubs like curse. I am waiting for Steve Bartman to show up and do something stupid.
we havent beat one team with more talent in the Tournament since Dixon was hired…
data doesnt lie
at this point, ive run out of excuses for why he cant win when it counts
and I think UCONN winning 5 games in 5 days then going to the Final 4 can end all of the dumb arguments about how we used to do “too well”in the Big East tourney and were tired
that was such a load of crap… but just another example of Pitt fans finding any excuse other than blaming Dixon for Dixon’s poor March results
It is so disappointing (as a Pitt fan) to see other teams that have achieved so much less than Pitt reach the Final Four…George Mason, VCU, Butler, and so on….and Pitt cant even get there once.
Coach Ditka: We all feel cursed and disappointed because we’re Pitt fans, but I’d sure hate to be a Kansas fan. As Chas said to Pgh Sports Daily, Kansas has had far more blue-chip recruits, so who’s the bigger disappointment? Sure, you can point to the 2008 NC, but that team had 5 NBA picks starting for them and their path to the Final Four was an 8, 12 and 10 seed (hmm, a lot like this year). Even then, it took a little luck to get to the Final Four and win the NC game.
Two other things about that Kansas team: 1 starter was a senior, 2 were juniors and 2 were sophs. In their minds, they had to know that if they didn’t make it this year, there was always next year. That takes a lot of pressure off, and I think pressure is one of the reasons this year’s Kansas and Pitt teams didn’t get it done. They were both senior laden teams with high expectations from their fans. Has to weigh on a kid’s mind, don’t you think?
Like others, I’d like to see a talented Pitt team either underseeded or underclassmen dominated or both entering tourney season. I think you might see a different result.
I was very disappointed after the Butler game and the tickets were expensive.
My largest customer has a few VCU grads that are employed there and now I will get to write them off as a business expense!
Who would have thought!
Priceless!
I would be rather watching Pitt!
In a way it was like the Steeler super bowl this year. Sure it would have been great to win but we’ve had a lot of recent success so the loss was a little easier to swallow. And you could realistically say there is always next year.
Just so disappointing on so many levels…
One is the report that if all 5 incoming recruits qualify, 2 present players have to exit … a decisio that may not occur until the fall. The other is a story about Jermaine Dixon who is playing pro in Japan and experienced the earthquake (he is safe.)
For the most part, basketball has been an afterthought at Pitt. We’re a FOOTBALL SCHOOL. That is until Ben and Jamie showed up. Kansas got left at the altar by Williams moving to Carolina just like we did by Howland to UCLA, but Williams followed Larry Brown, so the program-building comparison goes out the window immediately.
So, comparing apples-to-apples, Jamie-to-Self, Kansas has 1 Final Four and 1 NC – that 2008 team I just talked about. Again, with a load more talent than Jamie’s had.
Again, it’s not about one-and-dones. Pitt has 3 or 4 players on their roster right now who could develop into NBA-level players, over time. Think Sam Young vs. DeJuan Blair. And, don’t put too much on Birch. The kid has top-level raw talent, but don’t be surprised if he’s at Pitt for 2 maybe even 3 years and don’t be shocked if he doesn’t even start next year. I’m not alone in that feeling.
I also have a lot of hope for Patterson. The kid’s got game and I think we’ll see him start to show it a little more next year, especially if he starts.
My 4th is Zanna. Tons of raw talent. He just needs to learn the game and keep his head straight while doing that.
And, I’m never counting out Gibbs. He has the bball smarts and works harder on his game than anyone. I can imagine him playing all summer wearing 20 lb. ankle weights to increase his speed and hops. With his shot, I could see him as a role player in the mold of Steve Kerr.
our esteemed Pittsburgh columnists seem deadset to blame a lack of talent on our March troubles:
link to pittsburghlive.com
apparently they didnt watch the NCAA tournament this year… you know, the one with VCU and Butler in the Final 4… which have a bunch of scrubs on their rosters